Riley functions particularly an internet dating app, but it is for health care people interested in support and you may relationships.
When Age Tikoyan, twenty five, is a higher schooler into the Fairfax, she returned away from go camping one june and you can began feeling unusual symptoms: things like loss of memory, severe fatigue, slurred speech, and you may items walking. She invested another couple of years shuffling between doctors’ practices until she is identified as having chronic Lyme state in the 2013.
The following years she stayed aware of the lady moms and dads, inside and outside out of cures given that the girl loved ones went along to prom, graduated, and left having school. “It had been among loneliest experiences away from living,” claims Tikoyan. “The my personal dreams had to be towards the keep. I did not know what my personal coming carry out seem like. Did You will find a future?”
Today, Tikoyan’s situation is actually remission, though she nonetheless lives using its chronic consequences and you may observes a great doctor monthly in order to maintain flare-ups. She sooner went to and graduated on the College or university away from Virginia. When you’re there, she had the concept to combine this lady need for entrepreneurialism and you may chronic disorder towards the the girl recently introduced application Riley, and therefore lets medical care patients connect with each other.
Into the procedures, Tikoyan found that all people doing her had been far old. It actually was difficult to get most other patients regarding an identical years checking out the exact same experience since she was, a posture she hopes Riley is remedy.
“Either physicians give you a health diagnosis, but they are unable to let you know how to approach societal points such as for example dating having a medical condition or likely to work and you can advising your own colleagues,” claims Tikoyan. The fresh new application was a platform to get in touch clients shopping for these types of talks and you will suggestions, she claims.
Riley features similarly to a matchmaking app such as for instance Bumble or Rely because it uses geographic place and tastes to match users, however, matches are created becoming platonic, maybe not intimate. When you download new application, possible build a visibility containing suggestions including ages, location, welfare, diseases, while the topics you desire to seek advice from fits.
The application try filtered of the health, so if you choose “Lyme state,” 
you’re going to be matched up together with other Lyme-diagnosed folks in the bedroom; if you undertake a standard “chronic condition” class, you will be coordinated with people sense chronic issues.
Pages gets four prospective contacts day, which they swipe “left” otherwise “right” on, identical to most matchmaking programs. If there is a shared connection between one or two users, they are able to then message one another into software or take its friendship from there.
Tikoyan is currently operating complete-day to your software from the lady parents’ family inside Fairfax. If you are she funded Riley’s discharge due to a number of business offers she obtained when you are during the UVA, the woman is already bootstrapping and you will preparing to increase financing.
Immediately, Riley is still in the beta and it has doing 200 pages off internationally, says Tikoyan, having a big attention from the DMV and you may Richmond portion. There is certainly a 1,000-person waitlist to help you download brand new application in the event it commercially releases on the this new Apple App Store, hence Tikoyan expects will come in the near future.
And exactly why title Riley? When Tikoyan was a student in school, she volunteered at the Georgetown School Health. If you’re truth be told there, she turned close having an early on diligent named Riley who was waiting around for a body organ transplant. On account of this lady compromised immune system, Riley failed to myself connect to somebody usually, and you may tech became the girl manner of connecting toward outside world. She passed away when you find yourself Tikoyan was at college or university.
“It truly devastated me,” says Tikoyan. “It’s the survivor’s guilt-which will was basically me.” On account of HIPAA laws, Tikoyan is never ever able to apply at Riley’s household members once she died. Tikoyan understood Riley will have enjoyed to utilize an application instance it, so she devoted it so you can this lady. “How can i award the girl history?,” Tikoyan says she recalls convinced. “I just thought she’d features liked to make use of something like this.”
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Riley might possibly be offered to obtain regarding Apple Software Shop when it’s acknowledged, and you can an android os adaptation often discharge in March.