This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.

1. THE BEGINNING

This innovation came to life when…

My grandfather, Benito, suffered with stomach cancer and my family had to say no to treatments that could have saved his life.

After he passed away, we were determined that families should never feel that they can’t afford the best quality medical for their loved ones. Never again.

We did the research and found that this was a common experience. Families in Australia are being forced to sell their homes, miss out on doctor’s appointments and medicines because they can’t afford their medical bills.

We came up with PeoplePledge, a crowdfunding platform, which we launched in 2013.

2. WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

Help individuals fundraise for their loved ones with an illness or disability to cover medical expenses such as treatment or surgery costs and home modifications and equipment.

It does this by…

Functioning as a crowdfunding platform that can be accessed by computer or smartphone at http://www.peoplepledge.com.au

The platform has two target markets. The first are the creators, who are the individuals that create the fundraising page on our website. It is free to sign up. The second target group are the pledgers, the individuals that make a pledge and transaction.

3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

In Australia, we are the pioneers in medical crowdfunding and are recognised as leaders in the field. There was nothing like it before we came about, that’s why we won the Pride of Australia Medal in 2013. We are improved because we specialise in Australia and in medical expenses, which is different from crowdfunding platforms before us.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

• Raising thousands of dollars for medical expenses in just 60 days or less
• Trusted and secure online payment processing
• Pledges can come from anywhere in the world and any day, 7 days a week

4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

Family and friends raising funds for loved ones offline through dinner events, raffles, auctions but the problem is that these events are limited by a geographic location and limited by the time in which pledges can be made.

Otherwise, families had to forego certain medical procedures or equipment.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

Other crowdfunding platforms – but many do not focus on or do not allow funding for medical expenses, and many are not focused in Australia and people creating their own fundraising web pages, but this can be costly and time consuming.

5. TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

The platform has two target markets.

The first are the creators, who are the individuals that create the fundraising page on our website. This group is potentially huge because just in Australia, there are over 11 million hospital admissions per year, and there are 7 million living with a chronic disease and 4 million living with a disability. It is free to sign up.

The second target are the pledgers, the individuals that make a pledge. Anyone in the world can pledge. With over 86 per cent of the Australian population or 20 million using the internet daily, our reach is massive.

It is available for sale through…

Our website at www.peoplepledge.com.au. People can also find out about our website via word of mouth, our Twitter page, our blog, our Facebook page, and our networks with other health related non-profit organisations.

Our marketing strategy is to…

Use a combination of online and offline marketing strategies. Online marketing includes SEO, Adwords, Facebook, Twitter and content marketing and blogging. Offline marketing includes press releases, word of mouth, as well as strategic alliances with non-profits and hospitals.

Your Turn — VOTE!

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We’ll use your vote to create the 2014 SMART 100 Readers’ Choice Index.

FINE PRINT
This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.