Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Victoria Dickerson, and Matthew Ward sit down with Chris Thompson, creator and CEO of SoberSidekick, a free app that helps users maintain their sobriety by connecting with a community of people who can empathize and relate with where they’re at. Chris opens up about his personal sobriety journey and the road to creating a platform aimed at solving the issue of isolation and loneliness for those struggling with addiction. Throughout the show, Chris talks about scaling empathy, designing an algorithm that provides users with a judgment-free space, and the current realities for recovering addicts in the healthcare system and how Sober Sidekick aims to solve some of those issues. Listen and be inspired by Chris’s story and mission!
Show Notes:
(1:07) Introduction to Chris
(2:28) Moving to Northwest Arkansas
(6:53) About SoberSidekick
(11:25) The Importance of Supportive Networks
(14:06) Growth Tactics
(17:31) SoberSidekick Users
(21:28) Expanding SoberSidekick
(30:03) SoberSidekick’s Business Model
(34:11) The Process of Raising Capital
(37:48) Measuring Success
(43:51) Advice to Younger Self
(45:47) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“…acknowledging that luck, I started to theorize what if there was an algorithm we could build that created a world where connecting with the right people at the right time was no longer up to chance. So I formed this idea of an empathy algorithm.” – Christ Thompson, (8:39)
“Most people don’t commit suicide during therapy sessions…it’s when they think they’re alone. And that’s what we’re there for. An analogy I make is like AA therapists, mental health professionals, you could compare them to the heart surgeon and we’re here to be the pacemaker.” – Chris Thompson, (20:41)
“Understanding how we need to go to the market is the first step to being able to produce an effective pitch. It’s about understanding how our own data correlates to outcomes and how that can be positioned.” – Chris Thompson, (35:00)
“The differentiator between founders is not IQ, it’s not talent, it’s just resilience. You know there’s mental and emotional resilience, but then there’s also the idea of building something to be resilient and that’s why we bootstrapped as long as we possibly could.” – Chris Thompson, (40:17)
Scaling Empathy with Chris Thomopson
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Victoria Dickerson, and Matthew Ward sit down with Chris Thompson, creator and CEO of SoberSidekick, a free app that helps users maintain their sobriety by connecting with a community of people who can empathize and relate with where they’re at. Chris opens up about his personal sobriety journey and the road to creating a platform aimed at solving the issue of isolation and loneliness for those struggling with addiction. Throughout the show, Chris talks about scaling empathy, designing an algorithm that provides users with a judgment-free space, and the current realities for recovering addicts in the healthcare system and how Sober Sidekick aims to solve some of those issues. Listen and be inspired by Chris’s story and mission!
Combating Isolation with Community
SoberSidekick was built to prioritize anonymity and limit ego rather than feed it. Its core belief is the more support users give to other members, the more support they will receive in return. Oftentimes, addiction thrives off isolation, therefore SoberSidekick’s goal is to ensure nobody is battling their addiction alone by helping them become the heroes of their own recovery story.
Furthermore, SoberSidekick has implemented what it calls an empathy algorithm, which guarantees a written response from a member of the community every time a post is published. Something as simple as a congratulations has the potential to positively impact someone’s recovery journey by assuring them that in their darkest moments, they have a support system.
“…acknowledging that luck, I started to theorize what if there was an algorithm we could build that created a world where connecting with the right people at the right time was no longer up to chance. So I formed this idea of an empathy algorithm.” – Christ Thompson, (8:39)
Real-Time, Judgement-Free Support
SoberSidekick is available on iOS and Android and elects to remain free to use because its members likely aren’t in the financial position to have a monthly subscription. The app doesn’t want to scale to a size where it’s successful while its members are relapsing because they’re being charged to access the app. Additionally, the app’s value proposition is its community and preventative health, not its revenue.
More recently, SoberSidekick has developed a roadmap where organizations like health insurers provide the app’s monetization rather than charging its users. Over the past two years, over 175 individuals have joined the app, with fifty percent joining the app within the first week of their sobriety. Moreover, some other features of Sober Sidekick are a sobriety counter, AA meetings, messaging, daily motivations, and professional help.
“Most people don’t commit suicide during therapy sessions…it’s when they think they’re alone. And that’s what we’re there for. An analogy I make is like AA therapists, mental health professionals, you could compare them to the heart surgeon and we’re here to be the pacemaker.” – Chris Thompson, (20:41)
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