KidneyIntel, LLC Celebrates Launch with Innovation Partnerships Bell Ringing

7/9/2024

KidneyIntel, LLC, celebrated their official launch as a University of Michigan (U-M) startup company by ringing the startup bell in the offices of Innovation Partnerships. Primary Investigator and CEO Terrie Holewinski, a registered renal dietician, represented the company in a  joyful celebration surrounded by her family and friends.

KidneyIntel is currently developing educational tools, called Kidney Essentials Programs, for kidney specialists and their patients experiencing chronic kidney disease, which focuses on how diet and lifestyle can affect a patient’s outcome. 

Holewinski’s journey with KidneyIntel began with Fast Forward Medical Innovation’s (FFMI) fastPace program, a multi-week course that provides support for academics as they develop their innovations and work toward commercialization. The idea for KidneyIntel was encouraged by Holewinski’s colleagues, who saw the potential in her research and programming developed during her tenure as a dietician at U-M. Initially, she aimed to copyright the Kidney Essentials programs but was guided by the FFMI team to start her own business to bring her ideas to market.

“While I initially found the fastPace program difficult, I believe it is one of the most valuable classes I have ever taken,” said Holewinski on her experience with the course. “I am so grateful for the team at FFMI for building such an impactful program, it really helped to provide me with the resources I needed to get KidneyIntel to where we are today.”

While participating in the fastPace program, Holewinski took part in their Digital Health track and was mentored by Drew Bennett, director of software, content licensing and research partnerships, and Jim Arthurs, mentor-in-residence within the Innovation Partnerships team. Together, they forged a relationship with Ann Arbor SPARK, securing funding support and additional educational and talent resources for KidneyIntel. Bennett and Arthurs also connected Holewinski with a marketing firm to support the digitization and web promotion of her Kidney Essentials programs, allowing them to be more accessible to a wider audience. 

On working with Holewinski to develop KidneyIntel, Arthurs said, “Terrie is an ideal student. She has been so diligent in expanding her expertise to not only include nutrition and treatment of chronic kidney disease, but also the ins and outs of the commercialization process. While she might be a new CEO, I am confident that she will be a successful CEO, and we are pleased to have gotten the opportunity to support her in this endeavor.”

As the bell ringing celebration came to a close, Holewinski took a few moments to express her gratitude to her support system, both in her personal and professional lives, who helped KidneyIntel evolve and come to fruition.

“I am so incredibly grateful to my family, my friends and to the University of Michigan for all their support in helping to make this dream a reality. I would also like to thank the team at Innovation Partnerships, for providing me with the opportunity to share nutrition education with patients and practitioners. I hope that KidneyIntel will be a benchmark for education and empowerment for our patients.”

KidneyIntel’s commitment to improving outcomes for chronic kidney disease patients through education and innovation is poised to set new standards in patient care and empowerment.