PHL Inno's weekly "Startup Spotlight" feature highlights founders and new businesses cropping up in the region.
The startup: This App Saves Lives, a free mobile app that rewards drivers for not using their phones while driving
Founded: Early 2020
Home base: Philadelphia
Founder: Ryan Frankel, a serial entrepreneur behind nutrition app EduPlated and VerbalizeIt, a “Shark Tank”-funded language translation startup acquired by Smartling in 2016.
Inspired in part by his own experience, Frankel is now setting out to reduce distracted driving. When riding his bicycle on the morning he was scheduled to meet the CEO of Smartling, a driver ran a red light while texting. Forced to swerve to miss being hit, Frankel wasn't struck but did flip over his handlebars, fracturing his hip, elbow and several other bones.
“The business for This App Saves Lives started out with me personally experiencing the pain point and quickly morphed into the realization that distracted driving, i.e. what we all do on our phones when we're behind the wheel, causes about a half a million injuries every single year,” he said.
The product: This App Saves Lives runs in the background of its users’ phones and begins tracking user behavior once they reach a certain rate of speed. The app then rewards users with points when they're not driving distracted and awards more points based on the amount of time they drive undistracted. Those points can be redeemed for rewards from participating partners like Shake Shack, Urban Outfitters, Bombas and Insomnia Cookies.
Using navigation apps, taking phone calls or streaming podcasts or music don’t count against the points a user can accrue. However, once a user starts using their phone on other apps, like texting or social media, the app will subtract points. Passengers need not worry — they can go into the app and signal that they’re not driving so they don’t lose points.
“It is a carrot, not the stick approach,” Frankel said. “But we do wave a little bit of a stick in there to disincentivize that behavior.”
The startup also works with employers and insurance companies to reduce liability and offer perks.
This App Saves Lives can be downloaded for free from the iOS and Android app stores.
Funding: Frankel declined to disclose how much This App Saves Lives has raised. The startup hasn’t yet done a formal seed round, but is gearing up for one. Frankel declined to share how much he is looking to raise. The app has raised funds from several angel investors and seed accelerator TechStars.
The goal: This App Saves Lives aims to have 100,000 active users by the end of 2021. The app has about 20,000 regular users across the United States, with concentration in areas like the East Coast, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, San Antonio and California. Those users have earned 35 million points and redeemed more than 12,000 rewards, Frankel said.
