The common cold is an annoyance that we all suffer from several times a year, and until now there has been no effective way to prevent it. The usual approach was to resort to vitamin C or avoid contact with sick people. But this could change thanks to a new nonprofit organization that has strong financial backing.
Stripe, the payment company founded by the Collison brothers, announced the funding of Intercept, an initiative that starts with $500 million. The goal is ambitious: to prevent both the common cold and the flu, and eventually eradicate respiratory viruses.
In addition to Stripe, participants include Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, Flu Lab, Bill Gates, and operators from Jane Street Capital. The idea is to use these funds to support innovative prevention approaches, including vaccines and large-scale air purification systems in schools, offices, and public spaces.
An underestimated burden on society
According to Nan Ransohoff, a Stripe executive leading the project alongside venture capitalist Charlie Petty, society has treated these infections as minor issues. However, people spend about 5% of their lives dealing with colds or flu, which represents a significant burden.
Pharmaceutical companies invest little in this area because colds are caused by more than 200 different viruses, primarily rhinoviruses. This makes developing traditional vaccines less commercially attractive.
