Trusera

South by Southwest Interactive Web Awards (SXSW) Picks Online Network Trusera as Finalist for Best Community Award

Seattle, WA – March 2, 2009

Trusera, the nationally recognized online health network where people find and share experiences and insights with others who have been there, has been tapped by SXSW as a finalist in the Best Community award.

The SXSW Web Awards honor sites that have been launched or completely redesigned in 2008. The SXSW Community Award recognizes sites that have “quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.” The winner in this category will be announced in Austin, TX at the SXSW Interactive Web Awards on March 15.

As a Web Award finalist, Trusera is also eligible for an overall People’s Choice Award. People’s Choice Award voting ends March 6.

"We’re thrilled to be honored as a finalist," says Keith Schorsch, Trusera Founder and CEO and former Amazon executive. " To receive such industry recognition in our first year of business is tremendous. It is a real tribute to our engaged and committed community, whose sharing improves the lives of others.”

The SXSW Awards have grown from a tiny festival in 1987 to a prestigious trend-setting event celebrating music, film and the web.  Today, SXSW is broadly acknowledged as a forum that reflects and showcases cultural and media trends while also creating them.  According to SXSW, “the web awards celebrate the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology.”

Schorsch’s story and the birth of Trusera was told last month in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.   Additionally, the company was recently selected as a top Health 2.0 site and Innovator by BusinessWeek, and described by the New York Times as providing “Facebook-like social connectivity for patients, along with the ability to share their stories.”  Trusera boasts visitors from 119 countries connecting on a breadth of topics from a woman battling breast cancer to a parent of a child with Asperger’s.

About Trusera

Seattle-based Trusera launched in the summer of 2008. The company vision is inspired by Keith’s own struggle with Lyme disease. After meeting with eleven doctors, it was one phone call from a friend that finally led to his diagnosis and saved his life. The company is made up of experienced technology pioneers who share a passion for helping consumers take control of their health. Trusera is backed by a group of notable angel investors with executive-level experience at companies like Kaiser-Group Health, Expedia, Amazon and Microsoft.

Contact: pr@trusera.com

ASTAR, FEAT and Seattle Children’s Partner with Trusera to Create the First Online Network Dedicated to Region’s Autism Community

Seattle, WA – January 22, 2009

NEWS FACTS

Trusera, a nationally recognized online network where people find and share health experiences and insights, has partnered with Seattle Children’s and local autism organizations FEAT and ASTAR to establish one place where parents of children with autism in Western Washington can come together.

A dedicated section–called the “Autism Western Washington Collection” launches today, after extensive research and interviews with parents and experts at these organizations. This is the first time Trusera has focused geographically and created depth in a single health area. Doing so represents an innovative and bold step in the area of online health.

"We wanted to focus on autism because of the huge challenges and needs that these families face," says Keith Schorsch, Trusera Founder and CEO and former Amazon.com executive. "Our goals for this collection are twofold: To provide a single source for local autism information and to connect the everyday experts, the parents who face autism, to one another. There is immense power in sharing your experience. Power to change lives.”

Visitors to Trusera’s “Autism Western Washington Collection” will find and share on a range of topics, from autism-friendly outings on a given day, to which clinicians, therapists and schools serve Autism Spectrum Disorders. They will also discover a calendar of events and activities and a rich collection of local resources and stories from both parents and local and national autism experts. Over the next six months, Trusera plans to establish additional autism collections more broadly in Pacific Northwest markets and nationally.

QUOTES FROM PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

David Perry, Vice-President Marketing and Communications at Seattle Children’s shares, "We are excited to partner with Trusera in the launch of this much-needed local autism resource. Trusera is a model for bringing communities together, one that can be leveraged across the country. We view the autism launch as the beginning of a broader partnership between Seattle Children's and Trusera, a partnership that will connect families to others with shared experience across many health areas.”

David Perry continues, “Trusera brings together distinct local organizations in a way that will provide critical information, events, and resources in one place for families. It connects them to one another 24/7 so that they can find and share issues and insights that matter to them. For families and providers, Trusera saves time, reduces frustration, and provides peace of mind."

