From ventilator splitting to sewage based measuring of infection spread to contact tracing, here is how our portfolio companies are combating COVID-19
COVID-19 has presented additional and sometimes existential challenges for startups. Founders have had to make immensely difficult decisions to manage their cash, lower their burn rate, and extend their runways for as long as possible. The pervasive impact of the disease and the uncertain timeline of its spread and the necessary societal shutdown has hurt businesses across sectors and geographies.
At Soma Capital, we have seen the challenges our startups face in this new environment but have also, more importantly, seen how the incredible founders have truly risen to the occasion, finding creative ways to ensure team members are taken care of, identifying silver lining opportunities in an otherwise bleak situation, pivoting to redirect attention to productive internal work with long term payoffs post COVID-19, and most inspiringly, moving rapidly to create tangible impact in supporting hospitals, tracking disease spread, educating the public, and accelerating innovation in finding treatment solutions.
From ventilator splitting to mask design to outpatient monitoring to sewage based measuring of infection spread to stopping misinformation, here is how our portfolio companies are combating COVID-19.
Hospital Support
Gecko Robotics, which creates robots for industrial inspections, launched a task force to fight case overloads in hospitals through helping with supply chain and ventilation splitter issues. They designed ventilation splitters and an injection mold that is now being used internationally. The design is now open-sourced through NJH. The team is also advising the CDC, NIH, and 3M on 3D printing reusable masks.
Monitoring
Biobot, which commercializes data from sewage, is collaborating with researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital to launch a pro bono program to map COVD-19 across the United States. Specifically, the company is soliciting sewage samples from wastewater treatment facilities across the US to test for COVID-19. Given the lack of widespread testing in the United States (states generally have at most ~1K tests per 1 million residents), the data Biobot collects through sewage will be a critical addition to existing patient testing data to truly measure the scope of the outbreak and guide each community’s response. Biobot’s data can provide decision support for officials, help anticipate potential impacts on hospital capacity to inform hospital readiness, track the effectiveness of interventions, and provide early warnings for reemergence (a potential second wave of breakouts).
AIRx, which creates novel solutions for chronic lung disease, has launched End COVID-19, a monitoring and triage platform for health systems and county health departments to monitor both COVID-19 out-patients and healthcare providers who have been exposed to the disease. The monitoring platform is remote, thereby complementing the healthcare system’s existing capabilities and allowing them to support high-risk patients during home-isolation periods. AIRx’s system assists patients in self-monitoring by securely relaying their daily information to their medical teams to allow for more efficient responses and timely interventions.
Inokyo, which brings autonomous checkout to physical stores, has built Inokyo ACT that detects and traces sick and exposed employees to limit COVID-19 spread amongst workforces and allows industrial and essential sites to remain open. The technology tracks employees in monitored spaces over time as well as the surfaces and people they interact with. If an employee is found to be COVID-19 positive, Inokyo ACT can do contact tracing through time to ensure all personnel the individual interacted with are quarantined and all surfaces touched are properly sanitized. Moreover, the technology can detect fevers, ensure social distancing among employees, and monitor and alert employees when they touch the same surfaces.
Datasaur, which helps companies manage their entire data labeling workflow, is partnering with nonprofits, startups, and platforms like Project Apollo to help fight COVID-19 related misinformation by sorting through scientific research, identifying misinformation, and monitoring social media to track infection spread.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Curative is building an alternate supply source of many of the major sample collection and extraction kit components that use flocked cotton swabs and scalable RNA extraction methods which do not rely on supply-constrained magnetic silica beads. Their test can be self-administered at home, and results can be turned around within 24–48 hours. This self-administered testing further mitigates exposure and spread.
Enzyme, which makes FDA compliance easier for startups, has launched an initiative to help teams developing COVID-19 related diagnostics, PPE, or ventilators. Enzyme has previously helped many FDA-regulated in vitro diagnostics and medical devices get to market and are excited to help companies and communities developing diagnosis or treatment solutions of COVID-19 to meet the rapidly rising needs. They are offering these teams free consulting sessions on the Emergency Use Authorization filings, free 2 months access to Enzyme’s electron quality management system platform, and free access to the Enzyme community with educational content and regulatory guidance.
Coral Genomics, which improves the clinical utility of genetic testing by integrating molecular and functional factors, is studying the infection response of 1,000 COVID-19 patients. Through this research, they aim to create models of the disease to better understand its progression in the lungs and perform genetic screens for FDA approved combination therapies to potentially treat the disease.
If you are interested in connecting with any of these companies to partner with them in their efforts, their sites have more information on getting in touch, and I am always reachable at jessica@somacap.com.
