The Biz Foundry honored Rehabit Health as the winner of Putnam County’s Start Here Competition, showcasing a guided therapy system.
Rehabit Health Co-Founder and CEO Michael Malawey said the Envision Guided Therapy System consists consists of specialized insoles clinicians insert in a patients’ shoes and a monitor to display the received information. The insoles read how the patient stands and balances, so the clinician or therapist can correct their gait.
You are fooled in thinking something something looks okay yet it’s really not,” Malawey said. “And so then you can’t actually recover. So it really gives a tool to allow the potential for full recovery.”
Malawey said the company is trying to get the technology into the hands of clinicians and facilities, caring for patients. Malawey said the $10,000 prize money from the contest was put into updating the program and securing more equipment.
“I’ve spent the last 13 years developing it, working it on patients, and we’ve got it to a minimally viable product,” Malawey said. “And so at this point, with the competition and, you know, other things that we are doing right now, we are getting it out into the world. It is a para-dime shift.”
Malawey said getting the technology into the world has been a difficult and lengthy process. Malawey said the funds will allow the business owners to travel to local and national conferences.
Malawey said the attention attracts potential investors, which allows them to secure additional funding for the project. Malawey said the next steps for the business center pitching the project to potential investors. Malawey said partnering with investors will strengthen the project and allow it to travel farther.
“We have been doing things the same way for 100 years,” Malawey said. “And this is readily available technology that could change the equation when it comes to recovery from brain injury, stroke and, really, many injuries in general.”
The Start Here Pitch Competition gives local, and regional entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their ideas to win cash prizes.
