Zephyrus Simulation, a medical-device startup in Orono, on Tuesday evening won the final event of Big Gig, the Bangor region’s startup-pitch contest.
Patrick Breeding, a bioengineering major at UMaine and CEO of Zephyrus, pitched his business alongside two other local entrepreneurs: Tyler Cote, owner of Lorraine’s Cakes, and Krishna Jamadagni, who pitched his idea for an electronic stethoscope that can diagnose heart and lung problems using artificial intelligence.
Zephyrus Simulation will receive $5,000 for first prize.
Zephyrus was spun off from a product developed by a group of bioengineering students at UMaine. The product began as a $500 prototype of a mannequin with a diaphragm that mimics natural breathing patterns, as well as hyperventilation and obstructed breathing patterns. Its job is to help train medical professionals to diagnose and respond to critical respiratory situations, according to Breeding.
Breeding previously said part of the company’s mission is to make medical education more widely available, especially in rural areas that face a significant shortage of medical professionals.
“Our mission is to make medical education available to everyone,” Breeding said earlier this month.
Earlier this month, Zephyrus won the UMaine Business Challenge, which came with its own $5,000 cash prize. In December, the company received a $5,000 grant from VentureWell, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that supports science and technology entrepreneurs.
The company is pursuing a patent for the prototype, and also has received grants from the Libra Future Fund and Maine Technology Institute.
