Rhode Island-based ResusciTech is hoping a new partnership with the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) can help save lives as hundreds of thousands of kids and coaches gear up for a summer sports season.
The American Heart Association estimates that 100,000 to 200,000 lives of adults and children could be saved each year if CPR were performed early enough. Yet, it also found that slightly more than half of Americans (54%) say they know how to perform CPR. Of that number, only one in six know that the recommended technique for bystander CPR consists of just chest compressions — and no breaths — on an adult.
Enter ResusciTech's Smart Certification app. Users create an account and immediately get access to engaging learning activities, short videos, and get to practice chest compressions. It also offers hands-on practice. Participants just need to hold their phone while practicing chest compressions against a couch cushion — or similar household item — and the phone measures their compressions and gives feedback on depth and rate in real-time.
"This way, users can build confidence and know for sure that they’re performing CPR correctly in the event of an emergency. After passing the course, there’s an option to purchase a CPR certificate," said Abigail Kohler, CEO and co-founder of ResusciTech. "Our technology makes it so anyone with a smartphone can get CPR-trained from anywhere, anytime, in 90 minutes or less."
Kohler said this week that teaming up with National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) has been a goal for ResusiTech CMO Brian Morely, who reached out to the organization.
"Based on our research and initial conversations, the NAYS mission really resonated with us and we saw a connection between their goal and ours: they educate, equip and empower youth sports leaders so all children can enjoy the lifelong benefits of sports, and have trained more than four million coaches since inception," Kohler said. "NAYS values safety, so they immediately recognized the importance of the education ResusciTech provides and the value that it can bring to their community of coaches. Before the partnership kicked off, the NAYS team personally tested out the app and loved it!"
Through the partnership, NAYS members will be able to get CPR certified through the Smart Certification app at a discounted rate.
The new partnership comes as the company is preparing for a seed round this summer, which Kohler said would help boost sales, marketing and "our commercialization efforts." So far, the startup has received more than $150,000 in grant funding and $50,000 in convertible note investments.
"The round itself will be an exciting milestone, but the expansion of our sales team and investments we’ll be able to make into marketing will allow us to achieve substantial growth in the Rhode Island area and beyond," she said. "Over the next year or so, we’ll also be adding some exciting new functionalities to the app –– including our full first aid course and Account Management Dashboard for employers."
Up to this point, Kohler said, ResusciTech has been selling through channel partners such as the NAYS, ACE, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and Yoga Alliance. The company also sells B2B and has a number of compelling offers for businesses, including easy enrollment, progress tracking and certificate expiration tracking, she said.
Since the launch of the app in March 2021, Kohler said she's heard from both individuals and businesses on ease of use and how it simplifies certifying a large workforce for CPR.
