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Re:How a Machine Learned to Spot Depression by briandear on Sunday May 31, 2015 @05:08PM (#9635555)
Funny; we've been working on the same thing at iCouch for a while now: real time predictive analytics during a video therapy session. Even funnier is that the investor community has nearly zero interest in what we're doing. I bet if we built a real-time, gluten free, organic food ordering service, we could raise $500k in about ten minutes. Our problem is determining market size; what's the market size for technology hat can predict severe mental illness situations potentially weeks before they happen? What's the market size for tech that can prevent suicides? Since nothing else like that exists, there's no way to predict how much that would be worth in terms of an investment deck. It's frustrating. The revenue generating side of the business (our SAAS for therapists,) is doing wel enough, but certainly not well enough to be able to subsidize moon shot technology that would actually disrupt mental health diagnosis and treatment. But alas, good to see NPR is giving the issue some coverage.

It is insanely frustrating when fundraising worthiness is so tied to how good you can make 10 keynote slides. Changing the world doesn't always fit into bullet points.

Re:How a Machine Learned to Spot Depression by nitrogen on Sunday May 31, 2015 @09:48PM (#9636416)
Our problem is determining market size; what's the market size for technology hat can predict severe mental illness situations potentially weeks before they happen? What's the market size for tech that can prevent suicides? Since nothing else like that exists, there's no way to predict how much that would be worth in terms of an investment deck.

Look up the number of PTSD-qualified therapists in the USA (or just therapists if "PTSD-qualified" is not a meaningful distinction). Survey a random sample of them and ask if they might use technology to help diagnosis and to prevent suicide. Multiply the percentage who say yes by the total number of therapists. That's your slide deck market size.

Re:How a Machine Learned to Spot Depression by dccooper on Sunday May 31, 2015 @09:53PM (#9636422)
As someone who also works on this, and thinks about startup possibilities, I understand what you're going through. Sometimes I wonder if it's possible to sustain a business like this at all or if you just have to work toward an insurance company buyout.

Maybe we should all start a therapy group!