Aamica: Crowdsourcing Compassion

I, Risa Stein, possess a unique set of credentials and skills: PHD in clinical psychology, MA in Organizational Leadership, extensive behavioral medicine research and publication record, 20+ years teaching undergraduate students, training and practical experience in design thinking and innovation, entrepreneurship and nonprofit experience gained through creating a mental health support website, and experience writing a popular personal development self-guided therapy workbook. I'm also a neurotic helicopter mom and wife of a military veteran. I've joined with Rick Nash, CEO-Aamica Australia, to develop a product/service that enables us to crowdsource compassion and share it in a lasting and tangible way through NFC embedded wristbands. I serve as CEO of Aamica - USA.

Consider the last time you lost a loved one or were incapacitated. Who did you deem more compassionate - the individual who said to call if you needed anything or the person who dropped by unprompted to hold your hand or deliver a casserole?

We have a social norm that dictates those who hurt the most must reach out to others in their time of need. Aamica believes this norm is at the root of loneliness, depression, and deaths of despair. People everywhere deserve proactive support and compassion.

The simple act of crowdsourcing compassion from the general public and sharing it in a tangible and lasting way can address this challenge in times of crises. Moreover, providers, family, and friends should also be able to express support in a way that does not promote feelings of guilt or being a burden on the part of the receiving party.

In the US, social norms requires those who hurt most to reach out for aid. Moreover, once an individual seeks aid, it often becomes increasingly uncomfortable to ask again. Clearly, frontline COVID-19 workers, especially health care workers, bear the emotional brunt of the pandemic.

"Front-line workers — health-care providers, grocery store workers, delivery people — are especially vulnerable to the coming storm of mental health problems." - The Washington Post

"Among frontline health care workers and their families, 64% reported worsened mental health as did 65% of those who had lost income." - Kaiser Family Foundation

"Participants reported substantial loneliness, with 65% feeling lonely at least several days in the past week... Workers are experiencing substantial distress with large proportions screening positive for acute stress, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances." - Psychological distress, coping behaviors, and preferences for support among New York healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, General Hospital Psychiatry.

In general, social media contributes to loneliness. Moreover, cell phones are stressors. Rather than trying to shift mindsets to view phones as promoting well-being, the Aamica band comes to signify comfort.

1. An individual, family, civic group, or business purchases a package. Each package level comes with a set number of contributor accounts and bands (also referred to as 'aamilets') for the COVID-19 hero group of their choosing (healthcare/support staff; supply chain/delivery; retail/food service; educators). 
2. The purchasing agent then shares their unique access code and invites their contacts to contribute messages.
3. The contributors download the app and write notes of support, find sweet photos, create sincere audio messages, or compose heartfelt videos expressing their gratitude to COVID-19 essential workers. 
4. Aamica bundles the messages together and shares them via an NFC chip embedded in the band.
5. The bands are then gifted to the designated group of COVID-19 heroes.
6. The hero downloads the free app, taps their cell phone against their Aamica 'Thank You' band, and views the caring messages on their phone screen. When they come across one that resonates with them, they can 'favorite' it to return to when they need an emotional boost.
7. The Aamica band serves as a lasting and tangible reminder that they are valued.
8. The individuals who shared messages of appreciation experience peace of mind, knowing they have given a virtual hug to a COVID-19 hero.

The Aamica 'Thank You' program is the first in our line of Keepsakes and is currently being launched to address the pressing emotional needs of COVID-19 essential workers and those who feel stymied in their ability to express gratitude to them. The 'Thank You' program is one that can be reintroduced for any future crisis. We are also currently investigating partnerships that would enable preloading NFC chips embedded in Aamica bands with funds or gift certificates in addition to messages of support for individuals at the center of relief efforts and crowdfunding campaigns.

Future iterations will develop the Keepsake line for use in therapeutic settings and to provide support through more intimate forms of interpersonal connection. 

