Photo: Geraldine Hamilton at TED x Boston, 2013

From beating hearts to breathing lungs, human organs-on-chips (OOC) may one day become the number one tool used in clinical studies, eventually replacing animal testing. After all, more than 60 percent of investigational drugs fail in human trials due to a lack of effectiveness, despite promising pre-clinical studies using cell and animal research. That’s where Blac-Tie comes in, an early stage start-up developing a Kit-Kat sized organ-on-a-chip market.

The story of Blac-tie began in 2012, when Teresa Woodruff, PhD, Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and colleagues developed tissue chips – miniature models of living organ tissue on transparent microchips – to imitate the function and structure of the female reproductive tract’s five organs: the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and vagina.

Over the course of 1Q 2018, I consulted for Black-tie, as part of the MBA class Medical Technology Financing and Commercialisation, taught by Katie Arnold and Evan Norton. My team was tasked with developing a strategy to bring Blac-Tie’s multi-organ platform device to market. This involved conducting market research, competitive intelligence, and developing a commercialisation strategy for a pitch deck to several venture capitalists.

• Assessed and developed business strategies for an organ-on-a-chip medical device to create optimal potential commercial impact

• Developed an investor deck addressing competitive intelligence, business plans and valuation models for an early-stage medical device

• Effectively communicated to a panel of venture capitalists about the value and commercial gain of Black-Tie