Reported By: Casey Ma, MBA/MPH ’26, Yale Ventures Associate

Glowhopper is an AI-powered platform that closes the gap between where life-saving resources exist and where people in crisis can find them, giving communities real-time access and giving health agencies the intelligence to act.

From Hackathon Idea to Scalable Solution

Glowhopper was born out of the 2025 Yale Healthcare Hackathon, where co-founders Emily Siff (Yale Neuroscience PhD, ‘26) and Tiffany Yu (Yale SOM Executive Education, ‘24) first met. Their initial goal was simple: address gaps in the addiction space in New Haven, CT.

The name “Glowhopper”—a combination of a glowing firefly and a speedy grasshopper—reflects their vision of rapidly building technology that illuminates and serves people often overlooked or harmed by innovation.

United by curiosity, compassion, and practical experience in healthcare and technology, the two quickly formed a team. Emily brought expertise in neuroscience and community harm reduction, while Tiffany contributed experience in platform development, data, and AI. Their collaboration led to a solution that won the Yale School of Public Health Prize—and sparked something much larger

Over the following year, the team immersed themselves in community conversations and customer discovery, building multiple prototypes and stress testing their ideas in real-world settings. Through iteration and learning, their approach evolved, while their core mission remained constant.

We believe technology can only help people if the people being served are at the table, at every stage. That’s why, in building Glowhopper’s first platform, Glowhopper Go, we created a map of distribution sites for free overdose medications (naloxone). We created this naloxone map not because it was our very first idea but because this resource was what people wanted in their communities.

Resources that are thoughtfully designed and deployed in the right places can genuinely improve lives,” the founders said. 

That’s why Glowhopper’s current framework is: AI-Driven, Community-Grounded.

The Problem: A Hidden Infrastructure Gap in the Addiction Space

Glowhopper was created in response to a national crisis: preventable deaths from opioid overdoses despite the availability of naloxone, also known as Narcan, a life-saving medication that can reverse overdoses within minutes.

Although tens of thousands of free naloxone kits are distributed annually in states like Connecticut, access is limited by a lack of clear, centralized information. Distribution happens across a fragmented network of community organizations, health departments, and grassroots initiatives, with no comprehensive or real-time database.

The result is a critical gap: people often don’t know where to access free naloxone when they need it most.

The Solution: From Fragmented Information to Real-Time Systems

Glowhopper addresses this challenge by creating what is, to their knowledge, the first comprehensive map of free naloxone distribution sites built through direct, on-the-ground validation. 

Because information on free naloxone sites is often fragmented, Siff and Yu conducted fieldwork across New Haven and New York City interviewing 100+ community members, ultimately building a map grounded in real local needs. Glowhopper collects tailored, neighborhood-level data and standardizes it through a human-in-the-loop AI verification system. Its dataset is continuously updated and validated through on-the-ground partners, combining community input with a scalable, tech-driven approach, enabling real-time accuracy. 

The result is one of the first city-scale datasets of free naloxone distribution sites built through direct collaboration with local organizations. Unlike prior maps that rely on public data and emphasize paid access points, Glowhopper highlights free, grassroots sites and addresses localized barriers often missed by population-level AI solutions. This foundation powers Glowhopper Go, a platform that helps users easily locate free naloxone while preserving anonymity by focusing only on places rather than individuals.

The platform is already active in New Haven and expanding across Connecticut and into New York, supported by more than 25 public health and healthcare partners. Designed for scale, Glowhopper’s model uses a repeatable data and operational framework that can be deployed across regions.

In parallel, the team is developing a new dynamical computational architecture, LUCENT. Inspired by insect neuroscience, LUCENT is designed to evolve alongside its growing dataset and support increasing demand. This new AI model identifies access gaps and provides recommendations for naloxone allocation to communities, supporting longer term decisions on where new naloxone distribution sites are needed.

Catalyzed by Yale: From Early Funding to Real-World Impact

Glowhopper’s origins are deeply tied to Yale Ventures. The founders met at the Yale Healthcare Hackathon, where their initial idea took shape.

Our venture would not exist without Yale Ventures," Yu noted. 

Early funding from the Rothberg Build Fund enabled them to move from concept to execution – developing prototypes, refining their model, and engaging directly with stakeholders.

Beyond funding, Yale Ventures provided a critical environment for experimentation, mentorship, and early validation. The team credits mentors and the broader Yale ecosystem for helping transform their idea into a real-world solution, including but not limited to their initial Hackathon mentor, Dr. David Rosenthal, and their Rothberg Build Fund advisor, Dr. Margaret Cartiera.

To the Future: AI-Driven, Community-Grounded

It’s easier for technology to harm people than to serve them,” Siff stated.

With Glowhopper, we’ve tried to be meticulous, listening before we act. What we’re most proud of is building community trust. When people tell us, ‘I can tell you’re listening and that you care,’ we know we’re doing something right. As we expand, we will continue working on the ground and keeping communities involved at every stage. Glowhopper is nothing without the people we’re serving.”

We’re building trust at scale,” Yu added. 

One of the team’s key insights has been the importance of serving as an information hub. Glowhopper’s impact depends on its ability to connect stakeholders, share data, and build trust across systems that have historically operated in silos.

The company has established partnerships with state agencies, local distribution sites, healthcare organizations, and national public health networks such as the Partnership to End Addiction and the Opioid Response Network. These collaborations support the expansion of Glowhopper’s dataset, inform intervention strategies, and enable applications in clinical decision-making. Its work is further supported by the Yale School of Public Health, the National Science Foundation, and multiple Connecticut innovation programs, alongside collaborations across medicine, public health, and engineering.

Our secret sauce is our ability to connect stakeholders and build trust,” Yu said. 

Positioned at the intersection of urgent need and emerging AI capabilities, Glowhopper is building systems that are both technically innovative and deeply grounded in real-world communities.

Glowhopper is advancing a new approach to community health. Beginning with naloxone access, Siff and Yu envision it becoming a core data layer for decision-making, research, and resource optimization globally. Glowhopper demonstrates how AI can be responsibly grounded in communities to expand access in meaningful ways.
 

Glowhopper is the vessel, and communities are the spark.” 

For more information check out their website.