What InSTEDD does

InSTEDD (Innovative Support To Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters) is an independent international 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit corporation founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with a regional iLab presence in Southeast Asia. The organization builds and distributes a portfolio of free, open-source, interoperable web and mobile technologies for humanitarian response, public health surveillance, and disaster preparedness. Its platform comprises roughly 20 tools, including Resource Map (collaborative geocoded resource and facility tracking), Verboice (visual IVR / hotline builder), Surveda (multi-channel mobile survey tool), PlanWise (geographic optimization of health service coverage), AIDA Chatbot Builder (messenger-app conversational agents), Health Check (active monitoring, originally the CDC CARE Ebola hotline), Nuntium (SMS messaging hub integrated with aggregators and operator SMPP, plus OpenMRS), Mesh4X (data synchronization across Excel, Access, Google Sheets, KML, EpiInfo, and J2ME), and supporting modules (Pollit, Seentags, Veegilo, Riff, GeoChat, mBuilder, Watchfire, Remindem, Reporting Wheel, CDx). The architecture is deliberately modular so that tools can be used standalone or composed via Nuntium and Mesh4X on a single platform account.

InSTEDD does not generate commercial software revenue. Its business model is grant and donation funded: confirmed funders include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Africa Laboratory Mapping Program with ASLM), Bloomberg Philanthropies (Data for Health NCD Mobile Phone Survey via RTI International), the Cisco Foundation (WFP 'Foodbot' chatbot), the Skoll Global Threats Fund (Cambodia 115 Hotline), and the US CDC (CARE Ebola Hotline). Distribution runs through self-serve sign-up on login.instedd.org and Surveda, direct field engagement with government health agencies and NGOs, embedded partner integrations (OpenMRS, Twilio, Africa's Talking), and a community / open-source channel (GitHub, EpiHack events, partner-led deployments). End users include national ministries of health (Cambodia, Uganda, Ethiopia), UN agencies (WFP, UNICEF), international NGOs (RTI, Concern Worldwide, FIND, ASLM, American Red Cross), diagnostic device makers (Cepheid), and US community organizations (Sonoran Prevention Works, Regional Family Resource Network), with named deployments in at least 20+ countries.

Recent strategic posture has been set by the September 2018 appointment of Wendy Schultz-Henry as President and CEO, the March 2019 launch of the US-focused Opioid Response Innovation Initiative, the 2020 release of a Creative Commons COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program Design Framework and an updated Pandemic Preparedness Citizen's Guide, and continued expansion of EpiHack-style co-creation events (e.g., EpiHack Uganda, 2018). The platform is governed by a board chaired by Dr. Eric Rasmussen and is funded primarily through multi-year programmatic grants, with no equity capital, parent company, or commercial product sales.

Name

InSTEDD

Legal name

INSTEDD

Website

https://instedd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

InSTEDD is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that builds and gives away a modular, open-source platform of mobile and web tools for humanitarian response, public health surveillance, and disaster preparedness, serving ministries of health, UN agencies, NGOs, and community organizations across 20+ countries via grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant and donor funding (nonprofit): InSTEDD is an independent, international 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit chartered to develop improved information and technological capabilities for global health security and disaster response. Revenue is generated from grants and donations rather than commercial product sales. Examples in the source material include funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Africa Lab Mapping), Cisco Foundation (Foodbot), and the Skoll Global Threats Fund (Cambodia 115 hotline), plus a 'Donate' link on the public website.
2. Free, open-source software (no direct software revenue): The platform tools (Resource Map, Verboice, Surveda, PlanWise, Pollit, Seentags, Veegilo, Mesh4X, Riff, Nuntium, mBuilder, GeoChat, etc.) are explicitly free and open source with no licensing or subscription fees. Adoption and ecosystem growth (rather than license revenue) is the strategic objective.
3. Donations: A 'Donate' / 'Donation Options' link is featured in the public site navigation, and Terms of Service references partners, donors, and supporters, indicating direct donations as a recognized revenue stream.
4. Advertising (permitted): Terms of Service state that some Services 'may be supported by advertising revenue and may display advertisements and promotions,' indicating advertising is a permitted (though not necessarily active) revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

