Company’s Patent-Pending Device Enhances the Way Surgeons Perform Bariatric Surgery
September 16, 2021 – Los Angeles, Calif. — The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) has announced Endolumik, Inc. winner of the 2021 Shark Tank competition at its annual meeting in Las Vegas.
The Morgantown, West Virginia-based Endolumik (https://www.endolumik.com) is a surgical device company that has developed a fluorescence-guided esophagogastric calibration system used for surgery. The system allows surgeons to precisely visualize the gastric calibration tube during a variety of minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic procedures.
SAGES Shark Tank competition is designed to support clinicians focused on commercializing their innovations through investment capital, including by sale to a third party and not primary scientific research. This year, in partnership with Varia Ventures, SAGES launched a three pronged initiative to educate its members on entrepreneurism, engage and showcase inventors through the reimagined and funded SAGES Shark Tank, and finance promising startups through the newly formed SAGES Investment Network Collaborative (SINC). SAGES members can participate in SINC through the website https://sinc.variaventures.com.
Mara McFadden, Endolumik CEO, said, “We are thrilled to have the SAGES and Varia teams recognize the potential of this innovation. We will do our best to get it in the hands of SAGES surgeons as soon as possible.” Endolumik founder and CMO Dr. Nova Szoka added, “We strongly believe that fluorescence guided surgery should be the new standard of care in bariatric procedures due to the increased safety and consistency it can offer.”
Along with Endolumik, this year’s finalists Lazurite and theraGI LLC, presented both their idea and supporting business model to the Shark Tank judges that included Drs. Christopher Schlachta and Steven Schwaitzberg from SAGES, and Scott Friedman and Andrea Vossler from Varia Ventures. Endolumik’s prize money was $30,000. For more information about SAGES Shark Tank competition, please contact nicole@sages.org.
About SAGES
The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is a leading surgical society representing a global community of more than 7,000 surgeons bringing minimal access surgery and emerging techniques to patients worldwide. SAGES mission is to innovate, educate and collaborate to improve patient care with a vision of reimagining surgical care for a healthier world. For more information, go to https://www.sages.org.