Grace Garey Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015

Watsi aimed to address the issue of traditional non-profits being overly influenced by donor interests and restrictions, which often diverted funds and attention away from the people they were meant to help. They also sought to overcome the limitations of small, local non-profits that couldn't scale their impact.

Watsi struggled with early fundraising and manual patient profile management. They overcame these by winning a $10,000 competition through extensive social media campaigns and later by joining Y Combinator, which provided mentorship and accelerated their growth.

Watsi operates on three core principles: 100% of every donation funds healthcare, absolute transparency in all operations and financial transactions, and treating everyone involved (donors, patients, doctors) with respect and dignity.

Watsi exceeded its initial goals significantly upon launch. They aimed to fund 10 patients in six months but funded 10 patients in the first few hours, quickly gaining media attention and demonstrating a demand for their model.

Watsi emphasizes telling real human stories and ensuring donations are not anonymous transactions. Donors can see precisely where their money goes and connect with the patient they are helping, fostering a sense of direct impact.

Grace advises finding something meaningful to work on that makes you light up in the morning. She suggests focusing on solving a problem you are passionate about spending your life solving, rather than looking for problems to fit existing solutions.