InSTEDD designs, develops, and freely distributes an open-source technology platform of interoperable web and mobile tools for humanitarian response, disease surveillance, communication, and resource coordination. The platform supports IVR hotlines, mobile surveys, live resource mapping, predictive health coverage analytics, and chatbot interactions, used by governments, NGOs, and UN agencies in low-resource and low-bandwidth environments. Core platform components include Nuntium (SMS hub) and Mesh4X (data synchronization) that allow individual tools to function as standalone offerings or as integrated building blocks.

Product overview

InSTEDD offers a platform of free, open-source technologies that can be used individually or as building blocks for larger solutions supporting humanitarian causes, global health security, and disaster response. The platform is a multi-module architecture: featured, flagship tools include Resource Map (collaborative resource and facility tracking on a live map), Verboice (visual IVR/hotline builder), Surveda (mobile surveys by SMS, voice, and web), PlanWise (geographic optimization of health coverage), AIDA Chatbot Builder (messaging-app chatbots, including the WFP 'Foodbot'), and Health Check (active health monitoring, originally the Ebola CARE hotline). Supporting data modules include Pollit (SMS polls), Seentags (text data extraction with pattern recognition), Reporting Wheel (non-electronic encoded reporting for low-literacy workers), Veegilo (disease case visualization), Riff (collaborative data streams), Mesh4X (data synchronization libraries with adapters for Excel, Access, Google Sheets, KML, EpiInfo, J2ME RMS), and CDx (connected diagnostics). Communications modules include GeoChat (geospatial team communications), mBuilder (SMS application builder), Nuntium (SMS messaging infrastructure with aggregators and operator integration), Watchfire (volunteer response coordination), and Remindem (scheduled SMS reminders). InSTEDD's focus areas explicitly encompass design events and prototyping, mobile tools and platforms, and information system architecture and connectivity solutions for diagnostics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resource Map: Open-source tool to collaboratively record, track and analyze resources geographically on a live map, accessible via web or SMS.
• Verboice
• Surveda
• PlanWise
• AIDA Chatbot Builder
• Health Check
• Nuntium
• Pollit
• Veegilo
• Reporting Wheel
• Seentags
• Mesh4X
• GeoChat
• mBuilder
• Watchfire
• Remindem
• CDx
• Riff

Products and services

• Resource Map
• Verboice
• Surveda
• PlanWise
• AIDA Chatbot Builder Open-source chatbot platform that enables humanitarians to build conversational chatbots for messenger app interactions (Facebook Messenger, Telegram). Designed to be durable and adaptable across humanitarian contexts, including food security surveys with refugees.
• Health Check (CARE Hotline) Active monitoring IVR solution that allows travelers/patients to report daily health status via phone for 21-day monitoring periods. Originated as the CDC CARE hotline and is expandable for future outbreaks and routine health monitoring.
• Pollit
• Seentags
• Reporting Wheel
• Veegilo
• Riff Collaborative stream-monitoring tool that helps teams filter signal from noise across multiple data sources, with analytics that suggest correlations and patterns, and real-time import/export.
• Mesh4X
• CDx (Connected Diagnostics) Open-source platform (joint InSTEDD/FIND initiative) for timely, sharable reporting of diagnostic test data across diagnostic services and health facilities, with privacy-aware data collection and storage.
• GeoChat
• mBuilder
• Nuntium
• Watchfire
• Remindem

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000+ calls handled on Cambodia's 115 national disease reporting hotline (built on Verboice)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

