Now that the Cisco International Downside Solver Problem 2022 winners have been formally introduced, you’ll need to be taught extra about every successful group and the story behind every innovation. The Cisco International Downside Solver Problem is an internet competitors that awards money prizes to early-stage tech entrepreneurs fixing the world’s hardest issues. Since 2017, the competitors has awarded $3.25 million USD to 78 start-ups from 25 international locations.
We’re excited so that you can be taught extra in regards to the 2022 successful groups addressing a few of the greatest challenges we face via technology-based options.
This 12 months, Cisco supplied a particular HBCU Startup Prize to a group with a founder who’s a pupil or graduate of considered one of America’s Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities (HBCUs), and who presents an progressive know-how resolution that addresses a social or environmental downside. This $50,000 USD prize helps our $150 million dedication to the strategic restoration, sustainability, and legacy of America’s Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities.
This 12 months’s HBCU Startup Prize winners come from two distinguished HBCUs – co-founders Kesha Lee attended Dillard College, and Carlisha Gentles, PharmD, BCPS, attended Howard College. Their united mission at Salveo Improvements is to enhance well being literacy and patient-provider relationships via an easy-to-use, patient-centered utility resolution. I sat down with co-founder Carlisha Gentles to debate beginnings, inspirations, and the way this award will influence Salveo Improvements.
What downside is your know-how resolution making an attempt to unravel?
Carlisha: Low well being literacy is among the high crises threatening the healthcare of our nation. Over 1,000,000 folks within the U.S. have low well being literacy. Communities of shade are extra impacted than others, however you possibly can see it amongst all races and all socio-economic statuses. Even some people with greater stage levels can have problem breaking down advanced well being data when it’s offered to them.
In order that’s our mission. We’re making an attempt to make sure that everybody can take well being data that’s offered to them, put it to use, and perceive it. And as soon as they’ve been given clear directions by their physician or different healthcare supplier, they’ll take actionable steps to have the very best well being care outcomes.

Are you able to clarify how the answer works?
Carlisha: What we’ve heard usually locally is that many individuals don’t know what to ask their suppliers or I don’t really feel comfy asking them questions. Our core product, which we affectionately named ‘Tyrone,’ is an utility in improvement that’s culturally responsive, culturally delicate, and neighborhood pushed. It helps sufferers navigate their healthcare encounters with their suppliers by giving them important data after they want it most.
The answer helps sufferers navigate the extent of care they may want primarily based upon their signs and different affected person data offered. It additionally helps them put together for the appointment. After which post-appointment, this resolution delivers suggestions, post-care directions, lab outcomes, and prescription nudges. It additionally supplies prescribers’ discharge notes or summaries, stuffed out via synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML). And the extra the affected person makes use of the applying, the higher the applying (and ML) learns how they convey – so the answer improves the extra the affected person makes use of it.
What’s progressive about the best way you might be fixing the problem? What units your resolution aside?

Carlisha: Many establishing medical paperwork are written at an eighth grade studying comprehension stage. However even when well being data is on the market at an eighth grade studying stage, a lot of our most weak communities are solely at a 3rd grade studying comprehension stage.
In order that’s the added element of our progressive resolution – incorporating ML and AI, in order that we’re capable of break that data down additional for the affected person to grasp. So any affected person utilizing the applying can say, ‘my physician stated that I’ve diabetes, Tyrone. I don’t perceive what he stated. Are you able to clarify this additional for me?’ And the affected person can then have an comprehensible well being data alternate.
What impressed you to develop this resolution?
Carlisha: Kesha and I had been each born and raised in city areas within the south. She grew up in Alabama and I’m from Georgia. Rising up in Georgia, I personally noticed systemic structural racism from an schooling and healthcare system perspective. And my co-founder Kesha usually remembers accompanying her grandmother to the hospital every time she wanted a physician. The vestiges of the Tuskegee experiment had been ever-present, and her grandmother didn’t belief the healthcare system.
With Tyrone, we envision a world the place nobody has communication limitations when interacting with their healthcare system, when everybody can make the most of their offered well being data to make higher choices. Not just for them, however for his or her households as effectively. And this can be a world that we’re constructing with Tyrone. We need to give folks a higher sense of self-agency.
How will successful a prize within the Cisco International Downside Solver Problem assist you advance your enterprise?
Carlisha: It’s going to be transformative for our enterprise and improvement of Tyrone. Simply getting that massive stamp of approval, like, ‘hey, we see you. We respect what you’re doing. We get it.’ Each interplay with Cisco’s groups – serving to us, guiding us, getting ready us – has been wonderful and helped to raise not simply us, however all of the International Downside Solver contributors – which I believe is phenomenal.
I sum all of it up with this quote: ‘We can’t search achievement for ourselves and overlook about progress and prosperity for our neighborhood. Ambitions should be broad sufficient to incorporate the aspirations and desires of others for his or her sakes and for our personal.’
Have you learnt what you’ll use the prize cash for particularly?
Carlisha: We’ve already mapped it out. We’re contracting with a UI/UX and app developer to scale the present model of Tyrone from clickable prototype to an precise full beta model. This may enable us to start consumer testing and launch our MVP for This autumn. We additionally intend to rent at the very least one or two paid interns. We’re devoted to supporting HBCU pupil expertise throughout every section of our progress. Lastly, we now have plans to host a neighborhood pilot.

What recommendation do you may have for different social entrepreneurs?
Carlisha: Take your time, however hurry. Time is of the essence however going quick with out focusing in your providing, worth proposition, and the neighborhood, you might be designing for will result in extra challenges down the road. Constructing agile techniques shall be an asset within the brief, close to, and long-term.
Pay attention deeply and belief your instincts. It may be extremely troublesome to stroll away from funding, contemplating the present panorama for entrepreneurs, and particularly contemplating the challenges we as ladies and minority founders face. Nevertheless, do not forget that ‘No’ is a whole sentence. We’ve encountered many predatory packages and lending autos which have been extremely discouraging. Maintain regular to your integrity, use the expertise to be taught/achieve further perception, and stroll away when issues don’t really feel proper.
Lastly, embrace partnerships and search counsel. Not everybody will get your imaginative and prescient, however work exhausting to construct a group of help grounded in genuine and trusting relationships. One of many issues that every one entrepreneurs should do is discover ways to cede energy and belief the presents of your group. Our success could be very a lot a group effort and we’re extremely grateful to our operations professional, Natasha Ettienne-Johnson, and strategic advisor, Kornelius Bankston of TechPlug. They’ve been with us from the start, serving to us to construct techniques, partnerships, and plan long-term. So, we’d advise any social entrepreneur to determine your key consultants, belief the abilities, and experience they carry to the desk after which get out of their approach.
Keep tuned for extra articles in our weblog sequence, that includes interviews with each Cisco International Downside Solver Problem 2022 successful group!
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