TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 5 7 I N A U G U R A L T M C | X C L A S S C o m p a n y D e s c r i p t i o n Creating novel medical treatments based on carbon nanotube fiber technology; flagship product is CardioLinea, a mini- mally invasive and restorative treatment for ventricular cardiac arrhythmia Commercializing a noninvasive monitor of fetal cerebral blood oxygenation that will reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy and unnecessary cesarean section A bracelet pulse oximetry platform that provides continuous supervision of pulmonary, heart and sleep-related diseases to empower preventative care Creating an automated, intelligent referral process that matches patients, treatments and providers to increase revenue retention, enhance care coordination and improve patient satisfaction The modern API for EMR integration; making it easier to integrate with EMRs Driving efficiency by building a digital nervous system for hospitals, extending the capabilities of modern EHR systems with human-centric sensors and analytics software Provides a collaborative annotation and visual search platform for physicians analyzing medical images Collects all of the digital conversations around a patient onto a single trusted cloud-based platform; connects all of the providers responsible for a patient's well-being, across departments and beyond the hospital walls, in a single Care Map, closing gaps of care and enabling better health Using a connected device with cutting-edge lighting technology to provide access to clear skin for patients affected by conditions caused by the immune system Creating Internet interventions for problems with sexuality and fertility related to cancer and other chronic illnesses commercialization and uncover opportunities for growth for early-stage companies, led the Lean Launch Boot Camp. The roots of their approach can be traced to co-founder Steve Blank's lean methodology for rapid iteration and growth—they have since become the gold standard for startups, acceler- ators, governments and large corpora- tions seeking to speed up the trajectory from idea to impact. "We're here to help kick off this accelerator," explained Andrea Kates, chief executive officer of LaunchPad Central. "The conventional approach focuses on things like benchmarks, market research, focus groups and other traditional tools—but it turns out those elements don't work that well in taking a startup from the initial idea to commercial success. One of our mantras is to 'get out of the building' or 'get out of the laboratory.' We have our entrepreneurs go out into the market and dig in deeply, in the form of over 100 customer discovery interviews, to figure out the right customer for their idea." Following the Lean Launch Boot Camp are a series of topical sessions and workshops structured to help startups surpass common hurdles in commercializing medical technologies. Successful entrepreneurs, subject-mat- ter experts, industry professionals and hospital leaders will guide the partici- pating companies in everything from intellectual property to fundraising. "Over the past couple of years, we've had a very successful research track, and all of our technology has been well received in the academic world, but now we need to figure out how to get it off the bench so that people can utilize it," said Brooke Russell, Ph.D., vice president of EMC Technologies—a company that is designing collagens for biomedical needs—as well as assistant professor at the Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Disease at Texas A&M Health Science Center Houston (TAMHSC) Institute of Biosciences and Technology. "I hope that we come out of this program with a well-formu- lated business model and a clear path towards our first clinical trial." For Delafield Solutions, a company aiming to provide round-the-clock, real- time disinfection of air and surfaces in office and health care environments, the wealth of clinical settings available are a rich deposit for validating their product's viability. "We're constantly looking to challenge our technol- ogy," said Jeff Castille, executive vice president of operations at Delafield Solutions. "We've learned that to prop- erly represent our capabilities, we have to be tested in a lab environment. It's about verifying whether or not we have a product that can be commercialized in that context—we believe we do, and we're looking for opportunities to prove that." In cultivating an entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting people and resources isn't always enough. For Niko Skievaski, co-founder of Redox, a company aiming to make it easier to integrate with electronic medical records, knitting together institutions electronically as well as interpersonally is key. "We're trying to solve a problem that is one of the biggest issues of tech- nology adoption in health care," he said. "We want to figure out how to make this medical center one of the most interoperable places in the country. If the Texas Medical Center is going to establish itself as the hub of innovation, that innovation can't happen without technology adoption, and technology adoption can't happen without some sort of interoperability solution." Some companies have crossed oceans to be here at TMC|X. Alexander Schueller, president of Medical Adhesive Revolution—a company that has developed a polyurethane surgical adhesive with the potential to reinvent wound closure—came all the way from Germany to access the treasure trove of opportunities that the Texas Medical Center offers. "Being here, we have a unique inroad to the Texas Medical Center—its resources, people and key opinion leaders that will help us shape our strategy," he said. "The mentorship that goes along with this program is going to be a huge component—there are some very advanced and experi- enced people here to support us. Most importantly, the environment that they've been creating here for all of the teams is so rewarding. I'm looking forward to exchanging ideas with these amazing people. It's all about helping each other." Enveloped by that atmosphere of solidarity and support, it's hard to imagine what these companies aren't capable of achieving.

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