The Aamica team has employed design thinking approaches to gain empathy into the needs of contributing and recipient groups. We have engaged with target contributors and recipients through ethnographic research, interviews, and surveys to improve our understanding of their means and preferences regarding providing and receiving socioemotional support. Through a deep appreciation of the pain-points experienced by both contributors and recipients, we have been able to create a unique product that puts human-centered design in the forefront.

Aamica removes the awkward elements often inherent in creating connection - the concern over how a warm sentiment will be received and pressure to respond. It also reduces personal anxiety associated with an inability to meaningfully comfort another.

Most importantly, and the reason we are pursuing The Elevate Prize, is because the public has few means of demonstrating a lasting appreciation to those who give so much to and for our communities. The mental health of those who suffer quietly is our utmost concern. By bringing people together to show appreciation, we build unity and community and decrease despair.

In March 2018, Rick’s children brought to his attention three deaths by suicide among their teenage peers. They pleaded with him to leverage the app he was developing to impact their community.

At the same time, on the side of the world, Risa, growing increasingly concerned over rising rates of mental health challenges among college students, created GenuineU. 

Rick and Risa connected through LinkedIn in 2019 and created the tiered Aamica Keepsake line. In March 2020, during a visit to Australia to organize the Aamica launch, the corona pandemic hit. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were hospitalized in Melbourne and an insane rush for toilet paper ensued. Healthcare workers, grocery clerks, and educators were suddenly caught in the eye of a hurricane. We decided the compassionate thing to do would be to shift our priorities and address the socioemotional needs of essential workers as well as the swelling hearts of those sheltered-in-place.

Through our discussions, we created a human-centered approach to providing and receiving support and compassion that addresses problematic social norms, aspects of communication that provoke anxiety in those who wish to provide support, and negative emotions often associated with being on the receiving end of concern.

In 1976, I moved from NJ to GA. A Jewish girl whose outsider ways didn't ingratiate her with southern kids.

Despite befriending some lovely blonde-haired girls, I never fit in. So, I did what any Jersey-girl would do - I swore I’d show them all up one day. By my 30th birthday I had a PHD, a husband, a baby, and a new house.

Then, in March 2012, I took my son on his college tour to identify a school where he could find his people. During this trip I began hemorrhaging severely. By the time we returned home a week later, I (wearing adult diapers and passing clots the size of beef livers) was close to dying.

I realized during my hospital stay, the root of my problem. (Stay strong. Never let them see you sweat.) I had substituted accomplishments for human connection. After sharing my story, I learned the Homecoming Queen’s father had been an abusive alcoholic and she felt the same way. Same with the quiet Asian kid who spoke broken English. 

That’s what makes Aamica work. It cuts through the social and personal BS and allows people to drop their veneer and genuinely connect with others.

Rick Nash, CEO-Australia, is a serial entrepreneur with a history of developing social enterprise software. Rick has a mental health background and is considered by everyone he meets to be a 'super-connector.'

Dr. Risa Stein, CEO-USA, is a clinical health psychologist with a masters degree in organizational leadership. She developed a nonprofit mental health website and has experience in design thinking, creativity, and innovation. Risa has taught psychology at the undergraduate level for 20+ years and has an extensive research and publication history. 

Dan Pedemont, CTO, is an experienced software engineer and IT professional operating in Sydney, Australia. Dan has ensured that the platform upon which Aamica is built will be well-suited for future growth and capable of addressing any concerns around security.

Jamie Prangnell, CPO, is Aamica's product manager. Jamie is experienced in UX/UI and has a design thinking background, as well. He is headquartered in the United Kingdom.

The team also includes Michael Rossato-Bennett, a Sundance Film Festival award-winning filmmaker, Itaal Shur, a Grammy-winning songwriter, military leaders, a retired marketing executive, and numerous health professionals serving in consulting roles.

As I mentioned, I suffered a near-death experience in 2012. As I recuperated in the hospital, I took stock of my life and realized the extent to which my childhood combined with my stubborn, self-centered, and self-pitying ways created a series of hang-ups surrounding vulnerability, risk and failure aversion, and impostor syndrome. 

