Brio Device

12/14/2016

Brio Device designs, develops and commercializes medical devices to assist in the medical procedure called intubation – the insertion of airway breathing tubes. Brio’s devices break the link between the level of experience required and the success of lifesaving airway management procedures.

The company’s lead product, the INT Navigator™, addresses the majority of difficult cases where even trained users can see their destination but simply can’t get the tube to enter the airway. Contrary to what’s currently available, Brio’s simple stylet is fast, effective, and disposable.

Innovation Partnerships’s Mentor-in-Residence program has helped Brio to secure several grant awards and manufacture a prototype of the INT Navigator – an important asset as it moves towards bringing the product to market in the next six months.

“Brio has benefited greatly from numerous programs from U-M Innovation Partnerships, especially the Mentor-in-Residence program,” said Brio CEO Hannah Hensel. “The professional skills and experience of the mentors go far beyond what we would possibly be able to afford at this stage of a company were we to hire them as consultants. The mentorship has allowed the company to have breadth and depth of talent and resources.”

To reach its growth goals, Hensel explained that Brio will continue to tap into support from U-M Innovation Partnerships as well as its partners in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Ann Arbor SPARK.

As for Brio’s future potential, Hensel explains, “There is such a high concentration of highly educated and skilled specialists and facilities to match right in our backyard. There is a strong presence of startups as well as large multi-national organizations providing an expansive professional peer network right in our midst. We have access to the right resources at the right time.”