Alumni Spotlight: Avisi Technologies

Avisi Technologies, founded in 2017 at the University of Pennsylvania, is a medical device startup investigating the use of patented nanotechnology in an ocular implant to stop blindness in glaucoma patients. 

Through the Y-Prize, the President’s Innovation Prize, and National Science Foundation SBIR program, VisiPlate®, the company’s lead product, evolved from a concept to a device. VisiPlate® is a next-generation aqueous shunt that is twenty times thinner than a human hair. Its goal is to treat glaucoma, a condition that is caused by excess fluid within the eye that puts pressure on the optic nerve, ultimately leading to irreversible vision loss. Avisi remains dedicated to their mission to restore health and promote vitality for patients around the world, and VisiPlate® is just the beginning.

Since Avisi Technologies came to the Pennovation Center in the summer of 2018, they have continuously grown and advanced their company. Avisi recently became Pennovation Works Alumni when they moved their headquarters to Redwood City, California where they obtained an office and R&D space. The company still maintains a presence in Philadelphia through their current lab bench at the Pennovation Center. As Avisi Technologies moves on with their continued growth, they are reflecting on their time at Pennovation Works. We recently sat down with Rui Jing Jiang, CEO and one of the founding members, who discussed her time at Pennovation and shared her thoughts on the future of Avisi. 

 

What type of space did Avisi Technologies have at Pennovation Works?

We started out in the startup garage on the first floor, which we loved since the location was close to a lot of other innovators as well as the engineers that support Dean Kumar's lab. It was a great experience to be able to share ideas and hang out with like-minded entrepreneurs. Avisi then expanded upstairs to a lab bench in the shared lab space and similarly enjoyed that environment. It was great to be able to learn from other innovators and working in the same space was a big benefit.

 

What do you like about Philadelphia and Pennovation Works and what will you miss about both? 

I still go back to Philly from time to time. Philadelphia is such a vibrant city, and the people have so much character. It's a very interesting place to start a company, being a very strong intellectual capital in the nation. It's been really great to tap into that and work with the brilliant scientists, engineers, and physicians in Philly. I think that mix is pretty rare to find elsewhere, and it’s why we continue to enjoy having a bit of a presence in Philadelphia. I'll always think of Philly very fondly. It's definitely been a big part of our Avisi story since starting at Penn, being incubated at Pennovation, and through working with physicians at Scheie Eye Institute at Penn Presbyterian and at WillsEye Hospital on furthering our innovation. All of that is going to remain core to Avisi’s identity and future plans.

 

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Pennovation Works?

One thing about being in the startup garage was that we would always have really great views of all the drones being tested, the robotic dogs walking past us, and also the cute puppies from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center. They would all go past our space and on a nice day we'd have the garage door open – it was an awesome space to work. It was also a very creative space, and I think it definitely sparked some good ideas in our team.

 

How has your company grown since starting at Pennovation Works and where do you see it going in the future?

When we started it was just me and my co-founder, and now we are a team of eight full time. If you count all of our contractors, we're even quite a bit larger than that. We have gone on to raise over seven and a half million dollars in venture and grant funding. We have been able to complete some key preclinical and even begin clinical stage milestones, and the future is bright. I'm very glad to be able to look back on where we started and how far we've come. It definitely would not have been possible without the support of the Pennovation community.

 

Do you have any advice for new start-ups or entrepreneurs? 

A general piece of advice for entrepreneurs is to always keep an open mind and be open to learning from those around you. It can also be very beneficial early on in your journey to make use of resources available to you such as a shared co-working space.  


To the broader audience, make a reminder to go get your eyes checked every year. We are working on treating glaucoma, which is known as the silent thief of sight. It's really important, especially as you age, to go get your eye exams and make sure you're catching this disease as early as you can.

Pennovation Works Alumni Spotlight: Avisi Technologies