The resulting insights and midlife crisis prompted a sudden sense of responsibility to others. As a result, I wrote a self-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy book, the Best Damn Life Workbook. The process also prompted me to create additional meaningful personal changes. These involved taking greater risks in developing student-centered pedagogical approaches, going back to school for a graduate degree in business, starting a chapter of Active Minds on my campus (which received 'Chapter of the Year' after just two years), creating a University Innovation Fellows chapter, teaching a creativity course, developing GenuineU - a nonprofit mental health support website, consulting with others and conducting design thinking workshops, and deciding to phase out of academia to partner with Rick and pursue additional means of contributing to society.

I believe leadership is demonstrated through actions and not position. Accordingly, I have worked diligently to consider the ways in which my actions would establish me as a leader in the eyes of those I've served most over the past 20 years - my students.

As a result of my midlife crisis, I have become increasingly sensitive to others who feel constrained in their lives. Most pronounced among this group are first-year college students. I affectionately refer to them as the OOPS generation (Outcomes-Oriented Pressured Students). Their mindset contributes to their sense of isolation as well as their escalating rates of anxiety and depression.

To address this challenge, I demonstrate my vulnerability in my classes. I help students take stock of their personal values and ensure they reflect back upon them when they make important decisions. I work tirelessly to create a psychologically safe atmosphere in the classroom so students feel they can express their authentic selves.

I realized I had succeeded in this goal and had indeed become a leader in the realm of personal development when a student referred to me in a course evaluation as the, "Oh, what the hell" professor (see the LinkedIn article I wrote).

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I appreciate Drucker's approach to innovation and believe Aamica hits on a number of the attributes he highlights. Primarily, from a design thinking perspective, Aamica addresses several human-centered needs:

1. There are few tangible, meaningful, genuine means through which people can share warm sentiments without feeling intrusive or placing a burden to respond on the individual on the receiving end.
2. There are few ways of addressing and alleviating the anxiety experienced by individuals who wish to express concern and support to another person but feel inhibited due to the uncomfortable nature of face-to-face interactions.
3. Modern generations have lost the sentimentality often associated with jewelry and other personal keepsakes. Most of our memories are shared through and stored on our cell phones - highly stress-inducing and impersonal devices. The Aamica band provides a technical interface combined with an object of sentimental value.

The key to Aamica's most impactful innovation, however, involves a shift in paradigm. Currently, to gain comfort and support, an individual with potentially much to lose, must reach out to others and make their needs explicit. We know from research on treatment seeking and increasing suicide prevalence rates, that this often does not occur. Aamica reverses the paradigm by enabling one's social network to proactively reach out and provide support in a safe, authentic, and non-intrusive manner. Whether in time of need or as a prophylactic measure, this means of establishing a compassionate connection inoculates against loneliness and emotional suffering while bypassing what is perceived by many as uncomfortable interactions.

Aamica Theory of Change diagram

Aamica aims to 1) reverse the current help-seeking paradigm from one in which the hurting are required to ask for recognition and support to one in which community, providers, and friends and family preemptively provide comfort and care and 2) develop a 'trickle-down' strategy of shaping behaviors that begins with an easily accepted behavioral modification (Phase 1) while gradually introducing slight modifications (Phases 2 and 3) until sharing support and creating compassionate connections become natural parts of our behavioral repertoire.

To accomplish these aims, we will create a three-pronged approach beginning with the enlistment of individuals, organizations, and businesses to empower family and friends, members, and internal stakeholders to provide lasting, meaningful, and tangible reminders of their gratitude and appreciation to COVID-19 essential workers. Next, we will afford therapeutic and support service organizations the opportunity to develop increasingly authentic relationships between providers and clients. Finally, we will address the needs families and friends experience in establishing compassionate connections with those closest to them.

