Watsi Founder Chase Adam Shares His Dream
Watsi's Chase Adam
Chase Adam is the founder of Watsi, a global crowdfunding platform for healthcare. One hundred percent of every donation to Watsi directly funds life-changing medical care for people in need. Adam was recently named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs list. This week on Sam’s Dream Blog, he shares about finding inspiration, pursuing a dream in spite of uncertainty and handling daily challenges.
Sam's Dream Blog: Watsi seeks to directly fund low-cost, high-impact medical care for people in need. How did this become a personal dream of yours?
Chase Adam: When I was a Peace Corps volunteer, a woman got on a bus I was on and asked the local passengers for donations to pay for her son's medical care. That experience encouraged me to start Watsi and to name it after the town I was traveling through at the time.
SDB: What convinced you it would work?
Chase Adam: I wasn't convinced it would work. I thought we had a good chance of succeeding (largely because the concept of Watsi was something that appealed to me as a donor and as a patient), but it was largely an experiment.
SDB: How did you gain credibility?
Chase Adam: Through transparency, which we've found is a great way to build trust initially.
SDB: Providing low-cost medical care for people in need sounds pretty overwhelming. How do you avoid apathy in the midst of so much need?
Chase Adam: By focusing on individual people, instead of a seemingly insurmountable global problem.
SDB: What have been the biggest obstacles or challenges to realizing your dream? What advice do you have for others in pursuit of their dreams?
Chase Adam: To be honest, every day is a challenge in its own way. We're constantly trying and learning new things, and sometimes that's a challenging process. As for advice, the best thing I can think of is to work on something that matters more than yourself.