OpenAI 2026 hackathon

veTriage—Safety-First Vet Phone Triage PWA Built in a Week

Built by a veterinarian & practice owner with no coding experience, this app turns clinical triage expertise into a structured safety net for vet clinic staff. Live now, screening all sick-pet calls.

Solo project by Erin Downes VMD · 4 likes · 0 comments

Archive position — measured, not model output

4 likes on Devpost

89 of the 7,856 archived projects have more likes, and 39 share exactly 4 — so this project's #127 place in the like-ranked listing is a tie-break inside that group, not a ranking.

Projects (log scale)

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Likes on Devpost. ▲ marks this project's group.

Show the figures
LikesProjectsShare of archive
05,59271.2%
11,75822.4%
22853.6%
3–41321.7%
5–9751.0%
10+140.2%
Devpost like counts for all 7,856 archived projects, captured when this archive was built.

Executive Summary

What the company appears to be

veTriage is a self-reported safety-first veterinary triage tool built as a progressive web application (PWA) by Erin Downes VMD, a veterinarian and practice owner with no coding experience. It is described as a structured clinical decision-support system for vet clinic staff handling sick-pet calls.

What changed

The project was developed over the course of one week using AI tools like ChatGPT, Codex, GPT-5.6, and others, without traditional app development resources or personnel. The author states that it is now live and being used in a real veterinary practice.

Single most important open question — the commercial due-diligence read

Is there evidence of product-market fit or traction beyond the single user (the author's own clinic)? The description does not indicate whether veTriage has been adopted by other clinics, nor does it provide any data on usage volume, adoption rate, or feedback from external users.

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What The Product Actually Is

The description states that veTriage is a deterministic, safety-first progressive web application for veterinary staff handling sick-pet telephone calls. It uses a four-color triage system (RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN) to categorize cases and guide clinical decision-making.

Key features include:

  • A structured workflow that guides users through screening for emergencies, choosing complaint pathways, collecting history, and generating notes.
  • Integration with IDEXX Cornerstone, a veterinary practice management software.
  • Ten common sick-visit pathways (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory issues).
  • Rules-based logic instead of LLM interpretation at runtime.
  • No client or patient data stored; only active session data retained unless copied into medical records.
  • Designed to work offline and on mobile/tablet/desktop.

Inference The app is built for use in veterinary clinics during live phone calls where receptionists must triage cases before escalating to technicians or veterinarians.

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Positioning & Claim Evolution

The description states that veTriage was developed "by a veterinarian & practice owner with no coding experience", emphasizing its accessibility and grassroots origin. It is positioned as:

  • A tool that transforms clinical triage expertise into a structured safety net for vet clinic staff.
  • Not an app as a gimmick, but as a helping hand in workflow.
  • A system built to organize, triage, delegate, and support non-clinician staff.

The author claims the tool:

  • Was created using AI tools like GPT-5.6 and Codex.
  • Allows for rapid prototyping and testing without large upfront costs.
  • Helps avoid reliance on verbal coaching or static documents.
  • Enables better information gathering during live calls, reducing the need for repeated callbacks.

Inference The positioning is centered around clinical safety, workflow efficiency, and low-cost experimentation via AI tools. It does not claim to be a commercial product or platform for multiple clinics.

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Target Customer & ICP

The description states that veTriage is intended for vet clinic staff handling sick-pet calls, particularly:

  • Receptionists
  • Veterinary technicians
  • Veterinarians (as decision-makers)

It also mentions that the app is designed to help non-clinicians recognize risk and gather useful information, without expecting them to perform clinical tasks.

Inference The primary customer segment appears to be small independent veterinary practices, especially those with limited staffing or high call volumes. It targets internal clinic workflows, not external users or clients.

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Business Model & Pricing Evidence

The description does not contain any information about:

  • Revenue streams
  • Pricing models
  • Subscription plans
  • Licensing fees
  • Monetization strategy

Not evidenced.

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Technical & Delivery Signals

The author reports that veTriage was built using:

  • AI tools: ChatGPT, Codex, GPT-5.6
  • Development stack: Next.js, React, TypeScript, TailwindCSS, GitHub, Cloudflare, Netlify
  • Progressive Web App (PWA) features including installable manifest and service worker
  • Offline tolerance for the application shell

It is described as:

  • Deterministic in operation (rules-based, not LLM-driven at runtime)
  • Versioned and auditable
  • Compatible with IDEXX Cornerstone
  • Designed to be fast, safe, and usable across devices

Inference The technical approach suggests a low-code/rapid prototyping model, possibly leveraging AI for design and development, but the actual delivery mechanism is not detailed beyond its PWA nature.

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Traction & Maturity Signals

The description states:

  • veTriage is live
  • It is being used by staff at the author’s own clinic
  • It was built in one week
  • The team size is 1

There is no mention of:

  • Adoption by other clinics
  • Number of users or sessions
  • Feedback from external users
  • Product iteration history or roadmap

Not evidenced.

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Competitive Context

The description does not provide any information about:

  • Competitors in the veterinary triage space
  • Existing solutions for clinical triage in veterinary medicine
  • Market size or competitive landscape

Not evidenced.

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Key Risks & Red Flags

  1. Single-user validation only: The product is described as being used only within one clinic, with no evidence of broader adoption.
  2. No revenue or monetization strategy: There is no indication of how the tool will be sold or funded.
  3. Unverified claims: All descriptions are self-reported and unverified; there is no third-party validation of effectiveness or safety.
  4. AI dependency for development, not deployment: The app was built using AI tools, but it does not rely on AI during runtime — this raises questions about scalability and consistency if the rules change.
  5. No evidence of product-market fit beyond one practice: No data or feedback from other clinics suggests whether the solution addresses a wider need.

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Diligence Questions To Ask The Founders

  1. Has veTriage been adopted by any other veterinary practices beyond your own?
  2. What is the current usage volume and frequency of use within your clinic?
  3. How do you plan to scale this product beyond one practice?
  4. Are there any legal or regulatory considerations around using AI in clinical decision-making, especially for emergency triage?
  5. What are the long-term maintenance costs and technical support requirements?
  6. Can you demonstrate how the four-color system translates into consistent outcomes across different cases?
  7. Have you considered integrating with other veterinary practice management systems beyond IDEXX Cornerstone?

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Investment/Partnership Verdict

Not evidenced.

The description does not contain sufficient information to assess:

  • Commercial viability
  • Market opportunity
  • Scalability potential
  • Financial model or traction metrics

This is a self-reported, unverified project, built by one person in a single week using AI tools. It is described as live and functional within one practice, but there is no evidence of broader adoption, revenue, or market validation.

Confidence level: Low.

The product shows promise in solving an internal workflow problem, but without external validation, user feedback, or scalability plans, it cannot be evaluated for investment or partnership potential at this stage.

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Source

Submitted to the OpenAI 2026 hackathon on Devpost. Project home on DevPost.

The analysis above was generated by a language model from the project's own one-line description. It is not independent research and contains no verified traction, revenue or customer data.