- I have been a Universal Fund member since 2014.
Watsi has this Impact page where you can see every person you've helped — their photo, their story, the country. I visit it more often than I'd like to admit.
I have been building a startup since the last couple of years and as we all know it is relentless. There are weeks where nothing seems to work, where you question every decision. In those moments, pulling up that page and seeing real people whose lives changed because of a few dollars a month — it resets something. It reminds me why building things that matter is worth the grind.
Thank you to everyone at Watsi for creating something that gives back to donors just as much as it gives to patients.
- Thank YOU Chase :) (I work at Watsi)
If you'd like to see an example of what Watsi's about, check out Philip's profile: https://watsi.org/profile/2286cb03a5bd-philip
Also, fun fact: 619 of our current "Universal Fund" monthly donors first made a donation 10 or more years ago, and I'm pretty sure many of those were/are Hacker News readers.
If you're interested, see https://watsi.org/universal-fund
by mclightning
1 subcomments
- I made the biggest donations in my life via Watsi. Thank you for building this site. I love you guys have an API as well. I thought of building an app on top of your API but never got round to complete it. If you are curious, I can share; I think there may be an opportunity to capture value in free giveaways and turn it into charity. Many people try to give away their things quickly on fb marketplace or letgo, ...what if they could ask for a donation to a charity? I know there are challenges like, what if they want to return. But there has to be a way to solve this with an escrow service or something. A similar model already works in used, 2nd stores that work for charities.
- Thank you for the incredibly inspiring work! At a time when 99% of the founders and VCs just want to bank on the next big hype cycle and accumulate power and wealth, it’s good to be reminded that actual life changing work with direct impact on people is still possible.
- Watsi is an incredible organization doing incredible work.
Chase and Grace are both incredible people.
When I was 15 and first starting Hack Club, I went to Startup School 2013 and watched Chase’s talk. It was the first time I had ever seen a startup founder who was starting a nonprofit instead of a for-profit. Afterwards he showed me the kindness of speaking with me.
Later as the years went on, both of them always replied to emails and gave great advice.
Many nonprofit founders understandably feel very protective of their experience and relationships because nonprofits can be zero-sum in a way that for-profits aren’t, but Chase and Grace are two of the most generous people you’ll ever meet.
Thank you for starting an incredible organization and being such an inspiration.
by yakshaving
0 subcomment
- I don't comment on Hacker News very much -- in fact, extremely rarely, but I do remember this more than a decade ago and its awesome that you've stuck with this for this long.
Congratulations to you and all the work that you've done and the impact that you've had. That's pretty cool and something I think many of us aspire to. Cheers Chase!
by aftergibson
1 subcomments
- You should be unbelievably proud of what you've achieved, and it's lovely to be reminded of the amazing things people can accomplish amongst the backdrop of almost deafeningly negative sentiment going around.
Thanks for doing what you do and for sharing your story!
- Watsi is incredibly inspiring!
I’ve been a monthly donor since ~the beginning when I was just an undergraduate, and I still read the stories and emails I receive. I’m glad that you opted for the steady growth path, and that you’ve made it a sustainable thing.
by BloondAndDoom
0 subcomment
- You did a great thing! Thank you.
One thing I always thought of converging businesses with helping people in need.
I know a lot of people think about this in a negative way in charity circles but I’d rather like to see companies sponsor donate in return of some sort visibility.
Somehow I always thought that would be a good fit for an organization such as yours. (I did donate through you guys previously, thanks for facilitating that).
- Chase,
I was an early donor and had forgotten about Watsi — thank you for the reminder and congratulations! You should be super proud. Plus, the experience you got here will serve you in good stead if you decide to do a commercial venture — scaling a non profit is much, much harder than a commercial company with some compounding finances.
That said, I have a pitch for you on Watsi - I continue to think Donor Advised Funds are underutilized financial tech in the US today. Watsi could set up a DAF that takes your cohort’s startup stock, gives them a tax deduction, mandates a 2-5% annual disbursement to the general fund if not otherwise allocated, and privilege the Watsi general fund. My team did a bunch of research on these a few years ago including some legal work, and I’d be happy to share if you think you might be interested in taking another crack at getting Watsi a large fund to back what it’s doing.
Either way - helping 33k people is incredible.
by notpushkin
1 subcomments
- Ohh, thanks for the reminder! I’ve been a Universal Fund member briefly, but I’ve lost my job soon after, and have had it paused since then. I do have some stable income again now – will resume my subscription later this month. :)
One thing I didn’t like back then (IIRC) was the fact that you couldn’t opt out of receiving the patient stories with your monthly receipts. While genuinely heartwarming, I’d prefer to check these out when I’m in the mood. Any idea if there’s such an option now?
