Alum Eases Tech Troubles for the Housebound
When many of us across the country were asked to stay home to flatten the curve of COVID-19, David Marrello (BBA ’15) realized that for some folks, particularly older individuals, connecting to their families and friends via technology was proving to be a daunting task.
David and his brother Daniel co-founded TechServeTO, a platform that connects people willing to volunteer their time with people seeking help with small but important technological issues. Volunteers sign up via a website, are reference checked by the TechServeTO team and then provided the names of five people to call to assist with their tech problems.
“I hope that this solution helps to reconnect distant loved ones and eases the mental strains of this crisis,” said David. “My dream is that the website can be shared more broadly. To date we have over 95 volunteers signed up who are busy placing calls.”
As an undergrad at Schulich, David had the opportunity to take courses that spanned across marketing, finance, technology and strategy. He says the strong sustainability and CSR focus of Schulich courses helped influence the formation of this organization in the first place.
David hopes TechServeTO will continue when the threat of COVID-19 ceases. “Ideally we will develop corporate interest in this in the long-run and keep it sustainable,” David said. “There’s a number of different directions I am thinking about, but right now I’m super focused on getting this right for those in need.”