Brenne Schario, Executive Director of FEAT of Washington shares, "An autism diagnosis can bring changes in nearly every aspect of daily family life. Parents are overwhelmed– life is significantly altered and the implications for the future of both the child and the family are immense. FEAT is thrilled to partner with Trusera in reaching out to the many families impacted by autism and helping them along in their journey– from resource referrals to providing a welcoming and supportive online community."

Mari Stobbe, Clinic Director and Co-founder of ASTAR says, "Until now there was no single place for families of autism to get local, relevant and immediate information and to communicate with others like them. There's tremendous value in connecting with parents sharing the same questions, concerns and challenges that arise every day with autism. And a clinician can't always answer every question or offer the 'been there' knowledge of a parent to a child with autism. I'm delighted families now have the local resources and support through Trusera families and experts."

ABOUT TRUSERA

Recently selected as a top Health 2.0 site and innovator by BusinessWeek, Trusera was described by the New York Times as providing “Facebook-like social connectivity for patients, along with the ability to share their stories.” It features a broad community connecting on a breadth of health interests and boasts visitors from 114 countries. On any given day, you can find and share real-world experiences and insights with others who’ve been there, whether a woman battling breast cancer or a parent of a child with Asperger’s.

Led by former Amazon executive Keith Schorsch, Seattle-based Trusera was founded in 2007. The company vision is inspired by Keith’s own struggle with Lyme disease. After meeting with 11 doctors, it was one phone call from a friend that finally led to his diagnosis and saved his life. The company is made up of experienced technology pioneers who share a passion for helping consumers take control of their health. Trusera is backed by a group of notable angel investors with executive-level experience at companies like Kaiser-Group Health, Expedia, Amazon and Microsoft.

PRESS CONTACT

Kat Spellman for Trusera
206.860.2838
katspellman@qwest.net

Please contact Kat Spellman to arrange an interview, receive photographs or to obtain B-roll for any broadcast needs.

Pay it Forward: Just One Story Can Change a Life

"Just One" program encourages people to share personal health stories to help others take action

Seattle, WA – October 8, 2008

Trusera, the online health network for finding and sharing real-world health experiences, announces the launch of “Just One” - a video series featuring in-depth profiles of individuals representing a breadth of health challenges, their solutions and messages for change. This series demonstrates Trusera’s aim to help consumers take control of their health by connecting them to others who have been there.

The “Just One” profiles will be introduced weekly, highlighting six families (including children) dealing with Breast Cancer, Autism, and Asperger’s. As part of their health and life story, individuals describe the one person who has helped them in their journey, offer tips on just one change they’d make in the world based on their health experience, and share insights into what one thing has given them strength. The comprehensive written and video stories feature:

• Michele Hyra, a 42 year-old married mother of two young girls, was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer and Bone Metastasis and given 11 months to live. She has suffered deep bouts of depression and yet as an advocate, considers her cancer “a gift.” Learn about Michele's Stage IV Breast Cancer story.

• Lauri Perry, a 46 year-old married mother of two who formerly worked as a paralegal at Microsoft. Her nine year-old son, Clark, has Autism. Despite being well connected and resourced, Lauri battled depression and feelings of isolation. She finds daily courage to fight Clark’s disorder by trusting her intuition, connecting with other families and calls communication her “weapon.”

• Elaine Powell, a 43 year-old single mother of two whose son Maxfield is eight years old and has Asperger Syndrome. Elaine suspects her 14 year-old daughter, Jade, also is on the autism spectrum but she has never been diagnosed. Elaine, who has Graves’ Disease, was recently laid off and does not have health insurance.

• Bill and Jo Krueger. Bill is a 50 year-old retired professional baseball player and an analyst for Fox Sports Northwest. He and his wife Jo have a 15 year-old daughter, Chanel, who was diagnosed with Autism at age three but recovered after years of daily speech and occupational therapies. Chanel did not speak in complete sentences until she was ten years old, but is now an honors student and gave her 8th grade graduation speech to an audience of 800.

• Stephanie and Kim, 39 year-old adopted, fraternal twins and breast cancer survivors. After an extensive search, they discovered that their birth mother and grandmother had died of breast cancer. They have both had double mastectomies and hysterectomies, and are single.

• Trusera founder Keith Schorsch and his wife Jennifer describe Keith’s battle with Lyme Disease and the toll it took on their family as they navigated the health care system in search of an accurate diagnosis, received conflicting and erroneous medical opinions and struggled to make critical decisions for their future.

