SynDaver Labs Receives $3M Investment On Shark Tank
*UPDATE*: Unfortunately the deal fell through but Syndaver is still moving forward with new hires! Read more through the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
If you watch the popular investment show “Shark Tank” then you already know that on Friday’s episode of last Week (S6E28) that medical simulation company Syndaver received $3 million in funding in exchange for 25% equity of the company from celebrity investor Robert Herjavec. Congratulations to Dr. Sakezles and Syndaver for their amazing success. We look forward to seeing increased utilization of their awesome products in our medical education training.
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Below is the recent press release on the Syndaver Website:
“TAMPA, Fla. – Celebrity investor and businessman, Robert Herjavec, offered $3 million to Dr. Christopher Sakezles, a Tampa scientist, for a stake in his Tampa-based company, SynDaver Labs, Friday on the television show Shark Tank.
Sakezles accepted the offer on national television and plans for the new partnership are being finalized.
SynDaver is currently hiring, and over the next few years, Sakezles plans on creating more than 500 jobs in Tampa, where the company is headquartered, and Phoenix, where the company has an advanced research facility.
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“I’m very pleased with the outcome of the Shark Tank appearance,” said Sakezles. “We were able to secure exactly what we were looking for and what we needed to continue our growth.”
Sakezles, a Tampa-native, founded SynDaver Labs in 2004 when he needed to test medical devices he was developing, but didn’t have funding for the required animal studies. As a result, SynDaver Labs was born.
Every product or procedure designed to be used on humans is required by the Food and Drug Administration or the Consumer Product Safety Commission to be proven safe and effective via simulated use testing. SynDaver’s Synthetic Human is an ethical and cost-effective way to get this done.
“This is obviously good not only for ethical reasons, but also because avoiding animal use saves a great deal of time and money,” said Sakezles. “So, I started designing synthetic organs to test devices and over time they became very elaborate.”
According to Sakezles, the SynDaver Synthetic Human is the most sophisticated hands-on surgical simulator ever devised. It bleeds, breathes and even the pupils dilate when they are exposed to light.
“We are the only company in the world that makes synthetic cadavers,” Sakezles says. “And all other anatomical models on the market are made from plastic or rubber, while ours are made from a proprietary library of more than 100 synthetic human tissues.”
The SynDaver Synthetic Human is used primarily for surgical simulation, medical training, and medical device development testing.
The model includes skin with fat and fascia planes, all bones, muscles, tendon and ligaments, fully articulating joints, a functioning respiratory system with trachea, lungs and diaphragm, complete digestive tract from esophagus to rectum, urinary tract with kidneys, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and reproductive organs. A functioning circulatory system with heart, coronaries, aorta, vena cava and vasculature to the extremities is also included.
The system works with all known imaging equipment, including CT, MRI, fluoroscopy and ultrasound, and all known surgical systems – even those that employ energy such as lasers.
A base model is scheduled to be released soon, which will cost approximately $25,000, while the ultra-high-end Synthetic Human Patient currently retails for around $100,000.
About SynDaver Labs
SynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.”
Do you utilize SynDaver products? Rate and review them on Konsiderate.com where their Suture Pads currently have a 5/5 star rating!
Again, Congratulations to Dr.Sakezles and SynDaver Labs!
(Watch the Shark Tank SynDaver clip here).
Lance Baily, BA, EMT-B, is the Founder & CEO of HealthySimulation.com, which he started while serving as the Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas back in 2010. Lance is also the Founder and acting Advisor to the Board of SimGHOSTS.org, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to supporting professionals operating healthcare simulation technologies. His co-edited Book: “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” is cited as a key source for professional certification in the industry. Lance’s background also includes serving as a Simulation Technology Specialist for the LA Community College District, EMS fire fighting, Hollywood movie production, rescue diving, and global travel. He and his wife Abigail Baily, PhD live in Las Vegas, Nevada with their two amazing daughters.
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