The future of health tech starts here—XLR8 PBC advances four trailblazing companies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOENIX, AZ – April 18, 2025 – The Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC) is making strides in accelerating healthcare innovation with the launch of its inaugural XLR8 PBC cohort. Designed to support scale-ready health tech startups, XLR8 PBC provides a unique opportunity—offering entrepreneurs access to top industry leaders, mentorship, and strategic resources, all with no cost or equity requirements.
The first group of companies selected for the program represents a bold new frontier in medical technology, each tackling critical challenges in patient care, joint health, chronic pain treatment, and remote monitoring.
“This cohort represents the kind of transformative thinking and ingenuity that will shape the future of healthcare,” said Brian Ellerman, Executive Director of XLR8 PBC. “By providing these companies with the tools and connections they need to scale, we are not only advancing their growth but also strengthening Arizona’s position as a leader in bioscience innovation.”
the XLR8 Companies
The first company to join XLR8 PBC is Kinisi Inc., a company rethinking joint health with Kinisi Motion™, a platform that merges AI, biomechanics, and orthopedic expertise to predict, prevent, and manage knee injuries. Their flagship product, Kinisi Knee™, is designed to accurately forecast ACL instability, reducing injuries and the long-term risk of arthritis. Founded in 2021 and led by CEO Rosie Sendher, MD. Kinisi Inc. has raised $450k, has the right to three patents, and has served over 185,000 customers. Their proven market strategy puts them ahead of the competition by offering real time data and analytics via their state of the art interface which boasts 98% accuracy. Kinisi Knee has the opportunity to support athletes in ACL prevention and rehabilitation to the tune of $160 billion.
NXgenPort brings innovation to cancer care and remote patient monitoring with an implanted “smart port” that tracks physiological changes and alerts physicians to early signs of infection—offering a new, actionable level of care-at-home support. The company, founded by Cathy Skinner and Dr. Rosanne Welcher in 2021, aims to solve the problem of life-threatening infections that 50% of cancer patients suffer from costing $2B annually in the US. The NXgenPort platform gathers physiological data such as blood cell counts and vitals and provides analytics of patient health status to care teams all while generating revenue for hospitals and improved outcomes to patients. With investors like Baxter, Mayo Clinic, Cancer Fund Impact Investors, NXgenPort already has an impressive portfolio and is looking to continue to raise $2 million in capital.
TendoNova joins XLR8 with the ambition of changing the way chronic orthopedic conditions are treated with its FDA-cleared microinvasive device for tendinopathy, filling a major gap between physical therapy and surgery. The company has already surpassed $1M in annual recurring revenue and has a projected $3M pipeline for 2025. Founded in 2017 by a team of Georgia Tech BMEs the company continues to thrive in the market having closed 50 new accounts with expansion opportunities in 2024 and built a $1M recurring pipeline for 2025. Included in the impressive portfolio are USPI and SCA Networks, nationwide VA network, major hospitals to the likes of Mayo, Stanford, Scripps, and Steadman Hawkins.
Finally, joining XLR8 is The Patient Company , a company dedicated to transforming hospital workflows with SimPull, an automated patient movement platform designed to prevent staff injuries and improve patient safety. With its innovative approach, SimPull is proving to be both cost- and time-efficient, easing the strain on hospital systems nationwide. Led by CEO Andrew Heuerman, the company strives to reduce $2B-$4B in costs due to preventable employee and patient injuries, including patient falls related to patient movement.The SIMPULL reduces average time and personnel required to support patients increasing efficiency and safety for hospital staff. Now in the midst of their commercial launch, The Patient Company has completed research with Mayo Clinic, Sparrow Health System, and Corewell Health and works with 15 healthcare systems and has sold 65+ units.
“We are just wrapping up our first year of commercial sales, and this program came at a perfect time,” said Andrew. “Surrounded by industry experts and advisors, we have been able to expedite the time it would take to review our previous year’s strategy and efforts to create a long-term plan which will be transformative for the company’s growth and our ability to scale.”
The XLR8 PBC alumni companies will now embark on an intensive 6-month journey with their mentors, where they will have continued support as they put the plan they developed into action.
“It has been truly an inspiration to work with our first cohort of the XLR8 PBC program and witness their rapid evolution as a result of their participation in the in-person segment of our program,” said Noreen Scheu, XLR8 Mentor and Advisor Lead. “I am once again humbled by the stakeholders in the Phoenix ecosystem as they line-up to volunteer their time and expertise to advise our founders to accelerate their achievement of milestones and increase their probability of success. I look forward to continuing my work with the companies in the coming months and supporting them in their growth.”
With the launch of XLR8 PBC, Phoenix Bioscience Core is reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation and driving forward solutions that will redefine the future of healthcare.
We are excited to see where these companies go!