“Just One is designed to encourage people to share their health stories in order to help those who may be facing a similar situation,” says Keith Schorsch. “As I know firsthand, people who have been through a health experience have a wealth of knowledge to offer. The missing link for today’s health consumer is the ability to connect with someone who’s been through it.” He continues, “After seeing eleven doctors with no conclusive diagnosis, it was one call from a friend that saved my life. I felt strongly that moving ahead in one’s health journey needn’t be so hard. My experience at Amazon made me think; imagine if we could harness the wisdom of thousands and thousands of individual health stories and present that in a useful and credible way. Our goal is to make finding relevant health information as easy as buying a book online.”

About Trusera

Led by former Amazon executive Keith Schorsch, Trusera is a Seattle-based company founded in 2007. The company vision is inspired by Keith’s own struggle with Lyme disease. After meeting with eleven doctors, it was one phone call from a friend that finally led to his diagnosis and saved his life. Trusera (www.trusera.com) is an online health network where you can find and share real-world experiences with others who’ve been there. The company is made up of experienced technology pioneers who share a passion for helping consumers take control of their health. Trusera is backed by a group of notable angel investors with executive-level experience at companies including Expedia, Amazon and Microsoft.

PR Firm Contact:
Kat Spellman
The Spellman Company
katspellman@qwest.net
206.860.2838

Trusera Launches Online Health Network To Connect People Passionate About Taking Control Of Their Health

A site dedicated to helping people share relevant experiences to inform important health and life decisions

Seattle — (June 16, 2008) –

News Facts:

Trusera, an angel-funded, Seattle-based startup founded in 2007, today announced the launch of its online health network www.trusera.com, which allows consumers to find and share real-world health experiences with others who’ve been there.

Led by former Amazon executive, Keith Schorsch, the company vision was based on Keith’s own struggle with Lyme disease and the difficulty in finding credible health insights from others. After meeting with 11 doctors, it was one phone call from a friend that finally led to his diagnosis and saved his life.

During his diagnosis and recovery, Keith realized that there’s actually too much health information on the Internet today. Many people find it overwhelming to navigate and hard to trust. He found the most useful information came from people with similar health experiences and their own personal health stories. He founded Trusera to inspire people to learn from each other to inform important health decisions.

The Community

There’s power in sharing personal experience and knowledge to help others in their health journey. Trusera believes that people are more than just the sum of their conditions. They are multi-dimensional and need personalized solutions for a variety of life challenges when dealing with a health issue.

• “ScrapAddict74” shares what doctors don’t tell you about getting a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She shares how she interpreted the doctor’s diagnosis, what the procedure entails, and what to expect during recovery.

• “Leana” wants to inspire action in others by sharing her health insights–from useful tips on taming stress to the benefits of tai chi and her personal experiences with cancer and Aspergers.

• “Maddy” shares tips on managing day-to-day life with two children on the autism spectrum. For example, she uses a creative picture-exchange communication system to help make getting in the car and picking up a big sister less of a struggle. She's also used a similar visual system to ease the transition of starting a new school or class.

• “JoySuzanne” shares some of her favorite ways to support a friend or family member struggling with infertility. She offers helpful tips on how to effectively communicate and learn more about the topic.

Product Information

Today’s health sites provide either generic medical information from experts or hard-to-qualify personal experiences on message boards and blogs. In contrast, Trusera uses technology to personalize the experience and surface the most relevant and useful content.

Personal Suggestions: Receive suggestions on other people or content that may be of interest, based on details in your profile and the content you share on the site. Get recommendations on similar stories so you can explore topics and make more connections to like-minded people.

Find Inspiration: The Trusera Muse Panel™ coaches you through the storytelling process by providing real-time suggestions and tips.

Find an Answer: Post questions to the community on Trusera and rate the best answers so that others know what worked for you.

Advanced Privacy Controls: Decide what information to share and with whom to share it. Keep a private journal, share a story with your Trusera friends only, or let the world benefit from your experience.

Quotes, attributable to Keith Schorsch, CEO and founder of Trusera:

“There's a sea change going on today in the consumer's health experience. People are increasingly taking control of their health. At Trusera, we are dedicated to putting the consumer at the center of their health experience so they can take a more active role and not just be a passive participant.”

