(We originally posted this in 2021. You can read more of our original ideas in our archive. You can order a business plan of this idea here.)
Problem: “Blood only has a shelf life of 42 days, and platelets a mere five days, so a constant supply is needed for patients”: in a world of extended quarantine, people still need blood but can only donate by physically going to a donation location (source for blood statistics).
Solution: I’ve been doing a lot of research on the down-stream effects of COVID19 and people staying at home. One that I was completely surprised about and had not considered was blood donation. According to Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of biomedical services at the American Red Cross,
“The worst-case scenario could be a bleeding young patient who was in a car accident, and there’s no blood… That is the ultimate fear… The [COVID19 stay-at-home] recommendations are to shelter in place except for essential things,” said Dr. Young. “Public health officials recognize that blood donation is essential and they’ve made an exception for it.”
The business would attempt to incentivize people to donate blood from the comfort of their own home. It would take a bit of R&D (perhaps through a robot of some sort or a system where blood-donation-experts travel to people’s homes), but could solve a growing problem in developed countries. Even after COVID19, this solution could provide a more convenient way to donate blood; thus, increasing the global supply of blood donation.
Monetization: Could be a non-profit (doesn’t have to make money), or large-scale blood donation companies could pay for the service via subscriptions of flat-rates.
Contributed by: Michael Bervell (Billion Dollar Startup Ideas)