OxiWear was selected for the second cohort of the leAD Sports & Health Tech accelerator to be held from August to December 2021 in Lake Nona, Florida. The first United State sponsored cohort featured six companies and was hosted in 2020. This year, 497 companies applied for the fall cohort and six were chosen. Since its inception in 2016, the leAD Sports & Health tech program has supported 30 startups overall.
In June, OxiWear engineers conducted hypoxia testing at the University of California – San Francisco, Hypoxia Lab.
The Hypoxia Lab has been conducting research since 1958 and was founded by John W. Severinghaus, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, UCSF. Dr. Severinghaus was the inventor of modern blood gas analysis and has issued more than 200 peer reviewed publications in the gas exchange/gas transport field.
Shavini Fernando, founder and CEO of OxiWear, was featured in the summer edition of Pathlight, the quarterly magazine produced by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).
As a pulmonary hypertension (PH) patient, Ms. Fernando details her personal path from experiencing PH symptoms to finally receiving her proper medical diagnosis at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in 2017. Ms. Fernando hopes that her story will inspire those dealing with the same PH and medical challenges that she is, as well as provide a much-needed product to help those suffering from silent hypoxia. Look for the magazine or subscribe to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association for more information.
When your CEO develops a device to help pulmonary hypertension patients, she often steps in to personally test the product and provide primary research feedback. A pulmonary hypertension patient due to Eisenmenger’s Syndrome, Ms. Fernando is pictured wearing the prototype product to test its comfortability, spring strength, earlobe fit, and ergonomics.
OxiWear was the proud recipient of CIT GAP funding in June 2021. The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) is a non-profit organization that provides investment in companies through the Virginia Innovative Partnership Authority (VIPA).
The organization invests in next-generation technologies and technology companies through commercialization, capital formation, and market development initiatives.
OxiWear was selected as one of 12 medtech startup companies for the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) 2021 IGNITE Cohort. The company competed against a record number of global applicants developing innovations in the surgical, wearable, diagnostic, and home health technology categories.
“We are excited to be chosen for this cohort. The program provides companies like OxiWear with medtech expertise, corporate leadership, and industry guidance as we continue to develop and prepare to launch our product,” stated Shavini Fernando, founder and CEO, OxiWear.
