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Since dropping out of the University of Chicago to work on his bootstrapped startup Reliefwatch, 21-year-old Daniel Yu has had no shortage of work on his hands.
Reliefwatch (formerly Project SAM) graduated in 2014 from the ImpactEngine accelerator for socially focused startups and forged a partnership with Global Brigades, which put it in touch with Heart To Heart to work on mitigating the ebola crisis in West Africa.
“The most important resource in fighting ebola is information,” said Yu. “This goes for both underserved health clinics in Liberia as well as individuals here in the US. Staying informed about the on-the-ground situation is in West Africa is what Reliefwatch aims to provide to our partners, though being informed and educated about Ebola here is also important as we recognize the pandemic potential of the disease.”
[ibimage==41735==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]Put simply, Reliefwatch allows medical professionals to report disease cases and update their inventories through simple telephony. The information comes through as a regular phone call, sidestepping concerns about mobile internet or smartphone access. Parties can communicate using only the touchtone keypad. The data then relays into the cloud so that demands can be anticipated and crises averted.
But wouldn't those in hard-hit areas have trouble getting ahold of even a flip phone? While building out the company's tech, Yu said he discovered an interesting statistic. “More people in the world have a mobile phone than access to running water,” said Yu. “That over 90% of people in the developing world have a mobile phone is amazing.”
Yu said he is looking for more help with his efforts. Aside from expanding business operations, he said, “we're also actively seeking connections to international health organizations and foundations that work in the area to hopefully expand our impact.”
