As the global COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, scientists and medical experts emphasize that the defeat of the virus is tied to the development of an effective vaccine and innovations being timely implemented. One such innovation by the two founding entrepreneurs of Biosaf Concepts LLC halts the spread of germs and was recently recognized as winner of the 2020 Women in Stem Entrepreneurship Challenge, sponsored by the Association for Women in Science.
Founder Rose Jordan, a Rutgers alumna and a recent cohort graduate of the Rutgers run I-Corps site, began her entrepreneurial journey years ago and touts the help she has received along the way.
“If not for the I-Corps program, we would never have launched,” Jordan said.
Upon completion of the program, BioSaf brought their germ transfer fighting product to market, the end result of a series of fortuitous steps. But the foundation for the idea was laid during Jordan’s twenty years in the microbiology industry in the area of quality control, her passion for science courses at Rutgers and her time working as an LPN in hospitals.
“I saw loved ones come into areas of a hospital such as the ICU to visit a family member, bringing with them germ-ridden cell phones,” Jordan explained. “One day I presented a plastic bag to a parent visiting the early birth unit who had a dirty cell phone. That was when I was struck with my product idea.”
She envisioned preventing the transfer of germs on electronic devices by infusing a sanitizing agent into polyethylene sleeves. The sleeves would fit any size device, be cost economical and disposable—a value proposition Jordan felt critical to any health care setting. Already holding a patent for one sanitary related product, Jordan took the necessary steps to protect her intellectual property and then put her focus on starting a business.
Having gained the support of a fellow hospital co-worker Tricia Ervins to co-found the company, the two women entrepreneurs first tapped into resources found close at hand. In 2016 she attended the Business Academy at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City run by Rising Tide Capital.”
“It was phenomenal. I learned all the aspects of starting a small business,” she said.
The team then armed with a business plan were faced with taking the critical first steps of moving from idea to execution. That was when hard work and good fortune combined. Jordan views her introduction to Kathleen Coviello, Director of the Technology & Life Sciences Division at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, as providing the path to a range of resources in New Jersey. This led to the Rutgers SBDC run by Elayne McClaine and Lori Dars who oversees the Rutgers I-Corps site as Associate Director of Economic Development and Innovation.
“I just had to be part of Rutgers I-Corps Cohort 6,” said Jordan. “It enhanced what I learned at Rising Tide Capital. We gained a fuller understanding of our target market.”
Rutgers I-Corps program is typically run as four in-person sessions over five weeks and is meant to help entrepreneurs discover their value proposition and their target customer segment. Through a combination of classroom training, specialized software and prospective customer interviews, the entrepreneurs are then empowered to move their venture forward in a more confident way.
“What is critical is the building process that goes on over the course of the program,” explained Dars. “The teams also benefit from other cohort participants that includes faculty, staff, student and alumni drawn from all disciplines who provide feedback, helping the entrepreneurs test their product hypothesis. Does their idea truly answer a customer’s pain point?”
Jordan sees the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic as both a threat and a timely opportunity.
“Given my healthcare background I was very aware of the threat of COVID-19 germs being transferred,” Jordan explained. “When we won the competition in this current climate, we felt it was imperative that we get this product out to the public.”
Jordan strongly believes their sanitary sleeves fill an important pain point in hospitals and a range of other care facilities. With her team that now includes a seasoned product developer and the involvement of a manufacturer that specializes in products similar to their sleeves BioSaf has jumped headlong into the market. Samples are now in the hands of doctors and medical personnel at hospitals.
Having had years of experience as an LPN, she believes that the current pandemic crisis is a crucible for maintaining sanitary standards in the care units of hospitals.
“Once they are aware of our product and decide to include it in their sanitary processes, it will be a great contributor to the battle to prevent the transfer of germs,” Jordan said. “As innovating entrepreneurs it is our goal to educate staff and heighten this process in the medical community, addressing not just electronic devices, but many other devices and instruments in hospitals. We are just at the beginning!”
