In-Spire, a sleek wristband with an integrated small inhaler developed by Syracuse University seniors Kayla Simon and Elizabeth Tarangelo, is one of the companies pitching at the CNY Biotech Accelerator’s (CNYBAC) Medical Device Innovation Challenge (MDIC), Tuesday, December 11 from 1 – 3 p.m.
The In-Spire team has already hit a big milestone by filing a non-provisional patent for its device, conceived through the Invent@SU program, and refined through participation in the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Bird Library. The team recently incorporated as an LLC, has won $38,000 in business plan competitions, including the Panasci Business Plan, Impact Prize, iPrize, Invent@SU, NYS Business Plan Competition, and Global Student Entrepreneurship Award. Simon and Tarangelo worked with mentors through the MDIC program to focus on product development in compliance with FDA standards to move towards commercialization.
The Annual Medical Device Innovation Challenge (MDIC) Pitch Event is open, but reservations are suggested. It will be held Tuesday, December 11, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., followed by a Holiday Reception from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the CNYBAC, 841 E. Fayette St., Syracuse, NY. Parking is available in our lot directly behind the building. Please RSVP to: durdonk@upstate.edu
Pitch event moderator will be Esther Vargas, Director, Emerging Ventures Ecosystem (EVE), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Pitch judges include: Winthrop Thurlow, Executive Director, MedTech; James Shomar, Program Director, StartFast Venture Accelerator; David Mankiewicz, Sr. Vice President, Policy & Planning, CenterState CEO; Scott Hancock, Director, IP Management and Licensing, Binghamton University; and Jay Reeder, PhD, President and COO, EndoGlow (2017 MDIC Participant).
Photo caption above: Members of two SU student teams participated in the CNYBAC concept to commercialiations bootcamp. Left, founders and team members of In-Spire, and right, MedUX co-founders. In-Spire will pitch their ventures, and milestones they achieved through the MDIC program.
Along with In-Spire, four other 2018 MDIC teams will pitch. They include:
Avant Medical Systems, Inc. is a medical device development company that has designed and patented a medical device that it plans to manufacture and market. The medical device will help medical professionals deliver better care that will reduce the number of medical errors and malpractice liability, while improving the quality of patient comfort and care. Avant Medical has been accepted in both Syracuse University and Queen’s University, Engineering Capstone Design Project. Company Location: Alaska. Team Members: Sheridan Heinrichs, CEO; Scott Hilton, Attorney
CelltOmics is a pathology cell processing start-up designed to address the problem of diminutive specimens and the ever-increasing number of tests being required of them. Celltomic’s disruptive technology has the capacity to revolutionize personalized medicine laboratory methods. CelltOmics was selected as a finalist for the FuzeHub Commercialization Competition. Company Location: Buffalo, NY. Company Member: Wilfrido Mojica, M.D., Founder.
ANDRO is a subset team from ANDRO Computational Services that is developing an innovative spinal medical device to support a self-learning, smart-assist stabilizer leveraging ANDRO’s AXLForce C4 AI software and machine learning technologies. Company Location: Rome and Syracuse, NY. Team Members: Evan Drozd, Nick Polosky.
The Hive (Hive Refrigeration) is a design firm creating technological solutions able to decrease energy expenditure and enable monitoring of mobile medical refrigeration capabilities. The line of products is being created to solve issues around energy dependent, immobile and unmonitored temperature systems in current medical refrigeration units. Company Location: Rochester, NY. Team Members: Adolf Akuffo-Afful, CEO; Khadijah Williams, VP of Design; Jake Wexler, CE; Nick Condello, CDO; O’Nell Campbell, CME; Tracy Martini, COO; Mavis Nvodjo, CFO.