At each stage we will match the Aamica band or other tangible wearable to the level of intimacy. For Phase 1, where community is high and intimacy is low, we are offering an NFC-embedded, 'Thank You' band. For Phase 2, where intimacy is higher and community lower, we will offer branded wearables such as a key chain. Finally, for friends and family, where intimacy is high and community low, we will offer keepsake quality, higher-end wearables.

Through each phase we increasingly shape the desired behavior of providing proactive compassion and support to the individual receiving the wearable. At the same time, we address the needs of the purchasing agent by affording them opportunities to improve upon their community profile, their key performance indicators, and their personal peace of mind.

As the shift in perspective takes root in our society and preemptively providing compassion increasingly becomes the norm, we hope to note decreased levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety as well as the associated behaviors of substance abuse and suicide.

We are currently in the developmental stage and will begin serving our target demographics in July, 2020.

Within five years we aim to support therapeutic providers and individuals through the Keepsake line.

The Aamica platform, while launching initially in the US and Australia, is available in numerous languages thus enabling us to expand the Keepsake line to a growing number of countries. However, we find the potential to create compassionate connections around the world a most exciting prospect. 

If a message from a person in Singapore could automatically be translated into Swahili for a recipient in Africa, for instance, imagine the ways we could promote unity and tolerance across the globe. It is to the detriment of our global society that there are so few means through which compassionate people can connect and support one another during crises across time zones and languages barriers.

At Aamica we envision support pouring in from around the world when people need it most. Financial resources are, of course, critical. But, our spirits feed on human connection. A note written in any language saying, "My heart goes out to you," provides hope and encouragement during the darkest of times. Aamica wants to provide the link that connects the world through compassion.

Within the next two years, we aim to roll out the first three phases of the Keepsake line outlined in the Theory of Change. While Phase 1 addresses the psychosocial impact of COVID-19, there will undoubtedly arise additional natural and man-made disasters that call for recognition of and support for relief workers. We also aim to partner with wearable payment companies to embed funds alongside messages of support in our wearables.

As creating compassionate connections becomes increasingly easy and well-accepted, we will develop the KeepSafe line. Aamica KeepSafe will incorporate a personalizable template completed by a loved one to enable expedient sharing of meaningful psychosocial information to those who provide care to minimally communicative or noncommunicative individuals. 

The KeepSafe line affords those providing services the opportunity to create compassionate connections that improve whole-person care. Moreover, it is crucial for individuals who can not always be available, to know that by simply scanning their loved one's wearable, providers and caregivers can expeditiously and easily access information relevant to connecting with and comforting the minimally communicative or noncommunicative individual.

Finally, toward the end of the five-year period, we aim to implement the Community line which will enable bidirectional interaction along with a community video repository to facilitate the creation of compassionate communities among larger demographics including, for instance, veterans, new mothers, and caregivers.

Our efforts will consistently and continually move our society closer to a new norm of proactively sharing support, comfort, validation, encouragement, and compassion with others.

Primary among our current immediate needs and potential limiting factors is the financial means to purchase bands, chips, and marketing. As we grow we will need to hire personnel in sales, customer service, finance, and supply chain and distribution. We will also eventually outgrow our current ability to store messages of support and will need to address cloud storage requirements.

While the Aamica platform is available in a variety of languages, the translation of messages from one language platform to another will require additional funding and technical assistance.

As the programs diversify, we will encounter potential legal and institutional barriers such as HIPAA and FERPA. While our platform is compliant with the related security requirements, there will nevertheless be legal paths to navigate.

We will also need to establish partnerships with a variety of community-centered organizations and channel partners.

We will need to identify individuals to serve on our Board who will engage in ways that increase the visibility and viability of the organization, as well.

As a novice entrepreneur, I will need to identify willing and knowledgeable mentors to advise and guide me in US operations.

Financial investments: We are meeting regularly with angel investors as well as individuals and businesses potentially inclined to provide in-kind support.

Marketing support: We are currently working with a partner to create poignant marketing videos. However, as we grow we will need to identify additional marketing personnel for targeted campaigns and channel partnerships.

