Peninsula Startup Seeks Funding For Eye Drop Donation

HALF MOON BAY, CA — A Peninsula startup that fell under the weight of a bad economy believes its inventory can help front-line workers in San Mateo County, and it wants to give its eye drops them for free.

Hi Drops, Inc., developed eye drops for sale at cannabis dispensaries and is seeking funding to cover the costs of distributing its product.

The company is co-owned by twin brothers Warren and Seth Scott, who developed the idea for the business in 2016 and run Hi-Drops off a Half Moon Bay houseboat.

The Scotts were set to bring their product to market in 2020, but their plans were upended by the COVID-19 crisis.

The company says its eye drop product is FDA approved.

Eye drops aren’t considered personal protective equipment, but the Scotts point to a recommendation from the American Academy of Ophthalmology that people should use eye drops to eliminate the urge to rub their eyes in support of their claim.

“We constantly read about COVID-19 and how the virus is passed, specifically the problem of people touching their eyes; we realized Hi-Drops could help prevent the eye-rubbing that is contributing to the pandemic’s spread,” Warren Scott said.

“That information has inspired us to donate our product to front line workers.”

The Scotts are seeking funding to distribute 24,000 units of their eye drops.

“Like so many start-ups we are struggling from Covid-19’s economic impact, but in our case we have a product that can help the front line,” Seth Scott said.

“We want to be part of fighting the pandemic, but we simply can’t afford to donate our product outright. We need to find partners and individuals to help subsidize the large-scale donation we want to make.”

Those interested in contributing to their campaign can do so here.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

Don't miss updates about the coronavirus in California as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.