Mobile HealthLink, a finalist in Wichita State University's 2015 Shocker New Venture competition, is continuing to progress toward commercialization of its remote health monitoring software, thanks in part to a $50,000 I-Corps Team grant awarded by the National Science Foundation.
Former WSU student Brandon Bartlett, along with biomedical engineering faculty Nils Hakansson and Gary Brooking and associate professor of management Chris Broberg, are using the grant to further develop and cover entrepreneurial training for the Mobile HealthLink prototype, created by a team of students for their biomedical engineering Capstone project.
The training provided to the team included commercialization instruction and the opportunity to conduct interviews with 100 potential clients. It was conducted by VentureWell, a nonprofit organization that works in collaboration with the NSF’s I-Corps initiative to assist teams such as Bartlett’s in bringing their ideas to the commercial landscape.
“It helped me build my skill set,” says Bartlett.
Mobile HealthLink is a remote health monitoring software that works in conjunction with smartwatches to enable physicians to monitor the health of their patients without requiring a doctor’s visit. The software program allows users to communicate with their doctor from the comfort of their homes through a variety of questions entered by their physician and displayed on the watch interface.
This helps doctors assess whether patients need to make a follow-up appointment. In addition, the feature helps users avoid the time and costs of unnecessary doctor visits, which particularly benefits elderly and post-surgery patients.
Some of the I-Corps funds have been allocated to improving the versatility of the Mobile HealthLink module. The goal is to calibrate the software with multiple platforms, including smartphones and tablets. According to Brooking, there are also plans to develop a web app that allows doctors to record patients’ data over the phone. This will further facilitate health monitoring and preventive care for doctors.
Helping the underserved
A focal aspect of the Mobile HealthLink project is its purpose. For Bartlett and his team, principle transcends profit.
“It’s more about the need and less about the technology,” says Brooking.
The prime motivator for Bartlett and the team is to develop a product that best serves an underrepresented population.
“The elderly are underserved,” says Bartlett. “There’s this stigma that they do not know how to use technology.”
Alongside developing a product that assists the sick and elderly in receiving the proper medical treatment in a timely manner, Bartlett also hopes to transform Mobile HealthLink into a business.
Bartlett will continue to use funds from the I-Corps grant to improve the Mobile HealthLink software and locate the best target market for the product. He hopes these advancements will help give the product more viability in the market and transform his entrepreneurial vision into reality.
“I would love to see this turn into a company,” he said.
The WSU I-Corps Site program enhances the ability of faculty, staff and students to apply their ideas and concepts in the market and is available to students interested in accelerating STEM ideas, research and product commercialization. Learn more at www.wsuventures.org/icorps.