“At Trusera, we are focused on addressing the whole person, not just the patient. We invite everyone who wants to take control of their health to join us in building and growing the site by adding their health story and engaging in the conversation.”

Please contact Tara Holahan to arrange an interview and/or for additional quotes.

About Trusera

Led by former Amazon executive Keith Schorsch, Trusera is a Seattle-based company founded in 2007. The company vision is inspired by Keith’s own struggle with Lyme disease. After meeting with 11 doctors, it was one phone call from a friend that finally led to his diagnosis and saved his life. Trusera (www.trusera.com) is an online health network where you can find and share real-world experiences with others who’ve been there. The company is made up of experienced technology pioneers who share a passion for helping consumers take control of their health. Trusera is backed by a group of notable angel investors with executive-level experience at companies like Expedia, Amazon and Microsoft.

Trusera Launches Beta of Invitation-Only Health Site

Beta Focuses on Experienced Health Consumers

SEATTLE — (December 18, 2007) – Today, Seattle-based Trusera, Inc. announced the launch of the beta version of www.trusera.com, a free invitation-only network of people who care about health. The site connects people who've "been there" to people seeking credible, relevant health information.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly 113 million people now turn to the Internet for health information. Many consumers then face a maze of generic, and at times unreliable, health information. The maze takes them through health portals, message boards, chat rooms and blogs. The consumer is left to sort through conflicting or irrelevant information to find data directly relating to them. Most leave the Internet exhausted. A lucky few leave well-informed.

Trusera believes the answer lies in both people and technology. First, invite a group of people with experience in health and wellness. Encourage them to share their experience and invite others. Second, provide the community with the tools to personalize the health information they create and receive. Enable them to control their experience through filtering, privacy controls and personalization. "Holiday parties trump the Internet as a health resource," said Jude O'Reilley, Director of Marketing and Product Management. "Friends talk about their diet failures, kids' allergies and trusted oncologist. We're trying to bring that humanity—that authenticity—to the online world by changing how people relate to it." With the launch of the beta, Trusera is taking the next major step in that process.

Former Amazon.com executive Keith Schorsch founded Trusera in early 2007 after his own struggle to find relevant health information on the Web. Ruben Ortega from Amazon.com and Jude O'Reilley from Gartner and Aventail joined Schorsch shortly thereafter. Trusera has also attracted top talent from Amazon.com, Starbucks, Expedia, Vonage and Vignette. In the past six months, the company raised funding, launched a brand and hired a team of world-class engineers.

About Trusera

Headquartered in Seattle, Trusera is transforming how consumers find health information on the Internet. Trusera is privately held with funding by a team of angel investors with experience from Amazon.com, Expedia, Washington Mutual and others. The Trusera site is by invitation only. At this stage, experienced health consumers interested in participating in the beta are encouraged to sign up at http://www.trusera.com/corp/preview.

Source: Health population data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project Online Health Search 2006: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/190/report_display.asp

Trusera Raises Angel Round From Top Investment Team

Seattle, WA — (June 18, 2007) – Trusera, Inc. ("Trusera") has raised $2 million in angel round funding from a group of seasoned investors. The initial investors bring experience of health, web commerce, and success at scale from Expedia, Amazon.com, Washington Mutual, and others.

"We are fortunate to be able to work with a world-class investment team," said Founder and CEO Keith Schorsch, "with a personal and a professional interest in changing the Internet health experience."

Trusera's angel investment team includes Erik Blachford, CEO of TerraPass and formerly President and CEO of Expedia, Inc.; Christopher Ackerley, Partner at Ackerley Partners; Kim Rachmeler, Vice President of Worldwide Discovery at Amazon.com; Craig Tall, Vice Chair of Corporate Development for Washington Mutual, Inc.; Benaroya Capital, a Seattle-based venture capital firm, and others with experience in health, consumer products, and technology.

"The Internet has dramatically changed the way consumers relate to health information," says John Carleton, Senior Vice President of Benaroya Capital. "Trusera is poised to take that in a powerful new direction."

Trusera also announced the change of its name from PeerWisdom to Trusera. The Trusera web site will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2007.

About Trusera

Formerly known as PeerWisdom, Trusera will redefine the way that consumers find health information on the Internet. We're funded and focused on creating a product that matters. The founding team includes early management from Amazon and Aventail.