After Stevie Burke lost a friend to an overdose, he committed himself to finishing what that friend had started – a platform for people struggling with addiction.

As one of the founders and CEO of Clean Community Inc., Burke said he wants to decrease the glorification of drugs and alcohol on mobile devices, personal computers and other areas.

“I am dedicated to leading the research to develop an image and content analysis algorithm specifically focusing on addiction prevention,” Burke said.

Burke’s research aims to create algorithms for alcohol-related image analysis applied to images acquired on any internet-connected device. This interest led to the invention of self-supervised learning methods and solutions for Addiction Prevention Software.

“I will continue to leverage both my technical expertise and personal motivation to advance mental health,” Burke said.
After losing his friend, Burke took a while to get back on track, but once he met Alayne Mahoney, they set out to make the software a reality. With the help of the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, they were able to narrow down a product and apply for grants.

Together, they design and develop applications for startup companies, from spreadsheets to a business intelligence dashboard to manage project workflow.

Currently, Clean Community also develops custom software for businesses to generate income, with the ultimate goal of building the mental health application space.

Clean Community’s applications include built-in Cyber Substance Abuse Prevention so that people can connect, communicate and celebrate without the temptation of harmful substances, Burke said.

“The main goal is to develop addiction prevention software, but that requires a lot of money,” he said.
Burke and Mahoney develop software to generate revenue for three sectors: construction and service; child care; and health and fitness.

A World Trade Center survivor, Burke has “gone down the road of addiction with alcohol,” and he realizes how people can use the good benefits of having a device in hand.

“I founded Clean Community as part of my mission to help us, as a society, stay 10 steps ahead of an addiction pandemic,” Burke said. “Using social media and the internet can have a lot of benefits, and that is pretty much what we want to do, but we have to raise funds.”

The goal is to begin working with startup businesses and small businesses and work their way up to the “big dogs,” Burke said.
Clean Community was recently listed with the Better Business Bureau, which Burke celebrated as another step toward what he has set out to do.

“We are playing the long game,” he said, “and when you are building something that you believe in, it means you stick with it for as long as it takes.”

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