Personnel: Both Kansas City, MO (where Risa is located) and Sydney, Australia (where Rick is located) have robust economies and numerous universities from which we can identify entry-level employees.

Data Storage: Our CTO is researching data storage alternatives and costs.

HIPAA and FERPA: Our technical architecture has been developed to accommodate security demands to meet HIPAA and FERPA compliance regulations. We will remain abreast of any regulatory changes.

Mentorship/Board membership: Kansas City has an established entrepreneur-support network into which I have become integrated. I am establishing contacts and creating relationships with potential mentors and advisors. Moreover, I am in discussions with individuals who would enrich our Board.

We have partnered with DigiGround in Australia to provide our technological support. Via an equity sharing arrangement, DigiGround has created our app, website, and social media campaign.

We have also partnered with ZOX, a company out of California, with a similar focus on mental health and community partnerships to create our 'Thank You' bands.

We are in talks with HID and NXP, to provide NFC chips for our wearables.

Finally, we are also in discussions with Inamo to collaborate on the creation of a payment option to accompany the messages of support via the Aamica band.

Aamica Keepsake Business Model Canvas

Part of our sales approach involves seeking nominations for groups of essential workers. Their poignant stories are told when we elicit participation in the Aamica 'Thank You' program from civic groups and businesses.

Companies need Aamica right now because:

• They know consumers and employees prefer to purchase from and work for companies providing social value but they’re concerned about creating a campaign in support of COVID-19 essential workers that could be perceived as self-serving and/or opportunistic.

• They are struggling to find ways to recapture their corporate culture and reunify a workforce that has been sheltered-in-place for months and they recognize that involving all employees in an endeavor providing service to others is an ideal way to recapture their hearts and loyalty.

• They are frustrated that their messages of support for their COVID-19 essential worker contractors or partners haven’t stood out among all the typical and predictable expressions of appreciation and they fear their attempts to express the gratitude they so honestly feel for them will go unrecognized.

• They are perplexed over how to brand themselves as a socially conscious organization beyond their immediate community.

• They are irritated that their attempts to demonstrate appreciation for their COVID-19 essential employees have fallen flat and they are searching for a more meaningful way to say thank you than a check or award.

• They are desperate to express their gratitude to employees, contractors, partners, or community but they haven’t the financial means to create a splashy campaign.

Our business development personnel reach out to sites employing COVID-19 essential workers (EWs) to elicit their assistance in ensuring their employees receive the recognition and support they so rightfully deserve. We request details surrounding the challenges their EWs face in addressing the needs of the public during the pandemic. Then we ask the contact to help us identify agencies that support their EWs through contracts, partnerships, and donations.

Next, we reach out to the backers to let them know the EW employer sang their praises as a valuable supporter. We ask if they fully appreciate, though, the challenges (as described by the EW employer) this group of EWs face. We let them know Aamica is working to further strengthen community ties and ensure our EWs remain physically and mentally fortified during what looks to be a continuing challenge. Finally, we elicit their alliance in creating a deep, lasting, powerful, and tangible show of support from their business to the EWs.

Aamica will create sales channels through outreach to several target consumers:

• Organizations employing COVID-19 essential workers
• Organizations reliant upon COVID-19 essential worker services
• Community civic and philanthropic organizations
• Social media ads targeting individual demographics for B2C sales

Our price structure is as follows:

Each package is a one-time purchase. Additional arrangements will be made to accommodate organizations and companies with needs beyond this scope.

DigiGround 10% (based upon agreed deliverables) $350-400k in future dev/offices/time

Jamie Prangnell 7.5% (CPO) $25k

Warren Redmond 7% (Wearable development) $40k

Warren Jeffries 7% (Accountant) $40k

Guy Banducci 5% (High level corporate strategist) $25k

Itaal Shur 4% (Celebrity ambassador for US market) $90k

Peer Schleyerbech 3.75% (Physician) $125k

Scott Lynch 2.5% (Physical therapist and clinic franchise owner) $25k 

Merran Cooper 2% (Physician) $20k

Marcus Luciani 1.5% (Lt. Colonel) $25k

Jason Mildron 0.5% (Lt. Colonel) $15k

Paul Ang/Ann Ang 0.5% (Physician/Psychologist) $10k

We seek investment from angel donors and private investors in exchange for equity in Aamica.

