99
FINANCE
A VIRTUAL
ADVOCATE
FairShake
For many people, the
process of seeking
restitution after a big
company rips them off
or mistreats them is
arduous and confusing.
Some may choose not to
submit their complaint.
FairShake makes battling
the big guys easy, with
a free service that
automates the process
of fi ling an arbitration
claim. Consumers fi ll out
a questionnaire about
their grievances and then
track the status of their
claims on FairShake’s
dashboard. If the matter
isn’t settled within the
notice period (usually 30
days), FairShake, which
has battled companies
such as AT&T and PayPal
and takes a 10% to
20% cut of successful
claims, can initiate a legal
complaint—with a real
attorney if need be.
—PAULINA CACHERO
PARENTING
A MORE PORTABLE SEAT
Mifold Hifold Fit-and-Fold Highback Booster Seat
More and more children are going without booster seats in cars—
to potentially devastating effects. “The single largest killer of
American children is car crashes,” says Jon Sumroy. “This is a
public-health emergency.” One contributing factor could be that
kids’ booster seats are too bulky to easily carry when using ride-
sharing services like Uber and Lyft. Sumroy’s company, Mifold,
hopes to help reverse the trend with the Hifold ($160), a 10-lb.
high-backed booster seat that has already been adopted by tens
of thousands of families. Designed for kids from 33 to 100 lb.,
the Transformer-like device has adjustable head, torso and seat
panels and collapses
to roughly the size
of a backpack for
easy toting. “The
world today is going
through a personal
transportation
revolution,” says
Sumroy. It’s time that
booster seats caught
up. —J.R. SULLIVAN
SOCIAL GOOD
A FASTER FIRST RESPONSE
Flare
When emergency medical care is required in the U.S., the fi rst instinct is to call
- But in Kenya, the only option is to call independent ambulance companies,
some of which could be hours away. Enter Flare, an app that links callers in Kenya to
a nationwide network of ambulance operators, dispatching the nearest one in the
shortest time possible. For about $24 a year, subscribers have 24/7 access to more
than 500 ambulances, enabling a rapid response. Flare’s American co-founders,
Maria Rabinovich and Caitlin Dolkart, plan to expand the program to other
countries. “No matter where you are, or who you are, emergency help should be just
minutes away,” says Rabinovich. —ARYN BAKER
HOME HEALTH
HANDS-FREE
BRUSHING
Willo
Created by a French
dentist, Willo makes
even the fanciest electric
toothbrushes seem
analog. Slip the nylon-
bristle-lined silicon tray
into your mouth, form a
seal with your lips and
turn it on. The $199
device—set for release
in early 2021—pumps
in water and specially
formulated toothpaste,
then pulls it from the tray
through a tube into a
sink. No rinsing required.
The undulating bristles
do the work of a team
of toothbrushes, and
the pumping action,
which feels like a gum
massage, is effective at
removing plaque. Willo
syncs with an app, so it
knows how consistently
you’re brushing. Missed
a day? It’ll clean your
pearly whites a little
longer tomorrow.
—MARJORIE KORN
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS PHILPOT FOR TIME
