Local entrepreneur launches competition to make mental health resources accessible
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A metro entrepreneur is launching a competition to increase accessibility to mental health resources for Minnesotans.
The Infinite Campus founder is using his personal experience to find a solution to a problem that affects those struggling with mental health illnesses.
"If I would go back 15 or 20 years ago, I would say, ‘mental health and addiction doesn’t impact me, that somebody else’s problem,’” Charlie Kratsch, the founder of Infinite Campus, said.
But 10 years ago, Kratsch got a closer look at the growing crisis.
"My son, who was 16 at the time, came home and kind of had paranoid delusions,” Kratsch said.
Charlie Kratsch and his family.[Charlie Kratsch]
His son needed immediate mental health treatment, and Kratsch said finding the resources was complicated.
“My wife was a stay-at-home mother at the time, we were barely able to navigate the system. How are other people able to do that?” Kratsch said.
He tackled the problem with an idea.
"We’re looking for creativity and innovation,” he said.
The Infinite Campus Foundation is launching a net prize competition that encourages providers to build a network that has mental health resources in one place.
The goal is to make it easier to access resources so more patients have a better chance of getting the help they need.
"There are solutions out there, they’re just very difficult to find,” Kratsch said. “The hope is based on the experience that my wife and I had, this will help others who need to navigate the system more effectively.”
The winner gets a $1 million grant, logistical support and access to other resources to bring their proposal to life.
“I can see great things coming from this,” Lori Kordell, the founder of Operation No Limits, said.
Operation No Limits is dedicated to helping at-risk youth get back on track.
“We work with a wide variety of kids that are in dire need of help in many avenues,” Kordell said.
She said finding mental health and addiction help is a common need and a one-stop-shop could help struggling families find resources and possibly save a life.
“This is just going to help fulfill all those needs for our kids, family and community,” Kordell said.
The Infinite Campus founder will kick off the competition on Friday.
He predicts they may declare a winner near the end of 2021.