The Great Medtech Pitch Live Competition

Up to 7 million people die annually from a lack of access to dialysis, the life-saving treatment for kidney failure. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home-based treatment that can lower the financial, time, and transportation barriers to care compared to conventional 3x weekly in-hospital hemodialysis. However, only 11% of global dialysis patients receive home PD. A major limitation to PD adoption is a lack of access to the large volumes of PD fluid required for treatment (~250 L/patient monthly), particularly in rural U.S. facilities and low- and middle-income countries where there is the highest demand for home-based care. PD fluid is over 95% water-for-injection (WFI). Instead of shipping ‘water’ around the world from centralized manufacturing facilities, Meld Bio is developing a system for decentralized PD fluid manufacturing at a pharmacy scale (100 L/h). Leveraging findings from >200 customer discovery interviews, our system will: (i) produce WFI, (ii) mix in active pharmaceutical ingredients, (iii) inhibit microbial growth, and (iv) aseptically fill sterile bags. A novel alternative to heat sterilization ensures the sterility of the packaged fluid. Meld Bio’s technology offers superior scalability, reliability, and fluid stability at a competitive price to support home PD expansion globally.

Carolyn Bernemann
Co-Founder & CEO, Meld Bio
PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota

Bio: Carolyn Bernemann is the Co-Founder and CEO of Meld Bio, a startup developing technology for decentralized manufacturing of peritoneal dialysis fluid and other large volume parenterals. This technology has spun out of her research at the University of Minnesota, where Carolyn is a PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Natasha Wright. She is passionate about human-centered design, translational research, and improving global access to life-saving medical care. Carolyn received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Vascudyne Living Tissue: Creating Lasting Cures
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, yet critical gaps persist in how we treat it across the entire age spectrum. For adult patients, no off-the-shelf vascular graft exists to serve more than 600,000 adult bypass surgeries performed each year, a procedures that still depend on harvesting a patient's own vessels, with graft failure rates exceeding 40%. In patients, the gap is even more profound: over 40,000 children are born annually in the U.S. with congenital heart defects requiring surgical repair using synthetic or fixed-tissue grafts that cannot grow with the child, condemning them to repeated open-heart surgeries throughout their lives.

Vascudyne has developed a bioengineered, off-the-shelf vascular graft built from a human collagen matrix that, once implanted, repopulates with host cells and remodels into living, functional tissue. In adults, this means a regenerative alternative that eliminates the need for vessel harvesting and improves long-term durability. In children, it means something no current technology can offer: a graft capable of somatic growth. A potential cure for congenital heart disease rather than a lifetime of reoperations. Vascudyne is poised to transform cardiovascular care across the age spectrum, addressing a multibillion-dollar global market that remains fundamentally underserved.

Mariah McMahon, BS
Director of R&D
Vascudyne

Bio: Mariah has over a decade of expertise in cell culture, having worked in both academic settings and large-scale biomanufacturing. Currently, Mariah leads research and development at Vascudyne, where she plays a hands-on role in advancing innovative cell-based solutions for medical applications.

Blood transfusions commonly cause elevated potassium levels in patients due to potassium release from older and dying red blood cells (RBCs). Transfusion-associated hyperkalemia is linked with increasing blood bag age and can cause life-threatening cardiac events. This is especially important in vulnerable populations such as neonates, infants, and children, who lack blood volume and mature compensatory mechanisms for handling electrolyte fluctuations. Currently, healthcare professionals need to weigh this risk when deciding whether to provide or delay the administration of blood, which can be a life-saving measure.

To address this concern and provide safer transfusions, our team is developing an in-line device that will allow healthy RBCs to be transfused into patients by separating them from aging RBCs. This device will prevent aging RBCs from entering the bloodstream and potentially causing a life-threatening event from releasing potassium. Utilizing mathematical principles and targeted design, our team has developed a device that has shown 91% success in passing through healthy, deformable RBCs. This was done by leveraging negative pressure and vibration mechanisms in combination with a filter that requires RBCs to deform. Next steps will include an experimental study that incorporates dead and older RBCs with healthy RBCs to demonstrate the device’s ability to prevent passage of RBCs with decreased deformability.

Ridi Barua
Virginia Tech

Bio: Ridi has worked in the biotech startup space for five years as a mechanical engineer, focusing on microfluidic device design, experimental testing, and prototyping electromechanical interfacing systems for microfluidic devices. Currently, he is completing his master’s in Biomedical Engineering through the Carilion Clinic Biodesign Program at Virginia Tech. Through this program, he has shadowed healthcare providers to identify critical clinical needs, including methods to separate healthy red blood cells from dying or dead cells to reduce the risk of potassium accumulation during blood transfusions.

Sarah Scheerer
Virginia Tech

Bio: Sarah Scheerer is a second-year master’s student in the Carilion Clinic Biodesign Program at Virginia Tech. As a Biodesign Fellow, she is a part of a program focused on education, innovation, and health opportunity that includes clinical observation and R&D. Sarah received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2024, with a focus on medical devices. Throughout her education, she has engaged in healthcare professional and engineer collaborations resulting in publications and intellectual property filings.