- That's incredible. Why even compare your startup to for-profits, while you actually make world a better place?
by frankdenbow
1 subcomments
- Great work Chase! I remember meeting you back in the shared office with Teespring. You are right, we are not our startups, but there is a lot to be proud of, an impact is always the goal, for profit or non. Onward!
- Reposting the main URL so that it does not disappear
https://watsi.org/universal-fund
by staubfinger
0 subcomment
- Love how watsi helped not only others but also also you; to grow as a person. Hope this will both never stop :)
Curious Question about Money and Logistics: If people from all over the world donate, how do you guys funnel/move the money to the places where they need to be? I can think of bank wire transfers, but i doubt that's the way you do it - so curious as to how its being done. Also: are fancy new cryptocurrencies of any use in transferring funds? could you see them ever be?
by photon_lines
1 subcomments
- Thank you Chase -- I was an early Watsi supporter (and still am actually) but you just reminded me I need to donate soon haha :) Either way fantastic work and thank you!
- Watsi is without a doubt the best thing to come out of YC.
- We shared an office space with Watsi years ago in San Francisco. Chase, Grace and the rest of the team were amazing.
Chase: one thing that’s always stuck with me was when you talked about when you realized that you “can both do good and do well”.
by Whitespace
0 subcomment
- I've been with Watsi for almost 12 years now, most of that as a Universal Fund member. Like others, I love periodically checking the "My Impact" page, as it really humanizes my monthly donation.
> You've funded healthcare for 162 patients in 14 countries.
> You joined Watsi on February 26th, 2014. Eleven years ago, you became a member of our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Your most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Leah, a poultry farmer from Kenya, to fund abdominal surgery.
- I basically only trust GiveWell on global aid, have you been evaluated by them?
by ChrisMarshallNY
0 subcomment
- Great to hear!
As someone that has been in the volunteer/NPO space for decades, it’s nice to hear stories like this, in this land of money-making. I confess that it can be difficult, when dealing with folks unable to even understand there are priorities other than money.
There’s certainly a need for your service, these days.
by gkoberger
1 subcomments
- Hey Chase! Congrats on everything you, Grace, Thomas and the rest of the team built. I know it wasn't always what you expected it to be from the inside, but from the outside nobody saw that. They just saw something amazing. Your Startup School talk is my favorite ever, and I'm lucky I got to work with you all those years ago. You built something incredible, and helped a lot of people.
- This post triggered a wave of bittersweet remembrance: when Watsi was announced I signed up and was genuinely excited for what I thought a well-positioned incubator like YC could accomplish in general redistribution. I was very wrong! But to see this not being a shutdown or acquisition announcement is heartwarming. Keep linearly existing!
- That’s such an amazing story. I ca relate to much of the emotional, time and financial commitment of a non-profit and keeping at it like you have is absolutely commendable. Seeing you succeed is an inspiration to continue doing the right thing for me and for many others!
- First time seeing this. Really moving story.
I just set up a monthly donation and had one thought: the way to donate monthly feels a bit too hidden right now (did a ctrl+f search to find the footer link).
Much love to all of you!
- You, Thomas, Watsi, and crew have been an inspiration for a long time. I loved getting to know you all back in the day, and I've loved being a small donor since the early days. Deep respect for what you built.
by maybelsyrup
1 subcomments
- Never heard of Watsi, but I just donated!!!
Grateful for your work, and sticking it out serving human beings while others hustle to secure the bag. There's nothing wrong with securing the bag, of course, but it just makes work like this even more impressive to me. Kudos!
by Bob_LaBLahh
0 subcomment
- I really admire what you folks are doing. You can count me as a new supporter.
- I was part of Omaze and can definitely empathize with the amount of work charitable fund raising takes and the amount of heartache that come from seeing under needs. Thanks for your hard work!
by coderintherye
0 subcomment
- Chase: You, Grace, and Thomas created a lot of good in the world, as did everyone else who joined in on the Watsi journey. Was really proud to see all you accomplished!
- Chase- thank you for what you've done in creating Watsi to impact 33,000 lives! It also made me believe in the potential for non profits to create a positive impact again.
by cyrusradfar
0 subcomment
- I've appreciated following your story. Happy that it's brought more meaning to your life and been a net-positive for the planet. That says a lot.
