Status Flow

Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School

Industry: Medical Devices- Neurovascular

MBA Founding Student Name(s): Samuel Brehm, MD/MBA Student

Brief Description of Solution: Status Flow is pioneering a disruptive endovascular device that leverages spiral laminar flow technology to treat wide-neck bifurcation cerebral aneurysms.

Our device, designed specifically to alter blood flow dynamics, reduces both the risk of aneurysm rupture and the need for highly invasive surgeries like craniotomies. With a focus on minimally invasive procedures, our solution promises to improve patient outcomes, reduce recovery times, and lower healthcare costs in the neurovascular treatment space. The innovation lies in its approach of addressing aneurysm flow upstream without directly interacting with the aneurysm, mitigating many risks associated with current treatments.

Funding Dollars: $5,000 (Sling Health STL)

What led you to launch this venture? This venture came from two main realizations. First, I noticed that aneurysm treatment has evolved over time, moving from primarily surgical clipping to more endovascular approaches. However, the progress has slowed, and some aneurysms still require clipping. I saw an opportunity to keep pushing treatment options in the minimally invasive direction.

The second inspiration comes from my background as a mechanical engineer with a personal passion for fluid dynamics, particularly in planes and Formula 1. Spiral flow is a principle widely applied in engineering but it has rarely been harnessed for use in the human body, despite its many beneficial properties. I realized there was a significant opportunity to apply spiral flow to aneurysm treatment in a way that could be highly effective while minimizing surgical intervention.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Our most significant accomplishment has been the successful demonstration of the device’s effectiveness in reducing both pressure and fluid inflow into aneurysms. In simulation models, we achieved a roughly 50% reduction in excess aneurysm head pressure and up to a 70% decrease in fluid inflow into the aneurysm head when using our spiral device. These results suggest substantial efficacy with a device that would not even touch the aneurysm and could be used in conjunction with previously existing devices. We were invited to present these findings at the Congress of Neurologic Surgeons in Houston, Texas, this year, showcasing the potential impact of this technology on the neurosurgical community. Additionally, we’ve secured a patent for the device, further solidifying its position as a novel and disruptive solution in aneurysm treatment.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? The most significant challenge by far is finding the time to work on the business. But other than that, the most substantial challenge we’ve faced is demonstrating the technical feasibility of a concept that had never been applied to neurovascular treatments. To address this, we developed a detailed computational model using MATLAB’s FEATool app, simulating spiral laminar flow around aneurysms. By refining this model and producing repeatable, reliable data showing significant reductions in aneurysm pressure and inflow, we overcame the skepticism surrounding our device’s feasibility. This technical validation has given us a strong foundation to move forward.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? As an MD/MBA student, the MBA program has been instrumental in shaping our venture, particularly through three key classes: Intro to Entrepreneurship, Intro to Venture Capital, and Healthcare Economics and Policy. These courses provided the foundation for understanding the complexities of launching a startup, securing funding, and navigating the healthcare industry’s regulatory environment.

The resources at the business school are unparalleled. The Skandalaris Center has been a critical hub for us, offering invaluable guidance, networking opportunities, and access to mentors through programs like the Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC). The competition allowed us to fine-tune our business model and pitch our venture to potential investors and industry leaders.

Moreover, the co-students and professors we’ve worked with have been incredibly supportive. Their insights and advice have been crucial in refining our approach, ensuring that we not only develop a groundbreaking medical device but also build a sustainable business around it. This collaborative environment has been key in helping us transition from an innovative concept to a viable startup.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you?  In academia, it’s common to find physician-scientists, but what truly stands out to me are physician-innovators. This is the path I want to follow, and I’m fortunate to be inspired by several physician-innovators at WashU, including Dr. Molina, Dr. Leuthardt, Dr. Zayed, and Dr. Sacks. These individuals embody what it means to not just advance medical knowledge but to create real, tangible innovations that disrupt and improve the standard of care.

In addition, I’ve drawn inspiration from historical figures like Werner Forssmann, who defied convention to pioneer cardiac catheterization, Walter Dandy, a key figure in neurosurgery, and Gary Michelson, whose spinal innovations have transformed surgery. These innovators exemplify boldness and the drive to create groundbreaking solutions in medicine.

Outside of the medical field, I admire innovators like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. What stands out most about them is their ability to think big—not just making slight improvements but reimagining how things should work and figuring out how to get there. This kind of bold, visionary thinking is what motivates me as I aim to create real change, rather than settling for incremental improvements.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The most valuable class for me has been Healthcare Economics and Policy with Professor Bart Hamilton. This course was unique in how it divided the healthcare ecosystem into three key perspectives: innovators, payers, and providers. Understanding how each of these stakeholders views new technologies is critical when you’re trying to innovate in a system as complex as healthcare. It taught me the importance of developing a solution that appeals to all parties involved, ensuring that our device can gain traction not only with physicians but also with payers and policymakers.

What was particularly surprising is how much economics was integrated into the class. I ended up learning more practical economics in this course than I ever did in any traditional economics class. This gave me a clearer understanding of the financial dynamics at play, allowing us to position our product to meet both clinical and financial needs.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? It’s a tie between three professors: Bart Hamilton, Linda Wu, and Doug Villhard. Professor Bart Hamilton’s Healthcare Economics and Policy class helped me understand the economics and stakeholder perspectives in healthcare innovation.

Professor Linda Wu played a pivotal role early on—she sat me down at lunch and convinced me to pursue the MBA, which I hadn’t fully committed to at the time. On top of that, she was an excellent lecturer and provided a lot of support throughout the program.

Professor Doug Villhard has been a constant source of guidance and advice for years. He taught Intro to Entrepreneurship, the Innovation Immersion at the medical school, and has been available outside of class to provide mentorship. His insights on entrepreneurship and innovation were key in shaping my approach to building this startup.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success?
The local startup ecosystem has been incredibly supportive and essential to our venture’s growth. The Skandalaris Center has provided invaluable guidance, networking, and resources, offering everything from mentorship to connections with investors through programs like the Skandalaris Venture Competition. This support has been crucial in helping us refine our business model and strategy.

Sling Health STL has also been a key resource, giving us a platform to connect with other student innovators and access mentorship that has been critical in translating our idea into a functional startup. The Washington University Medical Center, particularly the Neurosurgery Department, has provided us with clinical expertise and insight, allowing us to understand the real-world applications and challenges in treating aneurysms, which has directly shaped our device’s development.

This ecosystem has allowed us to build strong connections across both the business and medical worlds, accelerating our progress and ensuring our venture is grounded in both innovation and practical application

What is your long-term goal with your startup?  The immediate path forward involves gathering enough evidence to prove the efficacy of our device. We plan to raise the necessary funds to conduct preclinical studies, which will then lead to either FDA clinical trials or potentially an exit to a larger company that can carry it through to clinical use. The goal in this phase is to ensure that our device is both safe and effective, positioning it for wide-scale adoption.

For the long-term, I hope that this device becomes a standard tool for every aneurysm treatment. Whether it’s used in conjunction with current devices to enhance their effectiveness or deployed in cases where existing endovascular treatments are insufficient, the potential impact is huge. If this device can save even one life from a subarachnoid hemorrhage, all the effort and challenges will have been worth it

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of falling in love with the problem, not the solution. Early on, it’s easy to get attached to your initial ideas, but the real key to success is deeply understanding the problem you’re solving. That’s where customer discovery becomes crucial. By constantly engaging with physicians, patients, and other stakeholders, we gained insights that shaped our product in ways we hadn’t initially anticipated. If I had understood the true importance of this process from the beginning, it would have saved us time and allowed us to build a more focused solution right from the start.

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