MedUX: Success Story

Creating innovative medical products through user-centered design

Portable infusion treatment at home and in the field

MedUX is creating innovative medical device solutions for inpatient, at-home, and mobile care. With the COVID-19 pandemic’s strain on hospital capacity and services, many patients are being sent home to cut costs and avoid contamination risks. Over 3.2 million people in the United States are prescribed to receive home infusion treatments, and that number continues to grow. 

MedUX offers two wearable and portable IV systems that allow patients to receive treatment comfortably while mobile: the L-IV (Liberating Intravenous) and MP-IV. They both utilize a pressure infuser system embedded in the device to enable the delivery of IV fluid quickly in case of an emergency or instability. With applications in home and hospital use, these devices are also useful for emergency response and military applications, allowing victims to receive treatment quickly and efficiently while remaining mobile. 

More than just a connection – a partnership

MedUX was founded in 2018 by Alec Gillinder and Quinn King while they were undergraduate students at Syracuse University. Meeting as freshmen, they connected over their shared experience of family members requiring at-home infusion treatments due to cancer or chronic illness. Quinn King had previously worked on an idea for a portable intravenous (IV) treatment at the age of 15, and the pair decided to develop it further for a university competition. The product concept received enthusiasm from investors and professors alike, changing the course of their career paths. With no direct healthcare or entrepreneurship background, the two founders were “trying to build their parachute after already jumping out of the plane.” The two founders went on to participate in 9 business plan competitions and 4 accelerators, continuously improving their product.

Today, their leading product is the Liberating Intravenous (L-IV), designed for hospital and home use. The L-IV is a compact sling that holds all of the equipment necessary to deliver intravenous treatment. It is primarily worn slung across the patient’s body and rests at the hip, allowing for mobility while receiving treatment.

In their customer discovery research MedUX found that in the Afghanistan-Iraq war, 66% of all soldier deaths were due to blood loss during transport back to the medical facility. This proved a new need for their technology, so they began developing a second product, the MP-IV, for EMS and military use. The primary differences between the L-IV and MP-IV are its military-grade materials and adaptability. The straps are modified for emergency responders to attach the device to different parts of the patient’s body depending on where the infusion insertion point needs to be administered, allowing for versatility in treatments. By using an MP-IV in the field, soldiers can simultaneously receive treatment and be transported faster, which can be the difference between life and death.

“When you’re starting out, it’s invaluable to have a manufacturer that wants to design your product with you and help you through those beginning stages to make it the most affordable and the most effective it can be.”

— Alec Gillinder, Co-founder and CEO

FORGE’s impact: building your team

MedUX has been working with FORGE since July 2020. After winning multiple business plan competitions, they were seeking connections to manufacturers that were ready to scale with them as they began producing in higher volumes. One of these connections was FORGE partner ICSN Group, which specializes in design for manufacturability, engineering, and contract manufacturing. Their collaboration extended beyond just the passing of design files, as members of ICSN helped them solve a critical problem in their design. The pressure system that helped facilitate treatment placed too much pressure on the patient’s arm, but ICSN offered a solution that not only negated the issue, but also made the product cheaper to manufacture. 

With a referral from FORGE, Medux was selected to join a small cohort of startups for the Berkshire Manufacturing Challenge, a program providing equity-free seed funding for the startup that presents the most scalable and investable manufacturing business model. In February 2021, MedUX was declared the winner, and awarded $25,000 to continue developing their technology. 

Looking forward

What’s next for MedUX? They will be conducting nonclinical tests later this year in collaboration with a major medical institution. Looking forward, MedUX is continuing to seek investors and fundraising to continue beta testing, begin marketing efforts, and officially launch their product in the market. FORGE is proud to continue to support innovative companies like MedUX that are making breakthrough products that can save lives.