Neopenda, a Chicago startup that specializes in making neonatal vitals monitors for babies in developing countries, is repurposing its product for adults suffering from Covid-19.
Founded by Sona Shah and Teresa Cauvel in 2015, Neopenda’s device continuously measures four different vital signs, including pulse rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and temperature. The device then sends vitals data wirelessly over Bluetooth to a tablet that a nurse can monitor and be alerted by if a patient is in distress.
Neopenda's device has been tested in clinical trials, and the startup was preparing to ship its monitors to hospitals in Uganda this spring just as the virus began spreading globally.
“We originally started thinking, just like every other startup, about how we survive this pandemic, and then quickly realized we had an opportunity to use our device in the Covid response,” Shah said.
Over the last couple months, Neopenda has been developing an adult version of its monitor that’s suited for Covid-19 patients. Because many healthcare facilities in the U.S. have reported lacking supplies and being overcrowded, a rechargeable, wireless and inexpensive device like Neopenda’s would be particularly useful. Neopenda’s devices are manufactured in Malaysia and cost about the tenth of a comparable device from competitors, Shah said.
“We recognized that the entire world essentially became an emerging market,” Shah said.
Neopenda’s adult sensor measures for all of the same vitals as the original device, such as pulse rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and temperature, important vitals to monitor in patients with respiratory infections, like Covid-19.
“The demand for pulse oximeters is just astronomical right now,” Shah said.
Like the neonatal device, the adult version of Neopenda’s sensor is attached to a headband that patients wear on the forehead, though eventually the startup would like to make a version that wraps around the wrist or upper arm, Shah said.
A hospital in Hawaii is currently piloting Neopenda’s device as the company works to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization. Shah said she expects to get the stamp of approval within the next two months.
To accelerate production of the devices once they're approved, Neopenda launched a GoFundMe fundraiser earlier this month. As of press time, the fundraiser raised about $11,000 of its $25,000 goal. Shah also said Neopenda is working to close a round of venture capital funding from investors to help keep the company afloat and give it the resources to pivot to making adult monitors.
Last year, Neopenda raised $1.04 million from New York-based Axel Johnson Inc. and SUNU Capital, an African-based venture capital firm. The startup was also in the 2018 cohort of Techstars Chicago, the annual accelerator that provides mentoring and resources to early-stage startups. Currently, Neopenda employs six people.