AI capability7 records

Feature18 records

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sonoran Prevention WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019First on-site design partner for InSTEDD's Opioid Response Innovation Initiative; an Arizona-based grassroots resource provider and advocate for individuals affected by drug use.
• Regional Family Resource NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019First on-site design partner for the Opioid Response Innovation Initiative; partners with county health agencies, health systems, and local coalitions in West Virginia on community issues including opioid use disorder.
• Renewal HousesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019Member of the Opioid Response Innovation Initiative consortium.
• CleanSlate CenterssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) provider engaged in the Opioid Response Innovation Initiative; quoted on the value of MAT in InSTEDD's blog.
• CCOA, Marigold, BSRI, CHxD (consortium members)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019Six additional organizations joining the Opioid Response Innovation Initiative consortium to formulate proposals and ideas for action alongside the initial Sonoran Prevention Works and Regional Family Resource Network design partners.
• Dr. Eric Rasmussen (Chair, InSTEDD Board of Directors)coreOthers · 21 September 2018Dr. Eric Rasmussen serves as Chair of the InSTEDD Board of Directors and announced the appointment of Wendy Schultz-Henry as President and CEO on September 21, 2018. He is quoted in the press release as the Board's spokesperson.
• Uganda Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Co-organized EpiHack Uganda (April 16-20, 2018) in Kampala; the MoH selected the theme 'Strengthening Health Systems for Disease Surveillance' and participated in prototype development.
• Ending PandemicssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Co-organizer of EpiHack Uganda with the Uganda Ministry of Health and InSTEDD, supporting post-event technology innovation development.
• World Health OrganizationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018WHO facilitators participated in EpiHack Uganda, supporting the brainstorming of prototypes for disease surveillance.
• African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint development of the Africa Laboratory Mapping Program, a centralized platform for collecting laboratory data and providing software tools (Resource Map, PlanWise) to support, manage, and plan laboratory services across Africa. Initially targeting Niger and Ethiopia.
• RTI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Consortium partner with CDC, CDC Foundation, and InSTEDD for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health NCD Mobile Phone Survey, using Surveda to collect NCD risk factor data in lower- and middle-income countries.
• TwiliosupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Telephony integration partner referenced on the Verboice page; many Verboice partners use Twilio to establish their hotlines.
• Africa's TalkingsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Telco aggregator partner referenced for Surveda deployments, enabling large-scale mobile surveys across Africa.
• Cambodia CDC (Cambodian Ministry of Health)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016InSTEDD iLab Southeast Asia worked closely with the Cambodia CDC to launch a free-to-the-public national disease reporting hotline in January 2016, accessible by dialing 115. Hotline is built on InSTEDD's Verboice and Reporting Wheel and has handled 35,000+ calls.
• Concern WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Joint development of PlanWise, an open-source predictive analytics tool for placing health facilities in low-resource countries, with field testing in Kenya.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-developing 'Foodbot' (a humanitarian chatbot) and conducting refugee food security surveys in Somalia and the DRC, including deployments at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.
• Ethiopia Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Working with Vital Wave and InSTEDD to bring the benefits of a national facility registry to Ethiopia, supporting health information exchange across facilities.
• Vital WavesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2016Co-developer with InSTEDD and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health on the Ethiopia national facility registry project, providing consulting and implementation support.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC DGMQ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Co-developed the CARE (Check and Report Ebola) Hotline on Verboice + mBuilder to monitor federal employees returning from Ebola-affected countries during the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.
• CepheidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2011Co-developed with InSTEDD and FIND Diagnostics a connectivity solution for the GeneXpert TB diagnostic device, enabling real-time disease surveillance. Cepheid connected devices are now deployed worldwide.
• FIND DiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2011Joint partner with InSTEDD on CDx (Connected Diagnostics) and on prototyping a Connected Diagnostics Data Platform based on field research in Vietnam and India.
