Ventec Life Systems has raised more than $20 million to fuel commercialization of its unique portable ventilator.
The Bothell, Wash.-based company raised the Series E round primarily from existing friends and family investors. Total funding to date is more than $60 million.
Founded in 2013, Ventec has developed a life support system called VOCSN that combines ventilation, oxygen, cough, suction and nebulization (medication delivery) services in one portable device and lets a user switch between services using the same hardware.
That means a patient using the device as a ventilator doesn’t have to switch to a different machine to clear their lungs of fluid or take breathable medication, which Ventec says makes the device easier to use and also lowers the risk of complications like infections. Its portability is another main selling point.
Ventec was founded by CEO Doug DeVries, a ventilation technology expert who was inspired to create VOCSN after his father was diagnosed with ALS. With traditional technology, patients that need help breathing are permanently attached to a bulky device and need constant care, either in a hospital or from a caregiver at home.
Customers include home health companies; long term care facilities; and hospitals based in the U.S. and Japan. The devices is used by pediatric and adult patients that have neuromuscular disease, impaired lung function, spinal cord injury, and/or pediatric development complication.
In 2019, the company doubled sales and nearly doubled its employee count to 111 people.
Source: Geek Wire
