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Discussion on: Your Twilio Hackathon Updates!

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dwertheimer profile image
David Wertheimer • Edited

Hey Twilio team,

As part of the Global COVID-19 Hackathon, we started a project to try to help local businesses weather the storm of COVID-19.

All local businesses are struggling. Many have set up fundraising campaigns (on GoFundMe or elsewhere), but their clientele has no idea how to find them. We created a website to try to help people find local businesses in their area and offer to support them.

Here's a Work-in-Progress. We are getting there, but have a ways to go:
savesmall.org
Some background:
devpost.com/software/support-local-businesses

The problem is that we need the local business to be able to "claim" their listing so that they can attach their fundraising link. We think the best way to do that is to have Twilio/Verify call the number listed in the public google listings for that company and have someone verify the audio code. Obviously, the Twilio costs at retail price could be extreme if this becomes nationwide or global (which of course is the goal). I would love to put this project into the Twilio hackathon as we complete it.

However, the big question is...can Twilio donate the verifications for this site/cause? I'm sure you guys want to help local businesses as much as we do.

Thanks!

David and Dominik
Save our Small (SOS) businesses!

@twilio

twilio #twiliohackathon

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dkundel profile image
Dominik Kundel

Hi you two! This sounds like a great project. We started a grant for COVID-19 related projects that's referenced on twilio.com/covid that might be worth checking out for your plans :)