Meet Brave

We are Brave Technology Co-Op, or Brave for short.

We exist for one reason—to help stop the overdose crisis.

This is why Brave makes tools that detect overdoses and activate life-saving community response, whenever and wherever people use drugs.

The Brave team sitting at a long table discussing ways to stop the overdose crisis with overdose detection technology
A sepia toned sketch of a hand with a yellow life line extending out from the palm and the words “extending your life line”

Inspired by Our Vision

Call us idealists, but we see a grand and glorious tomorrow. We envision equitable, thriving, and compassionate communities. A world where everyone, especially those most at risk, has open access to the help they need. Where social isolation and accidental overdose are a thing of the past.

Fueled by Our Mission

Our mission is quite direct. End overdose deaths.

We’re building a world where every overdose is detected and reversed.

Technology Rooted in Community

Brave makes technology but we are not a traditional tech company. There are a couple things that make us different.

Harm reduction runs in our veins. We believe deeply in the rights and dignity of people who use drugs (PWUD). This belief drives not only why we build our products, but how.

Every one of our products is co-designed with PWUD to make overdose detection accessible to those most at risk of overdose.

Brave is founded on the principles of economic justice and accountability to community. This is why we operate as a multi-stakeholder cooperative.

The problem we’re trying to solve is bigger than any of can us touch individually. We believe the credit goes to those who do the work, those who use the tools we create, and those whose financial support makes what we do possible.

The Brave team at a Harm Reduction outreach event building community and supporting people who use drugs

Journey to Date

Here’s a look at our journey so far—some highs and lows, plus what we’ve learned along the way.

Mid-2016
Gordon Casey left his career in offshore hedge funds and moved his family to Vancouver, BC. He met some smart folks who were passionate about solving the housing and overdose crisis. And he was introduced to the principles of Harm Reduction.

December 2016
Gordon Casey launches Brave.

lightbulb
If purpose comes calling, answer the door.

June 2017
Brave released the first beta version of the app. 60 downloads. Pilot with PHS. Despite positive feedback from people with lived experience, nobody uses the app and the pilot falls completely flat.

lightbulb
Failure is part of the journey.

November 2017
Tamara Wojdylo joins Brave and brings her hackathon-winning Medical Call and Response app with her.

lightbulb
Learn from people who have done brilliant work.

Brave shifts focus from response to remote supervision and participates in the Entrepreneurship@UBC Accelerator. Most of the folks there just didn’t get Brave.

lightbulb
To paraphrase Baren Van Der Vorm, “Ignore the haters. Just do the right thing.”

January 2018
Brave starts working with PwrdBy–winner of the FDA Naloxone App Competition–on a remote supervised consumption app.

lightbulb
You can go way further with partners than you can alone.

February 2018
Gordon finds Oona Krieg’s contact information on a poster and calls her. The synergy is instantaneous.

lightbulb
Trust the universe to bring you the right people at the right time.

Brave hosts its first Design Jam, “Co-Creating Solutions for the Opioid Epidemic."

lightbulb
Never create in a bubble.

March 2018
Mario Cimet finds Brave, loves it, and gives his all taking on the role of CTO.

lightbulb
Two people can do so much more than one.

Sampath Satti joins the co-op and starts working on ODetect.

lightbulb
Be willing to expand.

April 21, 2018
Brave is incorporated in British Columbia as a multi-stakeholder cooperative.

lightbulb
Choose a business model that’s reflective of your values.

May 2018
Iva Jankovic joins Brave to help manage the RainCity pilot, and then do so many other things.

lightbulb
The right people will appear at the right time, keep the faith.

GE Foundation ghosts Brave after 6 months of work.

lightbulb
Hard work won’t always pay off. Work hard anyways.

June 2018
Brave Buttons pilot with RainCity starts and ends 3 days early because Brave can’t tell if the system goes down.

lightbulb
Failures are inevitable. They’re also the most powerful learning opportunities you have. Lean into them.

August 2018
David Schwartz joins Brave to rebuild the Brave Buttons system for RainCity and beyond.

lightbulb
Sometimes you need to call an expert!

September 2018
Brave is one of 10 finalists in Phase 2 of the Ohio Opioid Tech Challenge.

lightbulb
Keep at it. You will find the right people to support and believe in you.

Oona joins Brave as our first full-time paid team member.

lightbulb
There’s something magical about scaling your team with folks who share in your mission.

Kenzie Erlank books a meeting with Oona through a mutual friend and asks simply, “How can I help?”

lightbulb
There are angels everywhere, if we’ll stop and allow them to enter our lives.

June 2019
Brave Buttons win Health Canada and MaRS’s Opioid Data Challenge, together with Public Health Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.

lightbulb
There are many potential use cases for our work. And there are so many people doing amazing things out there.

August 2019
Brave is one of 4 winners in Phase 3 of the Ohio Opioid Tech Challenge.

lightbulb
Miracles happen.

March 2020
Brave establishes initial office space and US business operations in Columbus, Ohio.

lightbulb
Market expansion can unlock exciting growth opportunities.

September 2020
Dana starts working at Brave, taking over management of three US pilot projects located in Ohio and San Francisco.

lightbulb
It’s important to work with folks who are experts in their local markets.

April 2021
Established permanent office for US operations in Columbus, Ohio.

lightbulb
Having a homebase in the areas you’re striving to serve helps build trust and affirm your value with local communities.

June 2021
Brave wins 2nd Place in the People’s Pitch for Start.coop.

lightbulb
Take the stage beside like-minded entrepreneurs, not to compete, but to learn.

September 2021
Overdose detection with Brave’s tools hits 100 overdoses detected.

lightbulb
Measure impact in terms of your mission. This is what will keep you going when times are tough.

November 2021
Brave receives a top ranking at X4Impct and Brave Buttons are listed in their Tech Solutions directory.

lightbulb
Expand your thinking to adjacent industries.

December 2021
Brave makes it into the final 5 of the Spring Impact Investor Challenge and wins the Special Investment Prize.

lightbulb
There are a lot of folks out there looking to invest in companies making an impact. Find the funding channels that are right for you.

January 2022
Brave hosts the first Tech and Harm Reduction Symposium.

lightbulb
Openly exchange knowledge and solve problems with others who share your mission.

September 2022
Brave moves the US office from Columbus to Dayton, Ohio, establishing a space inside of The Hub.

We couldn’t have come this far without a group of folks with lived experience, technical brilliance, and compassionate activism who came together to make us what we are today. 

Meet some of the people involved in our journey.

Be Brave with Us

Want to have a say in the future Brave?

Do you have a calling to support PWUD?

Ready for a career that helps save lives?