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A shortage of doctors and medical resources, along with his mother’s near-death experience, gave Loic Assobmo ’15 the idea of a smartphone app that spreads awareness about life-threatening diseases in his native Cameroon and other countries in Africa. His invention impressed judges at the second annual Boston College Venture Competition Social Entrepreneurs Envisioning Development (BVC SEED) competition enough to award him the top prize of $2,500.
The app provides users with information on the top five medical illnesses – stroke, HIV, malaria, pneumonia and Ebola virus – and possible remedies until they can get to a doctor. It also alerts users to disease outbreaks while sending helpful information.
“The fact that I will be able to use this app to empower people to recognize things that are killing them frequently and give them actual medical suggestions that they can do from home to start taking care of themselves is huge,” says Assobmo, a biology major and aspiring physician.
BVC SEED combines the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with the Jesuit ideals of “men and women for others” by providing an avenue for students looking to found social ventures.
At the April 8 event, Assobmo told judges of the events that inspired the creation of his app – his mother’s stroke necessitated the family’s move to the US for adequate care – and his company Global Enterprise for Medical Enhancement [as he recounted in this Chronicle story: http://bit.ly/1tecYbX]. Assobmo says he’s implementing changes to his app, a prototype, after receiving positive responses from doctors, patients, and telecommunications companies after returning to Cameroon last month during spring break.
“My ultimate goal for GEMA is to continue expanding it,” says Assobmo. “I have developed several initiatives that I am still launching. I am working towards obtaining 501c3 certification and expanding my team. However, at the moment I am looking for partnerships, mentorship, and funding to further my ideas and my app.”
Assobmo noted that his mother, although still enduring some paralysis, has recovered well, and recently graduated with from Bridgewater State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. “She is very passionate about helping others.”
Other teams competing included VolunteerNow, Roadex, WOOF Supplies, and AbilityTro and ROTC Green to Navy.