This February, Cornell health technology startup SensVita, which has developed a touch-free way of monitoring heart and lung functions, was awarded a $305,000 STTR Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation. This innovation provides continuous and non-invasive tracking of vital signs without the need for physical contact, and has the potential to revolutionize the way health data is captured in real time.
Founder Thomas Conroy developed SensVita’s health monitoring technology during his time as a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Cornell University, and identified a market need for this technology solution through the I-Corps program. After completing his Ph.D., Conroy was accepted to the Runway Startups Postdoc Program at Cornell Tech, which provides funding and support to Postdocs who want to start a company based on their deep technology innovations.
Conroy participated in the IN I-Corps Hub’s Biotech Conference Course, which featured a trip to the BIO International Convention. Course participants had the opportunity to interview potential customers in person at the convention to assess the market potential of their innovations. Through this process, Conroy identified key issues with his approach, leading to a pivot in his idea from a veterinary use to a human application.
“I went in with a very specific veterinary application stemming from a research project that I did,” said Conroy. “After starting I-Corps, I found that there is clearly not a big enough market. We talked to a lot of people with needs we didn’t expect.”
Conroy gained experience through both I-Corps and Runway that helped SensVita gather evidence about the market opportunity, enhancing their application for STTR. They also receive matching funding to hire a grant writing consultant through the New York State SBIR/STTR Assistance Program, managed by Cornell. Conroy says his team now plans to refine their prototype and join Cornell’s Praxis Center for Venture Development.
“This funding has already led to hiring a great engineer who’s also a Cornell grad, along with the opportunity to join the Praxis Center to get some lab space,” Conroy said. “This is going to get us to a prototype or a minimum viable product that I can then go pass around to all the different customers that we have that are interested.”
Once the prototype is made, Conroy plans to conduct multiple pilot studies to test the application of the product. SensVita will then be ready to apply for Phase II funding, taking the next step in becoming market-ready.