Mahrukh Siddiqui
Virginia Tech

Bio: Mahrukh Siddiqui is a healthcare marketing and innovation professional with a PharmD and MBA, currently pursuing a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Tech. She brings experience in pharmaceutical brand management and commercialization from her time at GSK, where she led portfolio strategy and customer engagement initiatives. Her current work focuses on clinician-driven needs discovery and early-stage commercialization of medical technologies, where she collaborates with health system stakeholders to translate unmet clinical needs into viable product and market strategies.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition in which the heart cannot pump blood effectively due to impaired contractility. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a life-support modality that removes deoxygenated blood, oxygenates it outside the body, and returns it to the arterial circulation to maintain organ perfusion. It is often used in critically ill CS patients who cannot tolerate invasive procedures. Despite its benefits, VA-ECMO is associated with high mortality, largely due to increased afterload—the resistance the heart must overcome to eject blood. Continuous arterial flow from VA-ECMO increases aortic pressure and makes cardiac ejection more difficult, leading to life-threatening complications.

CircuFlow is a novel, non-invasive device designed to modulate VA-ECMO flow to reduce afterload. During systole, when the heart is ejecting blood, CircuFlow reduces VA-ECMO flow. During diastole, when the heart is filling, full VA-ECMO perfusion is restored to maintain circulation. CircuFlow also incorporates a novel safety mechanism to prevent pressure spikes that could increase the risk of hemolysis or thrombosis. Preliminary benchtop testing has shown that the device is effective at reducing arterial flow without exceeding unsafe pressure thresholds. In vivo animal testing will begin this spring. The provisional patent for CircuFlow has been filed.

Nina Nair
Medical Student
University of Pennsylvania

Bio: Nina Nair is a first-year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2025. During her time there, she served as the team leader and a founding member CircuFlow and contributed to the conceptualization and development of the device. She also worked on other medical device projects in the areas of anesthesiology and urogynecology. At Penn Medicine, she is involved in cardiac surgery research projects as well as biotechnology and entrepreneurship initiatives. She hopes to pursue a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Ramya Palani
Clinical Research Coordinator
Johns Hopkins Hospital

Bio: Ramya Palani recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. She currently works as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the The Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has been involved in developing CircuFlow since its inception, contributing extensive technical expertise in hardware development. She also conducts research at the Intelligent Medical Robotic Systems and Equipment Lab, where she focuses on magnetic actuation in tissue-engineered grafts. In the future, she plans to attend medical school.

Shreeram Sabareesan
Undergraduate Student
Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University

Bio: Shreeram Sabareesan is an undergraduate biomedical engineering student at Johns Hopkins University. He is one of the current team leads and has worked on numerous aspects of CircuFlow. He is involved in the computational cardiology and cardiac surgery labs at Johns Hopkins, where he is involved in a number of translational device and software projects. He has recieved funding from the Heart Rythym Society, and has been invited internationally to present his work in cardiac electrophysiology. After graduating, he plans to pursue an MD-PhD program.

Bladder cancer is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages because the gold-standard bladder cancer screening procedure, a cystoscopy, requires a urologist to be present for live collection and evaluation of images. Traditional screening workflows with synchronous image review require dedicated procedure rooms and specialized training, constraining capacity and creating throughput bottlenecks. With a worsening urology workforce shortage in the U.S and patient demand growing faster than current resources can handle, patients face months-long wait times for a procedure that determines whether their cancer is caught in its early stages.

Lumenate Medical is developing an AI-enabled screening device that decouples image capture from image interpretation, enabling non-urologist providers, such as Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners, to perform cystoscopy. Our hardware device replaces the standard manually-articulating flexible cystoscope and ensures complete bladder coverage using an AI software layer to confirm diagnostic-grade image collection. These images are then transmitted for asynchronous urologist review. By expanding the number of providers capable of performing cystoscopy, our technology aims to increase procedural throughput and reduce delays in bladder cancer diagnosis.

Anand Vaish, MSE
Innovation Fellow
Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design
Johns Hopkins University

Bio: Anand Vaish is a CBID-Abell Foundation Innovation Fellow at the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design at Johns Hopkins University. He is a co-founder of Lumenate Medical, an early stage medical device startup. Prior to founding Lumenate Medical, he worked at Medtronic as a test engineer within their surgical robotics division.  

The Pocket Colposcope is a handheld, low-cost cervical imaging device developed at Duke University to expand access to high-quality cervical cancer diagnosis. Designed to pair with a smartphone or tablet, the Pocket Colposcope enables clinicians to capture high-resolution images of the cervix with a device dramatically reduced in cost and size compared to traditional colposcopes. The Pocket Colposcope received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance in 2018. To date, the Pocket Colposcope has been tested with thousands of patients in 10 countries, including the United States, demonstrating its potential to improve diagnostic access in both resource-limited and high-income health systems. By enabling portable, digital cervical imaging, the Pocket Colposcope aims to reduce barriers to cervical cancer diagnosis and support more accessible cervical cancer prevention worldwide.

