CORALVILLE, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Voxello, developer of communication solutions for disabled hospitalized patients, announced today that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the NIH. In addition, the company has secured further investment funding, the latest round coming from the Dakota Venture Group.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive awards-based program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D), and explore their technological potential.
“I am well aware of the challenges that individuals with complex communication needs and their families face in interactions with their healthcare providers – challenges that Voxello’s solution, the noddle™, uniquely has the potential to assuage. The NIH-NINR SBIR grant is an important opportunity to provide critical information about the real-life application of the technology developed by Voxello in clinical trials,” said Amy Goldman, Co-Executive Director, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University.
Rives Bird, CEO of Voxello added, “The SBIR award provides an independent review of our technology and will further validate the commercial need in the market. It also solidifies our ability to conduct additional clinical research.”
In addition to the SBIR award, Voxello has secured additional investment funding from the Dakota Venture Group (DVG). DVG is a University of North Dakota student-managed venture capital investment fund. The investment strategy of DVG includes making investments in high-growth ventures started by entrepreneurs in the United States.
"Voxello's innovative product offerings fill a need in the assistive technology industry. In addition, Voxello is led by an exceptional team who have experience with start-ups, and who have held leadership roles within medical device companies. It is the combination of the ground-breaking product and leadership that led us to invest in the future of Voxello,” said Emily O’Brien, President, Dakota Venture Group.
Both the research grant award and the infusion of investment funding allow Voxello to continue to drive the commercial strategy and vision for the company.
About Voxello
Voxello provides solutions for impaired hospitalized patients who cannot communicate by traditional means. The company’s first product, the noddleTM, detects voluntary gestures such as clicking sounds made with the tongue or an eye blink to control nurse call and speech generation devices. For more information about Voxello, please visit www.voxello.com.
