PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA) announces today that Sisu Global Health (http://www.sisuglobalhealth.com) was voted as "Best in Show" at MABA's 1st Pitch Life Science event, which took place at the Cira Center on September 30, 2015. Sisu is a medical device developer with a pipeline of products designed to address challenges unique to emerging markets. Hemafuse, the Company's first product, is an alternative to donor blood and could benefit 20 million cases in Africa ($600 million) each year.
According to Carolyn Yarina, CEO of Sisu, Healthcare systems in emerging markets struggle because 80% of medical technology is designed for 10% of the world's population. Our products solve that problem by commercializing surgical devices that can effectively lower costs and can be used in countries where both urban and rural medicine must be supported by effective design, logistics and available medical infrastructure.
1st Pitch Life Science (http://www.1stpitchlifescience.com) has been organized by MABA, a life science investor group, to encourage and educate aspiring life science entrepreneurs who know they may be too early to seek investment but want the opportunity to practice their pitch and to receive constructive criticism from experienced and knowledgeable professionals.
"1st Pitch offered a much deeper dive on our longer pitch; many other competitions are focused on the elevator pitch, but the longer explanation, including for due diligence and later fundraising conversations get left behind," says Carolyn Yarina, CEO of Sisu Global Health.
"Where many companies fail to make a convincing case for selling into developing countries, Sisu demonstrated a thoughtful, substantive approach based on the principals' years spent and relationships developed in the targeted nations. The simplicity and utility of the devices' design seem likely to make an impact in the targeted market," said Stephen Goodman, Co-founder of Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and a partner at Pryor Cashman LLP in New York City, also a panelist at the event.
Sisu Global Health is building a pipeline to bring medical devices to market to address challenges unique to emerging markets, such as blood access. Due to a lack of over 50% of the need and a cost over $100 per unit, blood is like liquid gold. Their initial focus is Africa: a $4 billion surgical and Medical device market that continues to grow with the continent's middle class. Sisu's first product, Hemafuse, is a surgical device that salvages, filters, and recycles blood from an internal hemorrhage back to the same patient. Hemafuse is an alternative to donor blood and could benefit 20 million cases in Africa ($600 million) each year. Much of Sisu Global Health's current support comes from Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development and DreamIt Health, a startup accelerator.
About Sisu Global Health
Sisu Global Health is led by three women: Carolyn Yarina (Chief Executive Officer), Gillian Henker (Chief Technology Officer), and Katherine Kirsch (Chief Marketing Officer). Their mission is to create a standardized pathway from design through sale that incentivizes its partners at each stage of the healthcare value chain in emerging markets. Sisu has conducted on-the-ground research in Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and India on their portfolio products, including the Hemafuse, a mechanical blood transfusion device. For more information, visit www.sisuglobalhealth.com.
About Mid Atlantic Bio Angels
Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (http://bioangels.net) is a group of active angel investors, which meets in New York City monthly (except July and August) solely to hear from pre-screened early-stage life science companies. MABA members consist of individuals from Delaware to Massachusetts with significant expertise and experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, including former and current corporate executives, doctors and Ph.D. scientists with product development backgrounds, successful medical entrepreneurs and analyst/investors focused on life sciences. MABA's goal is to create an environment where the depth of investors' knowledge coupled with the pre-screening of presenting companies enhances the potential for meaningful investment.