If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so difficult to find useful health information online, we can relate. The internet is scary when you’re sick. That’s why we’re making a new kind of health website, called Buoy. It uses A.I. to help you decide what to do about your symptoms, and we’re just starting to Beta test it.

How we started

First, an origin story.

In 2014, four of us came together to bring to life a pretty simple idea: create a website that would actually help people make the best decisions when they get sick.

It would be something new and different from the other health sites out there, which were known for alarming patients and frustrating doctors. And it would be free forever for everyone.

The four of us left our jobs, moved into an apartment together, and set out to make healthcare a whole lot simpler.

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Since then, we’ve grown into a family of medical experts, developers, and designers working on Buoy. We’re relentlessly perfecting our triage algorithm, which in internal testing so far gets the right answer 9 out of every 10 times. And we’re ready for people to start beta testing the website, because we know testing in our computer lab is different than testing in the real world. Our hope is that someday soon people can reliably start their healthcare at home using Buoy on their computers or phones, no matter who they are.

About the name. Buoy (we pronounce it “boo-ee”) means to keep something or someone afloat. In that spirit, Buoy is meant to keep you buoyant, in body and mind, even when you’re sick or injured.

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Once your story receives approval from our editors, it will exist on Buoy as a helpful resource for others who may experience something similar.

The stories shared below are not written by Buoy employees. Buoy does not endorse any of the information in these stories. Whenever you have questions or concerns about a medical condition, you should always contact your doctor or a healthcare provider.

Andrew Le, MD.

Dr. Le obtained his MD from Harvard Medical School and his BA from Harvard College. Before Buoy, his research focused on glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. Outside of work, Dr. Le enjoys cooking and struggling to run up-and-down the floor in an adult basketball league.

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