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The Research Institution GAP Fund and Accelerator Program Summit

TMCx Medical Device Companies Pitch at Expert Forum 

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October 23-25, 2024 / Atlanta, GA

The annual summit for research institution gap fund and accelerator programs, including proof of concept programs, startup accelerators, and university venture funds

The Story

The TMC Innovation Institute hosted a successful Expert Forum last week featuring its 19 medical device cohort startups.

The TMC Expert Forum, where the companies pitch innovations to a room full of potential advisors, mentors and key opinion leaders, closed out a three-week “boot camp” that the companies participated in at the beginning of the four-month TMCx accelerator program.

During these past weeks, entrepreneurs went over the basics of forming a medical device company, as well as heard how to get the most out of the TMCx program from alumni companies, advice from hospital executives on how to navigate their hospitals, and the experiences of clinicians who have made the leap to entrepreneur.

As William F. McKeon, president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, said to kick off the event, some of the best minds in the medical center were in the room, prepared to be the person who “gives you love, but also gives you tough love,” to help propel the company through the accelerator and beyond.

“It is great to see the excitement you bring, and these companies can’t do it without you,” he added.

Erik Halvorsen, Ph.D., director of the TMC Innovation Institute, echoed those sentiments, saying the program would not be as successful without advisors “opening their doors and opening their minds to the technologies” that come through the accelerator program.

Of the 19 companies in the program, 14 are in the prototyping phase and five are doing preclinical testing. Before and during the program so far, the companies have raised a total of $32.5 million in funding.

Companies presenting during the Expert Forum included:

  • Aesela (Houston, TX) – Wearable photobiomodulation device designed to accelerate and enhance post-surgical recovery.
  • Alleviant Medical (Houston, TX) – Transcatheter technology to provide left atrial decompression and symptomatic relief for congestive heart failure.
  • Bitome (Boston, MA) – MRI-based diagnostic tool for non-invasive monitoring of the human hydration state.
  • Dock Technologies (Madison, WI) – Electronic wristbands that provide a visual reminder of time elapsed, helping care teams quickly navigate complex treatment processes.
  • Elsius Biomedical (Canada) – Portable Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) unit that includes a proprietary coating to enhance biocompatibility and prevent blood clots.
  • Forest Devices (Pittsburgh, PA) – Screening device that enables identification of stroke patients and traige to the right level of care.
  • GuidaBot (Houston, TX) – MRI-compatible robotic system that precisely targets areas of the brain during minimally-invasive neurosurgical procedures.
  • iSono Health (San Francisco, CA) – Accessible breast health monitoring combining 3D ultrasound and artificial intelligence.
  • Multisensor Diagnostics (Baltimore, MD) – Device that measures multiple vital signs by mouth in less than a minute.
  • NanoEar Technologies (Houston, TX) – A minimally-invasive, micro-implantable hearing aid, positioned to disrupt the market by utilizing Direct Eardrum Modulation.
  • NAVi Medical Technologies (Australia) – Improving neonatal umbilical venous catheter (UVC) placements by providing clinicians with real-time feedback on the location of the catheter tip.
  • Orphidia (San Francisco, CA) – Portable blood diagnostic platform providing lab-quality test results in 20 minutes.
  • PolyVascular (Houston, TX) – Polymeric transcatheter valves for children with congenital heart disease.
  • Raiing Medical (Boston, MA) – Wearable device monitoring vital signs for connected health.
  • Replete Biotics (Houston, TX) – Standardizes fecal specimen processing while protecting bacterial community integrity and eliminating cross-contamination risks.
  • Resthetics (Houston, TX) – Device to convert waste anesthesia into a safe renewable resource.
  • Sonavex (Baltimore, MD) – Implantable device that utilizes ultrasound to detect blood clots after surgery.
  • Vena Medical (Canada) – Making vascular procedures faster, easier and safer by providing physicians with a thin fiberoptic camera that sees through blood.
  • Vitls (San Francisco, CA) – Vital signs platform for continuous, remote monitoring.

 

Source: TMCx Medical Device Companies Pitch at Expert Forum – TMC News