SomnOSA Wins $6K at University of Arkansas Heartland Challenge
Current CBID team SomnOSA, takes first place at the Investor Round Tables and Elevator Pitch Competition at the University of Arkansas Heartland Challenge Startup Competition, winning a total of $6,000. Team SomnOSA was represented by Shri Shivram and Anders Sideris.
Complete concentric collapse at the level of the palate (CCCp) is a severe form of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), marked by repeated airway obstruction affecting up to 250 million people worldwide and 8 million in the US alone. Left untreated, it doubles risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, and increases daytime sleepiness and neurocognitive dysfunction. OSA-related motor vehicle accidents alone kill 1400/year and contribute to $150B in US economic burden. The current treatment options (CPAP, upper airway surgery, neurostimulation) are expensive, invasive, and have poor outcomes, leaving 1 million people suffering with untreated severe disease every year.
The SomnOSA solution is a novel neurostimulation platform that increases airway musculature tone to prevent airway collapse. The patient deploys a removable device that activates during sleep. Neurostimulation is timed to patient inspiration, opening the airway and restoring normal breathing, to maximize its effect. The SomnOSA solution sets a new standard for non-invasive, clinically effective treatment of OSA by providing therapy targeted at the root cause of disease.
The Heartland Challenge is designed to simulate the process of raising venture capital for a high-growth venture. The competition allows students to gain valuable experience and networking opportunities, while developing new ventures that may be based on their own ideas/technologies or those developed by others.
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