Currently, as we expect significant revenue from the 'Thank You' program, our fund raising is geared toward covering initial bulk purchase of bands, chips, salary coverage for the current employees, and salary for new hires in the following positions:

• Business development managers/sales associates in the US and Australia
• Administrative support
• Customer service and tech
• Supply and distributions managers

In total, we are seeking $500,000 USD to cover salaries and operating expenses until the program becomes self-sustaining.

We don't anticipate reaching full capacity until 2021.

Expenses:

• Salaries: Not all positions will be filled the first year.
  • Starting costs: $14,630/month
  • Near-full capacity costs: $52,270/month
    • CEOs
    • CPO
    • CMO
    • General managers
    • Business development managers
    • Customer experience manager
    • IT specialists
    • Sales managers
    • Admin

• Operating expenses:
  • Starting costs: $30,623
  • Near-full capacity costs: $64,438/month
    • Social media
    • Travel
    • Office rent 
    • Office supplies
    • Legal 
    • Accounting
    • Insurance
    • Sundries
    • Software licenses
    • Communication
    • Marketing and advertising

• Product-specific costs:
  • Starting costs: $63,420/month
  • Near-full capacity costs: $163,387/month
    • Wearable development
    • App development and refinement
    • Wearable manufacture
    • Account maintenance
    • Storage and distribution

Every facet of The Elevate Prize is relevant to Aamica's success.

The prize money would aid in our purchase of bands and chips, hiring personnel, renting office space, and miscellaneous expenses. 

While our US team is experienced at starting companies, we have limited experience in successfully growing them. Moreover, as a first time CEO, I recognize that there is a great deal I can learn. An experienced mentor will reduce my learning through trial-by-fire while providing insight into avoiding potential pitfalls, foreseeing and overcoming obstacles, and capitalizing on opportunities.

Aamica's growth will depend upon virality and creating a brand that attracts people committed to perpetuating social good. Hence, effective media campaigns will be crucial to our success. Influencers from the worlds of tech, philanthropy, and entertainment would undoubtedly boost our initiative. I am accustomed to public speaking and would welcome the opportunity to use The Elevate Award platform to create a social movement around Aamica that spurs proactive compassion the world over.

Over the course of creating this application, I have been approached by others presenting partnership opportunities. The most promising potential collaboration is with Inamo. This partnership/collaboration would marry the Aamica provision of socioemotional support with electronic payment options in a wearable device like our 'Thank You' band. I am excited about the possibility of creating Aamica/Inamo bands for charitable causes, GoFundMe campaigns, and disaster relief efforts. I have no doubt that being awarded The Elevate Prize would also reveal additional opportunities for Aamica to create social good.

Mentorship is not something you just buy. Finding someone with whom I am comfortable being vulnerable is as important to me as their resume. As an academic, I understand that there are numerous pedagogical approaches - some more effective than others in stimulating deep learning. I also recognize that an impressive resume does not necessarily make for an effective teacher or mentor. The Elevate Prize, would significantly improve my odds of connecting with a mentor who could create a true growth experience for me and for Aamica.

Similarly, while we can purchase marketing and media promotions, I haven't the clout or connections to open the sorts of doors that winning The Elevate Prize would open. 

While funding is clearly an imperative, a strong and knowledgeable mentor paired with an effective marketing strategy, will create a strong foundation and the sort of visibility that attracts funding.

Aamica would very much like to partner with the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF). Everything I know about this organization (which is admittedly only what I see in the news and on the internet) suggests that their mission is focused on unconditional support. At Aamica, we appreciate and value that.

It would be an honor to create an Aamica campaign for the BTWF centered on crowdsourcing compassion and providing bands for LGBTQ+ youth and adults.