- Nice to hear from Watsi after all this time! Here's the original Show HN Chase linked to:
Show HN - We just built a site that saves lives - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4424081 - Aug 2012 (183 comments)
... followed by the other threads I could find (in forward order for a change):
Meet Watsi, Y Combinator's First Nonprofit - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5117385 - Jan 2013 (168 comments)
The Story of Bageshwori, Watsi's First Patient - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5299910 - Feb 2013 (63 comments)
Watsi (YC W13) and the Future of Patronage - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5445014 - March 2013 (11 comments)
Catching up with Watsi: Y Combinator’s first non-profit graduate - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5508064 - April 2013 (20 comments)
PG chooses healthcare non-profit Watsi as his first board seat - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5579353 - April 2013 (31 comments)
Watsi (YC W13) raises $1.2M first-of-its-kind 'philanthropic seed round' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103506 - July 2013 (94 comments)
Watsi Lands $1.5M Donation From Humble Bundle - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6916609 - Dec 2013 (20 comments)
A dose of perspective - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7549245 - April 2014 (38 comments)
Stories from our first two years - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8286476 - Sept 2014 (34 comments)
Universal Fund - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8563558 - Nov 2014 (29 comments)
Saying Yes - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9428403 - April 2015 (13 comments)
Watsi launches universal health coverage, funded by YC Research - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15165111 - Sept 2017 (281 comments)
How we built Watsi Coverage without stable electricity, WiFi, or email - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16398220 - Feb 2018 (25 comments)
by ohyoutravel
0 subcomment
- No problem! I would absolutely help again. This is an important cause that is near to my heart. Speaking for the HN community: we are always happy to help!
- Watsi remains the most inspiring things that’s happened on Hackers News since I joined. Well done Chase and Grace!
by tnorthcutt
0 subcomment
- My first donation to Watsi was on July the 6th, 2013. I continue to be impressed with the work your team does. Bravo.
by lanyard-textile
0 subcomment
- :) Even saving 1 life is worth celebrating.
Much more, 33,241.
- Congratulations! I remember your launch all those years ago and am not surprised by your team's success. It's great seeing tech used for good.
- Great work. Do you have specific countries you work with? How are health partners selected? Would love to introduce some doctor friends of mine in Southern Africa. Every now and then they have some cases where we end up just pooling as friends and send to them. Again, great work!
- @chaseadam17 - What advice or lessons would you share for others looking to pursue a company which focuses on public good or nonprofit?
- This is truly great - just joined the universal fund.
I tried to signup from the nav bar but kept getting a 500 error from the sign_up.json endpoint. I had to go through the Donate flow to be able to create an account.
- This is wildly cool. I donated to a patient and now make a very small monthly donations. #this
by kinderjaje
0 subcomment
- Nice story, glad to see launches like this and that is not all about self promotion and money.
by ricardobayes
0 subcomment
- Wow this is special. I hope as AI scales, we can channel some of that growth into philantropy and non-profit (startups).
- Incredible, I didn't know about Watsi, but I am glad that I do now. Direct support for something as important as healthcare seems to be one of the best ways to deploy donations to positively impact the world. Thank you for creating this!
- Thank you for your work
- congrats!
- Happy to have donated! Amazing work.
- It's ironic that the landing page shows people from around the world but the country where healthcare is least affordable is the USA.
- > Watsi donors have donated over $20M to fund 33,241 surgeries
I don't get this. Why wouldn't your normal healthcare cover the surgery?
- this organization helped me get a new anus. it was very inspiring. thanks, op.
- This is my fav charity option. It's so hard some times to know where you can do maximum good with your money: Watsi might well be it.
by chris_wot
2 subcomments
- I'd be impressed if you would process my donation. Your platform says it can't right now.
- Great accomplishment, congrats. YC acts different and glad they helped make something happen.
Lots of ways to keep score and count returns to investors.
by user3939382
0 subcomment
- If this world wasn’t run by disgusting psychopaths an organization like this wouldn’t be and shouldn’t be necessary but since it is, I applaud the work sincerely and wish you the best of luck.
- This thread gives me visions of a black mirror episode.
by nickpsecurity
0 subcomment
- That's pretty awesome what you're doing. Tough that you got to feeling responsible for all of those people. I've struggled with that weight.
The good news is God doesn't hold us responsible for them. He is sovereignly in control of the entire universe, including every life. He made us to worship and reflect Him, and love others as ourselves day by day. We're only judged for what we can actually do, more from the heart than anything.
That's a huge relief. I just help who I can. It's also awesome that, if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can pray fir them to be healed or for Him to raise up entire organizations to give people more medical care. We've seen some healings but usually exceptional, medical progress. (Some suffer or die.) On more care available, your team was one of our answered prayers. :)
by kittbuilds
0 subcomment
- The observation about donations growing linearly while requests for care grew exponentially is one of the most honest descriptions of nonprofit scaling I have seen. Most founders in that position either burn out silently or pivot to a for-profit model. Choosing the slow, steady, sustainable path instead — and then coming back 13 years later to share what you learned — says a lot about character. 33k surgeries is remarkable. Thanks for sharing this.
- [dead]
- Watsi seems to be doing great work, but the title—"you helped save 33k lives"—reads as misleading to me. I guess "helped" could be doing a lot of heavy lifting here, but I would be incredibly surprised if the counterfactual number of lives saved was more than 3000. (But don't let this dissuade you from donating; concretely improving someone's life is totally a worthwhile goal, and Watsi seems very good at effecting this)
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