• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Sunday, February 5, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

NOVID Helps Users Understand COVID’s Nearby Spread

With 80,000 downloads and philanthropic funding in the high six figures, NOVID shows the value of Marvin Minsky's dictum: Understand a problem in more than one way.

by Shirly Piperno
November 17, 2020
in Deep Tech, Ecosystem
Reading Time: 3 mins read
2
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
NOVID Founder Po-Shen Loh is a serial social entrepreneur and a Hertz Fellow.

For our Startup Spotlights, Times of Entrepreneurship scouts the most successful startups from top university competitions and programs. The impact of such awards can be many years in the making, especially in the DeepTech space.

Startup: NOVID

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Helps users understand how close they’ve been to people who have tested positive or been exposed to COVID-19, relying on self-reports of other app users. It was designed to be used primarily near Pittsburgh, at George Tech and Grand Valley State and in Las Vegas, N.M.

Interviewee: Founder Po-Shen Loh, associate professor of mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University and the national coach of the U.S. International Math Olympiad team, by video chat and email.

Hertz Foundation Fellowship

In 2004, Loh, as a PhD student, won a Hertz Fellowship in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences. The prize is valued at $250,000 over five years.

What is your elevator pitch? NOVID helps users visualize the spread of COVID-19 in their communities through a privacy-preserving network of connections.

What should we know about you? I am a university professor, and this is my third venture. I built an innovative learning platform where students have the power to choose the method in which they can learn, and I started “The Daily Challenge” – a daily, creative math lesson made to both improve and challenge middle-schoolers capacity to do maths. 

What are you looking for? We have a clear goal of changing the public discourse on contact tracing, and subsequently tracking apps. We saw Covid-19 as a network theory problem, and that is how we are solving it.

Why should someone invest in NOVID? Current contact tracing apps are made to protect others from you, a bit like most masks. We found a way to create an app which protects you from others by reversing the tracing. It makes sense that people are hesitant to have an app which tells them to stay home, and that they are a danger to others. Instead, we reframed this into a Network Theory problem, based on people’s degrees of relationships. We moved away from the geographical solution, and instead thought of human connections – what we tell our users is how far from you – socially – did someone contract the virus, and you can determine your behavior accordingly.

Employees: 10, with another 10 full-time equivalents

Funding: The app was initially funded by profits from my social enterprise, Expil Inc. (the daily math challenge). NOVID has received philanthropic funding in the high six figures. 

Clear evidence of success you would like to share? How many users do you currently have?  We have had 80,000+ installs at this point. In addition, our app is being recognized for defining an entirely new paradigm in app-based pandemic control.

If you would describe your startup to have a superpower, what would it be? Honestly, I do feel like we are helping save the world. We have an intensely driven and capable team which is united by that mission.

If you have a Startup Spotlight to suggest, please contact Shirly Piperno, [email protected]. 



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: NOVIDPo-Shen Loh
Shirly Piperno

Shirly Piperno

Related Posts

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

by Elizabeth Macbride
January 27, 2023
0

GET Champions: Tech Leadership in Miami Forward-thinking Miami tech industry leaders are invited to apply for GET Champions Miami. The program will...

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 6, 2023
0

The $350 billion chip manufacturing boom in the U.S. As I journalist, I’ve learned to ask myself: What are the...

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

by Lori Ioannou
December 8, 2022
0

Mark Wolf of AHV Communities is a pioneer in the build-for-rent real estate sector. Unlike many entrepreneurs who’ve made their...

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

by Elizabeth Macbride
November 4, 2022
0

Mill 19 within Hazelwood Green. Photo: courtesy of RIDC Times of E’s series: Deep Dives into Secondary Cities was sponsored...

photo of a mural of eyes

The New Capitals of American Business

by Elizabeth Macbride
March 30, 2022
0

A mural in the Wynwood district, a rising tech and arts neighborhood, in Miami It was a hot day in...

Man in black standing in a technology classroom

In a System Without Much STEM Support for the Most Vulnerable, it’s Up to a Teacher Willing to go a Step Beyond

by Skyler Rossi
March 2, 2022
0

Mark Godinez This is one of a series of stories about Times of E’s reporting trip to Miami, Fla. Read...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Weekly newsletter: Top 20 Entrepreneurship Competitions, DoorDash IPO And Elon Musk’s Move To Texas

    Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Editor’s Note: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War?

Editor’s Note: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War?

February 5, 2023

Weekly Newsletter: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War? Dandelion Economy & Rising Mexican Food Brands

February 5, 2023
Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
In Trying To Rein In The Gig Economy, Would A President Biden Slam The Smallest Businesses?

In Trying To Rein In The Gig Economy, Would A President Biden Slam The Smallest Businesses?

3 years ago
How Startup Istanbul Got 190,000 Applications

How Startup Istanbul Got 190,000 Applications

3 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?