During a time of global economic uncertainty, some companies are using their already strained resources to fight Covid-19 and create solutions for those affected by the pandemic.
These “crisis innovators” are producing PPE, offering contact tracing and meeting demands for food and supplies in underserved areas.
In Minnesota, several startups are working to tackle problems stemming from the pandemic. Whether it’s making online schooling more efficient or developing new therapies to fight Covid-19, these five companies are making substantial changes for their customers and the community at large.
Big Wheelbarrow
Big Wheelbarrow, an alum of the Techstars Farm to Fork accelerator, connects food buyers and producers using software that automates conversations with local farmers.
“When restaurants, schools and the hospitality industry stopped ordering food, lots of farmers were facing massive losses because their buyers went away,” said Big Wheelbarrow co-founder Sam Eder. “This created a situation where it was more economical for a farmer to plow food back into the ground rather than pay to have it picked and risk not finding a new buyer.”
To combat this problem, Big Wheelbarrow teamed up with fellow Techstars Farm to Fork alum Trackter to create a system that would pay farmers for their food and have it shipped to those in need. This side project eventually became the Emergency Food Network, a system that connects groups feeding populations who have been impacted by the pandemic to family farms with fresh products that would otherwise go to waste.
“Both of us work closely with family farms all over the country, and we knew it was critical to act.”
It’s challenging enough to run an early-stage company, so why throw a massive volunteer undertaking on the to-do list? For Eder and Trackter founder Josh Whitlock, it was a no-brainer.
“Both of us work closely with family farms all over the country, and we knew it was critical to act,” Eder said. “I think we created a win-win because not only did we help get food into food banks but we were also helping our communities get nutritious fresh food at a time when food access when hoarding is worse than ever before.”
The Emergency Food Network launched in late April. To date, it has helped move more than 200,000 pounds of food from almost 25 different farms.
RoundtableRX
Created by students at the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy, RoundtableRX is the state’s first medication repository. The nonprofit startup accepts donations of unexpired medications from health care facilities that would otherwise throw them away or flush them into the water supply.
Instead of being wasted, these medications are redirected to benefit Minnesotans who are uninsured or otherwise unable to pay for them. RoundtableRX says that this service is especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic, as individuals have lost access to their health care when losing their employment or have faced challenges affording their medications.
Minnesota is home to 325 long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living facilities. RoundtableRX estimates that these facilities dispose of around $16 million worth of safe, unexpired medication each year.
Eleyo Software
Eleyo Software provides end-to-end program management software for child care and community education programs. Founded in 2009, the Minneapolis-based company currently supports more than 4,000 schools across 22 states.
The company’s software provides child care and community education programs with online registration, family account management, payment processing, attendance tracking and reporting functionalities.
“As a result of challenging circumstances, programs are turning to technology.”
During the pandemic, Eleyo has placed a special focus on helping essential worker families by providing them with flexible child care options, digital enrichment courses and new processes for refunds.
“As a result of challenging circumstances, programs are turning to technology,” Marketing Director Tom Sawatzke said in an email. “This is where we have the opportunity at Eleyo to help.”
In addition to its work with essential workers, Eleyo is also collaborating with school districts to create new child care schedule types to accommodate in-person, hybrid and distance learning models for the new school year.
“We are giving our customers the flexibility required to make child care a reality this fall,” Sawatzke said.
To circulate best practices from across the country during this time, Eleyo has invested in a variety of resources for its customers, including focus groups, panel discussions, training webinars and more.
“At our core, Eleyo is a partner to community education and child care leaders, and we have a software platform to help them navigate a difficult situation,” Sawatzke said. “Amidst the pandemic, they’ve had additional pressures put on them without an addition of resources. We’re working to fill in that gap.”
Carrot Health
Med-tech startup Carrot Health is using data to predict which populations and communities are most susceptible to the negative impacts from an outbreak.
In other words, the company is not predicting where and when a Covid-19 outbreak will occur – it is identifying who is most vulnerable. This analysis can then be used to inform public health and intervention decisions at the national, regional and community level.
With the right data, public health personnel can turn panic and passivity into preparation and progress, the company says, directing intervention efforts and resources more effectively and appropriately.
Geneticure
Rochester-based Geneticure got its start helping patients find the best blood pressure medicine that would work with their DNA. During the pandemic, its tech found a new purpose: determining which Covid-19 cases will be most severe.
While much is still unknown about Covid-19, health professionals have learned this year that there are several groups with a higher risk of infection. This includes diabetics, smokers, older individuals and hypertensives (those with high blood pressure).
All of these groups are associated with higher genetic expression of something called the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 or ACE2. Covid-19, like all coronaviruses, uses ACE2 as the hose receptor to enter the cell. Geneticure uses genetics to measure ACE2 expression to determine who may be susceptible and how severe the case may be. Common hypertension medications can be used to modulate ACE2.
"It's important pre-infection to lower risk of disease progression, but it's also important post-infection as ACE2 can actually be protective of the lungs, blood vessels and heart," explained Geneticure CEO Scott Snyder. "Our test can also suggest which blood pressure medications are the best fit for each patient based on their genetics to alter ACE2 and lower risk of infection."
Snyder added that the pandemic has been a net positive for the company. Not just because of the business opportunity, but because it is able to contribute to the fight with its deep domain knowledge.
"I also believe it's a huge benefit to the startups focused on the sciences as there's a new appreciation for technology like ours," he said. "For those of us in the Midwest competing for attention against the coasts, work-from-home has been a great equalizer since we are all in the same virtual geography."
