Last October, we held our inaugural HealthTech Jeopardy tournament with our Digital Health batchmates at 500 Startups. The grand prize was a donation of $500 in the name of the winner to the charity of their choice. Pillsy , a connected medication platform, was the winner by one question. Jeff LeBrun, Founder of Pillsy, chose Chad's Legacy Project (CLP) when he saw a screening of Chad’s Legacy: Ending the Stigma at Cambia Grove in Seattle.
CLP is a memorial advocacy project, committed to the advancement of mental health education and innovations in the evaluation and treatment of mental illness. The nonprofit was created by Todd and Laura Crooks shortly after the loss of their oldest son, Chad, who had been battling Schizophrenia.
“I was moved by Todd and Laura’s powerful story and I wanted to help” said Jeff, “Anybody who watches their new short film will feel the same way."
In addition to the $500 donation, Pillsy will also be donating use of their product, a smart pill bottle and app that simplifies medication management for people and members of their care teams. Another batchmate and HealthTech Jeopardy participant, Level Therapy is also pitching in with a special 20% discount off the first 3 months for subscribers
“Mental health isn't just about providing access to care, it is about increasing access to human potentiality. Chad’s story is speaks volumes to this necessity, and why this work is so important,” said Dan Miller, CEO of Level Therapy.
These donations come at an opportune time for CLP, which is hosting its annual fundraiser “ Unmask the Night ” September 9th at Eden Seattle. The event will generate funds to guarantee success of several key projects critical to the state of awareness, care access and treatment of Mental Illness in Washington State and beyond.
“We’ve reached a tipping point in the world of Mental Health, where all the pieces are set to transform how the care of mental illness is accessed and delivered,” said Mr. Crooks.
For everyone involved, it was a great experience to give something positive back to the community.
“Just like we all want to grow and scale our startups, experiences like these make us also want to scale how we can give back to our communities,” said Hoala Greevy, Founder CEO of Paubox.