CaringCrowd: Janssen’s Approach to Funding Scientific Innovation

The launch strategy centered on three key pillars: a robust digital presence with user-friendly design, strategic community building through partnerships with academic institutions, and strong credibility establishment via a scientific advisory board. A key component was the strategic engagement of digital opinion leaders (DOLs) in public health and healthcare innovation, who were instrumental in building early platform credibility. These DOLs, including prominent public health researchers, healthcare innovators, and digital health experts, created content showcasing successful projects and hosted virtual events to demonstrate the platform’s potential impact. The platform implemented unique features including a scientific review board to validate projects, dollar-for-dollar matching from J&J for qualified projects, and transparent impact reporting. This approach proved highly successful, culminating in a prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) award that recognized the platform’s innovative contribution to social impact and healthcare funding. DOLs played a crucial role in the SXSW presentation and subsequent media coverage, helping to establish CaringCrowd as a credible and innovative solution in the healthcare crowdfunding space. The platform’s success demonstrated how corporate backing, combined with strategic DOL engagement, scientific credibility, and professional platform design, could create a sustainable model for funding public health initiatives.