Drewbert - Overdose Detection & Response Network

Brain damage starts at 4-6 minutes, ambulances take 8-12. Drewbert dispatches nearby volunteers with Naloxone immediately, turning every phone into a lifeline for overdose emergencies.

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Challenges

  • Inspirational Story
  • Startup Challenge
  • Uniquely Useful
  • Creative use of AI
  • Future Unicorn
  • We Didn't Know We Needed This
  • Sharpest Problem Fit
  • Most Likely to Get Funded

Inspiration

This project is deeply personal. A good friend of mine, Drew, died from an overdose in 2024 - he was a father, son, and genuinely good person who deserved better. During my research, I discovered that brain damage from overdose begins at just 4-6 minutes, but average ambulance response times are 8-12 minutes. That critical gap is where lives are lost. I am also in recovery and have lost many friends along the way. In memory of them, represented by Drew's blue alien mascot, Drewbert, drives every line of code. Nobody should die alone when help could arrive in time.

What it does

Drewbert is a real-time overdose response network with two core features:

  • Help Now: Instant alerts for active emergencies, dispatching closest trained volunteers while contacting emergency services
  • Start Monitoring: Safety protocol with periodic check-ins for high-risk situations

The system uses GPS location sharing to alert nearby volunteer responders of potential overdose emergency situations. Volunteers receive real-time alerts, can commit to respond, and get navigation to the scene. An admin dashboard tracks response times, volunteer activity, and outcomes like Naloxone uses and potential lives saved.

How I built it

Built entirely using Bolt.new during their World's Largest Hackathon using modern web technologies. The system includes user-facing mobile interfaces, volunteer response dashboards, real-time GPS tracking, alert management systems, and administrative analytics. I focused on creating a complete, deployable solution rather than just a prototype - proving that rapid development of critical public health tools is possible when urgency drives innovation.

Challenges I ran into

The biggest challenge was balancing privacy with emergency response needs. Users need to feel safe sharing location data while ensuring responders get accurate information quickly. I also had to design intuitive interfaces for high-stress situations - when someone is overdosing, every second and every click matters. Creating a system that works for both victims and Good Samaritans who find someone in crisis required careful UX consideration.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building a complete, functional overdose response network in a handful of days that achieves much quicker response times than the solutions available today. During research, I discovered the NIH has allocated over $2 million to another organization working on a similar project. They started in 2019 and are still stuck in pilot phases. Drewbert proves rapid deployment is possible.

What we learned

Hackathons can address urgent public health crises when traditional approaches move too slowly. The technology to save lives exists - the barrier isn't technical complexity but implementation speed. I did not have funding, a development team, or degrees behind me and built an application that trumps the others that are funded by Universities and Government Organizations.

What's next for Drewbert - Overdose Detection & Response Network

Immediate next steps include developing a standalone volunteer app with push notifications, implementing volunteer density tracking to ensure help is nearby, and integrating with 911 dispatch systems. Long-term goals include multi-language support, wearable device integration for automatic alerts, and built-in training modules for new volunteers.

The technology is ready - now it's about scaling to serve communities nationwide and ensuring no one else dies alone in those critical 4-6 minutes.

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