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Tympanogen

We develop medical devices that streamline ear, nose, and throat procedures using our proprietary gel technology.

Richmond, VA, USA

One Liner

One Liner
We develop medical devices that streamline ear, nose, and throat procedures using our proprietary gel technology.

What Problem We are Solving

Problem
Middle ear infection is the most common childhood disease in the world. Over 1M US patients receive ear tubes annually, and there are about 5.3M patients with a chronic eardrum perforation from the ear tube or other trauma. Untreated perforations can result in recurring infection, hearing loss, and significantly decreased quality-of-life. Perf-Fix Otologic Gel Patch is a gel patch that transforms surgical eardrum repair into a 10-min clinic visit. Perf-Fix starts as a jelly that is applied to the eardrum through the ear canal, then cured with light to form a stiff gel that fills the perforation. The gel acts as a scaffold that allows cells to migrate and replace it with new tissue.

About Us

About Us
We are a medical device company that offers offer ear, nose, and throat surgeons (ENTs) efficiency in their practice alongside exceptional care. We do this through thoughtfully designed solutions that fit existing clinical workflows. We develop, manufacture, and market medical devices based on proprietary gel technology. Our first product, Perf-Fix Otologic Gel Patch, replaces surgical eardrum repair with a clinic visit.

Venture Highlights

Highlights
  • Treated 18 subjects with Perf-Fix to-date, including a 5-year-old. No sedation or anesthesia necessary. No side effects.
  • Awarded $6.7 million in nondilutive grant funds
  • Raised $3.6 million in private investment from angel investors
  • Held 4 meetings with FDA to finalize the regulatory pathway
  • Produced final, finished devices for clinical study
  • Built a presales waitlist of 71 practices and 182 surgeons for Perf-Fix's commercial launch

Business Model

Business Model
Our customers are the ~4400 otologists, pediatric ENTs, and general ENTs who perform eardrum repair procedures. We sell medical devices directly to ENT practices. Both the procedure and the device can be reimbursed under existing billing codes. We are targeting ENT practices, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and major hospital systems that have outpatient centers. Our network of ENT surgeons has been largely generated through KOL advisors, conferences, investors, and word-of-mouth. We continue to expand our ENT network to generate excitement about Perf-Fix ahead of product launch. To recruit and onboard new ENT surgeon customers, we developed a training simulator and protocol that teaches surgeons how to use Perf-Fix so that they can be successful with the first application on a patient. This training is for marketing purposes only, and will not be submitted as part of the de novo application. We are also building a reimbursement plan that will show both ENT surgeons and practice managers how to reimburse for Perf-Fix using current billing structures. Both the training simulator and reimbursement guidance are intended to remove barriers to using Perf-Fix for any customer channel (private practice, outpatient, ASC, hospital, etc).

Competitive Advantage

Quote
Perf-Fix gives ENTs the choice to move away from surgery for safety reasons, as well as the financial choice to move toward a time-saving procedure that will reimburse at a higher rate. ENTs who switch to Perf-Fix from surgery can be more profitable through increased patient volume compared to surgery. By transitioning eardrum repair out of the operating room and into the clinic, the operating room time is now available for higher margin procedures and the ENT sees profitability in their clinic where they traditionally break even. Through the de novo pathway, Perf-Fix will be the only marketed device for eardrum repair with a pediatric indication, clearing the way to market dominance. We are transforming a common surgery into a clinic-based procedure using existing reimbursement and procedural framework for minimal disruption of clinical workflow. Our device can heal subtotal perforations and regenerates the full structure of the eardrum, which has not been accomplished by any other graft material previously. We can also expand our gel technology into a pipeline of ENT products using much of our current manufacturing and supply chain assets.

Revenue

Revenue To Date
N/A
MRR
N/A
Revenue YTD
N/A
Burn Rate
$180K

Customer Costs

CAC
N/A
LTV
N/A
Churn
N/A
Margins
N/A

Go-To Market Strategy

Business Strategy
Our customers are the ~4400 otologists, pediatric ENTs, and general ENTs who perform eardrum repair procedures. We use conferences to generate new sales leads and build our waitlist. We are building a wait-list of ENT customers to capture the ~160 customers needed to break even in 2026. Sales leads are generated through conferences (n=200-300 new customers/year). We are prioritizing speed over volume, with 75% of sales coming from clinical practices (faster onboarding) and 25% of sales coming from hospital systems (larger purchase volumes). Training with a provided training kit will be done virtually as part of onboarding.

Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysys
The standard patch used to repair eardrum perforations is cartilage or fascia from the patient's ear, which stays in the eardrum indefinitely and requires an extra surgical step. Cook Medical and Medtronic make eardrum-repair products that still require surgery to apply and hand-trimming to fit the dimensions of the perforation. This leads to longer surgery and recovery times, both of which are issues eliminated by using Perf-Fix. Additionally, neither Cook nor Medtronic's products have pediatric indications, preventing these entities from marketing their products to the largest patient segment.
Competitor Website
Cook Medical www.cookmedical.com
Medtronic www.medtronic.com

Networking

Networking
We are open to meeting up to grab a coffee, or just to chat. We would really enjoy your feedback and insight into our venture and would be happy to discuss anything that you are currently working on to see if we can be of service!

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Capital

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Name Amount
Amount Left $4,300,000.00
Amount Raised (This Round) $700,000.00
Amount Raise To Date $10.5M
Investment Type Pre-money
Type of Raise Equity

Valuation
$18M
Friends & Family
$90K
Preseed
$350K
Seed Bridge
$3.16M
Grant Dollars Awarded
$6.9M

TAM SAM SOM

TAM
$1.7B
SAM
$340M
SOM
$120M

Business Stage

Business Stage
Series A

Business Type

Business Types
Investor-Backed

Categories

Technology
Healthcare
Engineering

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Last Updated: 12/10/24