Each summer, Rice University’s OwlSpark accelerator brings together a select group of early stage founders working to turn new ideas into impactful ventures. Hosted at the Ion and powered by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the 12-week program immerses participants in Houston’s growing innovation ecosystem and connects them with mentors, investors and experts across industries.
This year, twin sisters and recent graduates of Rice’s Global Medical Innovation master’s program are among the founders. Though they entered OwlSpark with very different ventures and different approaches, both are working to solve overlooked problems in patient care.
Summan Rahman’s startup, PeriShield, aims to help nephrologists detect infection early in patients on peritoneal dialysis, a home-based treatment for kidney failure. Infections can be serious and sometimes go undetected until it is too late to treat them.
“The issue is that patients are doing this at home, not in a sterile dialysis center,” Summan said. “If they accidentally touch the tubing wrong or connect something improperly, bacteria can get in and cause peritonitis. And since they are managing the process themselves, it is a significant burden on them, and they may not notice the symptoms on time.”
The technology behind the PeriShield project is still in the early stages of development.
“Our next step is to create a viable product,” she said. “I am looking for electrical engineers to help prototype, nephrologists to give clinical insight and regulatory advisers to refine our strategy. I am still exploring what the technology will look like, but I think this could really make a difference in patients’ lives.”
Aiman Rahman’s venture, IntimaVision, is developing a soft silicone accessory that improves vaginal distention during pediatric pelvic exams. The current clinical standard requires providers to pinch the labia, which can be uncomfortable, logistically challenging and ineffective for maintaining vaginal distention during the exam. Many children undergo anesthesia just to make the process tolerable.
“Our device sits externally,” Aiman said. “It gently suctions to the vulva and keeps fluid in the vagina to keep it open, so the endoscope can get a clear image. That allows the physician to focus on the procedure and not lose distention, while improving patient comfort.”
Aiman and her teammates began building the device during their engineering design course at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, working closely with clinicians at Texas Children’s Hospital. After presenting their work at the University of Minnesota’s Design of Medical Devices conference and winning the grand prize, they began to think more seriously about taking the project to market: OwlSpark was the natural next step.
“Rice’s Global Medical Innovation program showed us how to build purposefully, incorporating physician feedback to create products that solve real clinical challenges,” Aiman said. “But as engineers, we don’t always think about marketing, branding or customer traction. OwlSpark gave us the structure to start building those skills. It’s a crash course in entrepreneurship.”
While their ventures differ in focus and stage, both sisters say OwlSpark and its home at the Ion have been critical.
“It has helped me see what I need to move forward,” Summan said. “And I have had to practice how to talk about the problem even though I am still building the solution.”
In the months ahead, both sisters say they hope to take their ventures from concept to pilot. Aiman is applying for pediatric device grants and planning an internship in California. Summan is focused on building a prototype and forming new partnerships.
Both sisters pitched their ventures at the Bayou Startup Showcase July 31, joining founders from Rice and the University of Houston in presenting their work to Houston’s innovation community.
“I saw the showcase as a chance to improve my public speaking and hopefully connect with people, especially nephrologists or engineers who might want to help,” Summan said.
Aiman said she viewed the event as a next step in building momentum, making essential connections as IntimaVision continues to gain traction, while they apply for grants and license their intellectual property.
“We spoke to over 30 pediatric gynecologists,” she said. “At the end of some calls, they’d say, ‘When can I try it?’ That really motivated me to keep going.”
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