MID With Support From Ohio Third Frontier Poised For Global Growth

Minimally Invasive Devices, Inc., (MID) has been awarded CE Mark Certification for its innovative FloShield® laparoscopic visualization system.  This certification is mandatory for sale of certain medical devices in the European Union.  The FloShield system provides for an uninterrupted clear view during laparoscopic procedures.  FloShield uses existing airflow from the insufflator, to defog and deflect debris from the lens of the laparoscope without removing the scope from the abdominal cavity for cleaning.  Surgeons often have to interrupt surgery as often as ten times per hour to remove the scope and manually clean it.  FloShield dramatically reduces, and often eliminates, the instances of surgical interruption to clean the lens.

“The advent of high definition ten years ago was truly the last surgical breakthrough in laparoscopy,” says Wayne Poll, M.D, FloShield inventor and CEO of MID.  “Now, FloShield represents the last hurdle in laparoscopic visualization – and is the most significant advancement in this field since HD.” 

The Ohio Third Frontier has been a significant contributor to MID’s continued growth and commercialization efforts, with initial funding, led by the Ohio TechAngel Funds with additional funding fro three other Third Frontier supported angel groups including Queen City Angels, North Coast Angel Funds and  ECOTAF.  In addition, MID received Series B venture funding from Charter Life Sciences and Reservoir Venture Partners.  Both these funds have received investments from The Ohio Capital Fund, a fund of funds that supports venture capital firms, many of them operating principal offices within the state, who invest in Ohio-based startups.  In addition to funding, Polls says the company has benefitted from the technical support, coaching, connections and mentoring received through the TechColumbus technology business incubator where MID has been headquartered since its launch. 

“TechColumbus is the hub of a Central Ohio ecosystem that encourages and rewards entrepreneurship,” says Poll.  “It was through their help that we drafted our first business plan, which in turn won the OSU business plan competition and helped us solidify our  strategy,  and make those first critical connections that have led to everything from angel funding to product manufacturing.”

FloShield is manufactured in a facility located in Franklin, Ohio. Through a partnership with injection-molding firm, Tech-Way Industries, over the past year, MID has “in boarded” all essential production activities and now performs  engineering and manufacturing “in-house.” This arrangement has permitted MID unparalleled speed for product iterations which can typically be a challenge to a new company after commercial launch when actual customers are first engaged.

The FloShield system, which received FDA 510(k) approval in 2008, is in early distribution within the U.S., in use at approximately 40 hospitals throughout the country.  MID signed an exclusive agreement with CareFusion for U.S. distribution in 2010.    

The FloShield system was certified ISO 13485 compliant in December of 2010, clearing the path for CE Marking. 

“We are frequently contacted by European and Asian distributors interested in FloShield,” says Poll.
Poll says MID has more than tripled in size over the last two years from four full time employees to 14.