Data for good

White Swan is a charity that utilizes our technology to improve the health and wellbeing of society, by helping other charities, clinics, healthcare companies, and sufferers better understand, diagnose, and cope with undiagnosed conditions.

visit whiteswan.com

The Inspiration

In 2015, our co-founder Steve King’s sister Julie was wheelchair-bound with an unknown but severely debilitating condition. Her health had been deteriorating for eight years and despite countless tests, doctors were at a loss to explain her condition.

Steve refused to accept his sister’s bleak prognosis. Understanding the power of online data and predictive analytics, he began applying the same techniques to help Julie.

By harnessing millions of internet conversations and constructing data sets using Julie’s diary – from what she ate to how she felt – Steve and team started to build models that could match her symptoms with others. This process made connections and spotted patterns that human beings alone simply can’t.

Armed with this new information they made a breakthrough which led to Julie finally being diagnosed with a rare, but treatable, form of Parkinson’s.

Julie is now able to lead a normal life with her family. The incredible story behind her diagnosis inspired us to set-up White Swan as a not-for-profit charity in 2018.

The Mission

White Swan Charity is a registered charity and a separate entity to Black Swan Data. Its mission is to help prevent illness and accelerate the path to diagnosis and wellness through unique data science capabilities. Many staff at Black Swan Data volunteer their time to help White Swan and support in a variety of ways.

To volunteer or find out how our technology helps improve society’s health, visit whiteswan.org.uk.