My son Ronan has a rare genetic disorder called CHARGE Syndrome, which necessitates countless doctor appointments and surgeries to correct his hearing, vision and other medical issues. He’s faced with challenges daily, yet remains a happy child. Through this he’s taught me more about life than I could have imagined.

I used to work for the sake of working. But as an entrepreneur and father, if my work could be the impetus for greater social good, then I’d be the father my son deserves. He’s a fighter, and I want to be a fighter for him — and for other kids and families who are impacted by CHARGE Syndrome.

Working in the mobile anti-fraud space for years, I intimately know the trends, needs and tendencies of an often misunderstood demographic: millennials. We’re a generation that uses mobiles devices to do everything from pay for movie tickets and rent, to getting a ride downtown or booking a flight. We have the financial means to make charitable donations and want to do so,  but the thought of cutting a check and sending it in the mail seems antiquated.

The eureka moment came when my friend, Jonathan Sommers — a recent testicular cancer survivor turned cancer and patient advocate — introduced me to Crista Maldonado. Her years of experience working with charities, and seemingly infinite connections in Los Angeles and nationally, immediately captured my interest. Although our work experiences were incongruent, we share one critical thing in common: Crista also survived a life-changing illness. We each faced a traumatic medical experience and intimately know the toll it took on ourselves and family. So we joined forces to create ChangeBowl, an app that syncs with your bank account or credit card and offers users the option to round up to the closest dollar on any purchase and donate the change to charity. We call it change for change, and these are the technical steps that got us there. 

Sincere Passion Meets Experience

It all stems from passion. What is the initiative and cause that will keep you up at 2 a.m. working? What’s the idea that you can’t get out of your head? What can you contribute that’s different and unique; something that you’re so passionate about that you’ll fight tooth and nail for?

For us, we identified a need in the market and the idea of “micro-giving,” where the user can give to any charity that emotionally resonates with them. We wanted to leverage our professional skills to create something easy to use, relevant to millennials, and a vehicle that any charity could benefit from.