Description
Today’s guest is a former addict turned app founder and he shares his recovery story along with key lessons about building his first app. It’s an inspirational interview about not giving up despite having a hard time raising funds.
Damien Ross is the Founder & CEO at Pocket Rehab.
Show Notes
Damien’s Recovery Story
Damien has struggled with addiction himself and has been sober for five years now. He has been into substances before but his downward spiral got worse when his grandfather passed away. At one point, he decided it was time to get some help from his family and two days later, he was on a flight to Arizona to get treatment.
He recognized the fact that he is one of the fortunate ones who was able undergo treatment as a lot of people do not get the chance. Time, money or a family or a job which you can’t leave are among the obstacles in getting help. He shares that because of stigma and shame, he often longed for someone to talk to who would understand what he was going through and because of this, Pocket Rehab came to be.
The Challenge in Raising Funds
Damien is still in the early stages and is yet to actually get funds but his advice to anyone looking for it is not to give up. He had been self-funding this app to this point and because it has been running out, they have been talking to VCs and he can attest that it is far from being easy as most are really looking for profit. They are still very hopeful though and they are taking inspiration from what Starbucks had to go through before they got funding.
Show Mention
– Fav app: Shapr: (iTunes | Google Play)
