[felipe]

> an iPhone app that allows you to download your medical record from any doctor and share health activity with friends and family

I mean no offense to you personally, but I fail to understand how this problem fits in a world in which 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation.

[VladRussian2]

>I mean no offense to you personally, but I fail to understand how this problem fits in a world in which 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation.

some of the people making big on some app will become the next Musk (though unfortunately some will become the next Thiel) and will work on the big problems our civilization faces. That is is the beauty of SV - it allows people doing business here (or even merely employed) to generate resources to try to tackle something bigger. It is like springboard.

[CodeMage]

Let's be honest: how many Thiels per Musk do we get? Somehow I fail to see the beauty in this alleged springboard.

[VladRussian2]

the beauty here that it sometimes produces a Musk at all. Nothing else does it. The closest we'd got is Gates - while not SV geographically, it is the same approach - make money in hi-tech and apply it to solve a big problem.

[thetylerhayes]

Sure, no offense taken. In addition to @VladRussian2's thoughts, here's a more explicit explanation of why we see both that problem and the one we're solving as big problems:

- 2.5 billion people worldwide lack basic sanitation. This is a fundamental human right and can cause harm by opening the door to disease which can sometimes lead to death.

- 130 million people in the US suffer from chronic illnesses and lack basic access to their medical records. This is a fundamental human right and can cause harm by opening the door to incorrect assessments and treatments which can sometimes lead to death.