• UNICEF (Voices of Youth Maps)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011UNICEF's Voices of Youth Maps program; InSTEDD supports design and deployment of mobile tools and low-cost aerial mapping technology for youth mappers. Deployed in Brazil, Haiti, Argentina, Kosovo, Madagascar, and beyond.
• Public LabsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Technology partner in UNICEF's Voices of Youth Maps program; provides low-cost aerial mapping technology used by youth mappers.
• CEDAPSsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2011Local implementation partner in Brazil for the UNICEF Voices of Youth Maps program with InSTEDD.
• Thomson ReuterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Used InSTEDD's Riff/Nuntium-based Emergency Information System (EIS) during the 2010 Haiti earthquake response to send information messages to the affected population via the '4636' shortcode.
• SamasourcesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2010Provided microwork services to tag and geocode incoming Haiti earthquake messages routed through InSTEDD's Nuntium/Riff pipeline.
• UshahidisupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2010Received tagged/geocoded messages from InSTEDD's Riff/EIS pipeline for further visualization and dispatch during the 2010 Haiti earthquake response.
• Comcel / Digicel (Haiti mobile operators)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2010Direct telecom connections via InSTEDD's Nuntium message hub, enabling aid requests from Haiti earthquake survivors to be received in Haitian Creole.
• OpenMRSsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2010Nuntium is integrated with OpenMRS, allowing Nuntium-based SMS applications to interoperate with the OpenMRS electronic medical record platform used by ministries of health.
• InSTEDD affiliated legal entitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Terms of Service reference InSTEDD's 'affiliated legal entities around the world (Affiliates)' that may provide Services to users on behalf of InSTEDD. These entities (e.g., the InSTEDD iLab Southeast Asia) help deliver in-country programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ushahidi: Open-source crisis-mapping and crowdsourcing platform widely used by humanitarian organizations. Directly comparable to InSTEDD on open-source philosophy, low-resource deployment, and was a documented integration partner during InSTEDD's 2010 Haiti earthquake response.
• Dimagi: Builds CommCare, an open-source mobile data collection and case-management platform used by frontline health workers. Comparable to InSTEDD on mHealth, CHW enablement, multi-channel (SMS/IVR) data capture, and serving ministries of health and NGOs in low- and middle-income countries.
• Medic (formerly Medic Mobile): Open-source digital health platform supporting community health workers with SMS- and mobile-app-based workflows. Closely comparable to InSTEDD's Nuntium, mBuilder, GeoChat, and Resource Map on CHW tooling, SMS infrastructure, and LMIC deployments.
• RapidPro (UNICEF): UNICEF-built open-source messaging platform for SMS, voice, and social channels at scale. Overlaps directly with InSTEDD's Nuntium (SMS hub), mBuilder (SMS app builder), and Verboice (IVR) on humanitarian messaging infrastructure, and UNICEF is already an InSTEDD partner.
• Akvo: Open-source mobile data collection and reporting tools (Akvo Flow, Akvo Lumen) for international development programs. Comparable to InSTEDD's Surveda and Resource Map on open-source data capture, mapping, and donor-funded international development deployments.
• DHIS2 (HISP Centre, University of Oslo): World's largest open-source health management information system, used by ministries of health in 100+ countries. Directly comparable to InSTEDD on open-source health information systems, ministry-of-health deployments, and LMIC disease surveillance use cases.
• Open Data Kit (ODK): Open-source suite of tools for mobile data collection used widely in global health, humanitarian, and research programs. Overlaps with InSTEDD's Surveda and Resource Map on open-source mobile data capture and low-resource fieldwork.
• FrontlineSMS: Pioneer open-source SMS hub for community-based communication, used by NGOs and health programs in LMICs. Closely comparable to InSTEDD's Nuntium on SMS infrastructure for low-resource environments and humanitarian use cases.

Emerging players

• OpenMRS: Open-source electronic medical record platform widely used by ministries of health and NGOs. Comparable to InSTEDD on open-source health software for LMICs; Nuntium is explicitly integrated with OpenMRS, making this a partner/overlap rather than head-to-head competitor.

Others

• NetHope: Humanitarian technology consortium of 50+ NGOs operating in low-resource environments. Indirect peer to InSTEDD: not a software vendor, but addresses the same global-development/international-NGO buyer community and overlaps with InSTEDD's CDC, UNICEF, and WFP relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/instedd
• GitHubgithub.com/instedd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/instedd
• Facebookfacebook.com/135558313146783
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/729552

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about InSTEDD