photo of masks

The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business launched a free online platform called CovidPPEHelp earlier this year to connect businesses and charities with COVID-19 personal protective gear. After identifying issues with the supply chain for PPE, Rotman faculty members Dmitry Krass, Philipp Afèche, Opher Baron, and Ming Hu designed a platform that was able to better match supply with demand, remove barriers, and create transparency in the supply chain. “The idea is to be fully transparent, remove all the middle layers and enable the classical marketplace,” said Krass. “People have been extremely grateful for this mechanism, and a little bit disbelieving that they don’t have to pay anything.”

(ON)U of T

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