Marcella Mercer
Master of Public Policy Student
Duke University

Bio: Marcella Mercer is a Master of Public Policy student at Duke University concentrating in technology policy. She is part of a Duke Bass Connections interdisciplinary team researching pathways to successfully bring the Pocket Colposcope to market. Prior to Duke, Marcella worked in several roles in journalism, education, and government. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After graduating, she will work in management consulting.

Chronic aortic dissection remains a life-threatening condition where standard minimally invasive treatments fail in about 50% of cases. This high failure rate is often driven by a persistent “false lumen” created by a stiff, fibrotic septum, which prevents proper stent-graft sealing and leads to continued aneurysm growth. Clinical evidence suggests that aortic septostomy, the process of unifying the double-lumen aorta into a single channel, is a key step for durable repair, yet the procedure remains underutilized because surgeons lack a dedicated, purpose-built tool. Current improvised methods, such as mechanical “cheese-wire” or energy-based techniques, carry significant risks of uncontrolled tears or collateral thermal injury.

Aquablade Vascular is addressing this clinical gap with a novel fluid jet catheter designed specifically for aortic septostomy. The device utilizes an athermal, high-velocity saline jet intended to provide a controlled and precise cut of the septum without heat-related damage. By integrating a dual-guidewire system and a protective anvil, the design aims to offer enhanced control and precision during complex endovascular maneuvers. This presentation will review the significant unmet clinical need in aortic dissection repair and discuss the Aquablade’s potential as a versatile platform for advancing the safety and precision of endovascular cutting. Aquablade technology is supported by a portfolio of five issued U.S. patents and is designed to improve clinical outcomes while reducing the long-term economic burden associated with aortic dissection.

Majid Jadidi, PhD
Co-founder and CEO, Aquablade Vascular

Assistant Professor, Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska Omaha

Bio: Majid Jadidi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska Omaha and the Co-founder and CEO of Aquablade Vascular. With over a decade of experience in cardiovascular innovation, his work bridges the gap between biomechanical engineering and clinical translation. Dr. Jadidi holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in biomedical engineering, complemented by a background in business and systems management that informs his approach to MedTech entrepreneurship. 

Co-Founder and CEO
Agitated Solutions, Inc.

Founder and Board Member
Avio Medtech Consulting

Chairperson of the Board
SurgiSmoke Solutions

Founder and Principal
Engage Venture Partners

Bio: Morgan is a serial med tech entrepreneur and investor, which means her passion is launching new businesses. Over the past ten years, she has founded or co-founded six companies — two medical device companies, two med tech accelerators, and two venture investing vehicles.

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Senior Manager, New Business Development
Boston Scientific

Board Member, Assistant Director of Finance, and Cofounder
Roundtable Rx

Bio: Tanner Fuchs’s role as Senior Manager of New Business Development at Boston Scientific gives him strong expertise in identifying and advancing high-potential medical technologies. His experience cofounding Roundtable Rx and serving on its board, along with prior roles at Medtronic and Solventum, provides him with a broad entrepreneurial and industry perspective on product development and commercialization.

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Chairman & CEO
Zurich Medical (Retired)

Partner
Grace Associates

Member Board of Trustees
Audit Committee and Corporate Investment & Development Committee
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Bio: Paul’s experience as Co-founder and CEO of Zurich Medical and Vice President, International Development of St. Jude Medical gives him deep leadership experience in scaling medical device businesses and navigating complex global markets. As a current partner at GS Grace Associates, he continues to advise and shape medtech strategy and commercialization for emerging companies. His role on the Board of Trustees for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota adds a valuable perspective on healthcare delivery and payer priorities.

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Senior Corporate Development Director
Medtronic

Bio: Dan is a Sr Corporate Development Director at Medtronic, working on their central M&A team. With over 13 years of experience in M&A roles at Medtronic, Dan has led and advised on numerous transactions that span the breadth of the Medtronic portfolio, investments and transaction structures, and global regions. Dan’s current focus is on “Corporate Functions”, which includes areas like global operations and supply chain, data/AI, R&D, enterprise prioritization, and regional/governmental initiatives – but his main passion is still on evaluating and developing investment and business strategies to bring medical innovations to patients around the world.

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Medtech Research Analyst
Piper Jaffray (ret.)

Chair of the Board of Directors
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

Board Member
Merit Medical Systems, Inc.

Board Member
TransMedics, Inc.

Executive In Residence
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota

Bio: Thom’s career as a Senior MedTech Analyst at Piper Sandler gives him deep expertise in evaluating medical technology companies, market trends, and investment potential. Being the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and a board member of two other medtech companies, gives him the leadership and practical insight into what drives successful ventures.

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Chief Executive Officer
Sarcio, Inc.

Bio: Beth, as CEO of her own startup Sarcio, has hands-on knowledge of the process of building and growing successful med-tech startups. Her experience and understanding of product development, market fit, and business execution gives her insight in the challenges early-stage teams face.

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Patent Agent
Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner

Bio: Eric is a registered patent agent at Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner with extensive intellectual property experience and co-founder of two medical device startups in the cardiac care space. He leverages a deep engineering background and more than a decade of patent prosecution experience to help innovators protect and advance their technologies.

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Technology Development Program Manager and MedWorx Director
Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center
University of Minnesota

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