For people with diabetes, taking the insulin they need to survive is a major obstacle. Typically, insulin pens must be at room temperature before use but kept refrigerated when not in use, which can be inconvenient in an emergency.
Three students at SUNY New Paltz’s College of Business may have found a solution to the plight of people with diabetes.
Megan Washington ’24 (Finance), Angela Brady ’24 (General Business), and Garret Cortazzo ’23 ’24g (Management) developed insulation, Portable insulin storage products, exist Business speechr Entrepreneurship and Business Planning Courses with Chris Napolitano. The Insulmate is powered by a lithium-ion battery, so the insulin stays cool when not in use and warms to room temperature as needed.
“If your blood sugar goes up, you don’t have time to wait for the insulin to heat up,” Washington said. “Insulmate makes it safer and easier for people with diabetes to take the medications they need throughout the day.”
Today, their healthcare innovations have landed them in a number of business plan competitions, starting with November’s Business Plan Competition, a “Shark Tank”-like campus pitch competition that is the culmination of entrepreneurship and business planning classes.
After finishing first, Napolitano advanced them Mid-Hudson Regional Business Plan Competition, the stakes are higher when they compete with business school students from other local universities. Despite this, they continued their good momentum, finishing second in the health and well-being category.
“It was a very rewarding experience to showcase what we offer to local business leaders and to be recognized for all the hard work we put in,” Brady said.
In addition to these competitions, the Insulmate team participated exist Electronics Festival, a match Sponsored by the Schultz Family Foundation at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis Twenty-five university teams from across the country can receive cash prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for their entrepreneurial ideas.In the April competition they finished third Competition among medical technology startupswbureau $2,500 cash prize.
“It’s been a bit of a trial run for us,” Cortazo said, “but knowing we’ve made it this far feels validating.”
Cash prizes will help them apply for patents from the Food and Drug Administration, This is a costly process.
“As college students, we don’t have the funds to launch a product like this, so we need all the support we can get,” Brady said.
Soon, all three students will graduate from their respective programs, which will equip them to launch their own products.
As graduating seniors, Washington and Brady plan to follow in Cortazo’s footsteps and pursue MBAs.Washington was recently admitted to new paltz plan.
“Working at Insulmate has helped me gain a foothold in the business world, and I look forward to further sharpening my acumen,” she said.
Click here to learn more about the SUNY New Paltz MBA.
