A new competition by Livestrong Foundation is looking for ideas that improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their families. The Big C contest wants submissions that apply social entrepreneurship to cancer in ways that make a difference across personal finance, behavioral health, support for caregivers’ families, access to care and patient education.
The Big C Competition might seem like a rather blunt name for a contest to support people with cancer, but it sends a message that it’s taking an unflinching view of the disease and wants to encourage a broad social dialogue.
Applicants compete for funding, mentoring and international exposure to a community of potential customers, according to a statement from Livestrong. Sixty submissions will receive a total of $140,000 in seed funding. The criteria include utility, ingenuity and benefits to cancer patients and survivors. The top prize is $25,000.
Here’s what the schedule looks like:
- The deadline for applications is May 15.
- The top 150 entries will be whittled down to 20.
- Those groups will advance to the accelerator phase from July 14-Sept. 15. They will be paired with cancer survivors and business mentors to test their ideas in practice.
- Five finalists will be named on Sept. 29.
- They will travel to Austin, Texas, to present their innovations from October 16-18.
A 2010 survey by the foundation found that nearly all cancer survivors have continued physical, emotional and practical concerns after their treatment ends, but only half of those who experienced emotional concerns received help and only 20 percent of those with practical concerns received assistance. It also referenced a 2013 report on consumer mobile health apps by IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics published last year. It found that only 77 apps were specific to cancer despite the fact that it’s a leading cause of death.
A few startups have focused on cancer support. Aside from social media groups such as PatientsLikeMe and MyBCTeam, Navigating Cancer developed an online portal to help cancer patients prepare for doctor visits, fill out medical forms, stay organized during treatment and track how they feel. Last year the Philly Hacks Cancer hackathon produced an app to connect cancer patients to people who can respond to specific needs.
