2023 Edward K. Aldag Jr. Student Business Plan Competition

Winners of the best tech-enabled solution at the Edward K. Aldag Jr. Student Business Plan Competition.

NephSol Inc. won the Patient Safety Technology Award at the University of Alabama, Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute’s 2023 Edward K. Aldag Jr. Student Business Plan Competition on April 13 and 14, 2023. 

The Patient Safety Technology Challenge sponsored a new $2,500 prize for the best tech-enabled solution.

The winners were University of Alabama students Olivia Bruno and Sydney Ringold, creators of NephSol Inc., a brain blood flow monitoring device for dialysis patients that will provide real-time alerts and continuous monitoring designed to curb common risks that patients encounter during dialysis.

According to Olivia Bruno, a University of Alabama graduating senior, even though she has not had any personal experiences with patient safety, “while building NephSol Inc. I have heard many stories of patients on dialysis who have had strokes or other adverse effects because of the treatments. Even the patients who have not experienced these effects are fearful of what could happen to them while they are undergoing dialysis treatment.”

NephSol Inc. has the opportunity to improve health outcomes and provide peace of mind for patients. Without effective monitoring dialysis patients have higher risks of falling, stroke, cognitive decline, and tissue damage so it is exciting there is a technology aimed at addressing this issue.

Their product is a non-invasive, functional, and uses a near infrared spectroscopy headset that can provide continuous monitoring, real-time alerts, and comfort for patients.  Bruno said the NephSol Inc. team is excited to have won the award and plan to continue developing the product and to begin the proof-of-concept trials this summer.