You’re Either on the Bus…

As Tom Wolfe put it (in his chronicle of the ’60’s, The Electric Kool Aid Acid Tests) way back when, “You’re either on the bus, or off the bus.” I’m on the bus – to Baltimore, that is traveling with The Roadshow, as it has come to be known. The Roadshow, sponsored by The Trendlines Group, is an unprecedented (as in first-time-ever) gathering of over a dozen Israeli early stage hi-tech companies (many in the biotech area, but with others as well) who are in the U.S. for a week to meet with investors across the country.

Monday we were in Manhattan, so if this is Tuesday, it must be Baltimore (which the aforementioned bus is now on the way to). Then it’s on to Chicago on Wednesday, and L.A. on Thursday, before breaking up and returning home.

I was invited by Trendlines to check out the process, and see what really goes on in these investor meetings. Everyone in Israel (and the U.S., for that matter) knows that Israeli companies seeking startup money are frequent visitors to the U.S., trying to raise funds in their “first round” or “second round,” etc. For most of us, the process by which this money is raised – what goes into the selling of Israeli hi-tech ideas to American investors – is a deep mystery. What’s the motivation for the investors? Why does one company make it big, while another languishes (assuming it has a valid technology and would pass due diligence)? How do Israelis overcome the language barrier? How do they find investors, what do they promise them, and why do the investors believe them? There’s a whole subculture here of Israeli tech folk who go on the road seeking funding – a story that will unfold here and elsewhere (including in the Jpost) in the coming weeks.

Related articles

• The Roadshow (israeltech.net)

The Roadshow

Check this out: Today i leave with reps of 15 israeli startups for a week long “roadshow,” in which the companies will be presenting their stuff in 4 ?cities- New York, Baltimore, Chicago, and LA. They’ll be presenti their products, services and idea to angel investors, in the hope of comig home with a bundle of cash for their ventures. the whole thing is beirun (and paid for) by the Trendlines Group.

I’ll be blogging and tweeting the experience. Shold be a doozy,

A Most Delicate Issue

It’s a bit of a delicate topic, but “evacuating” – going to the bathroom – is one of those things we all need to do. We don’t think about it too much – until we experience one of those minor “bumps” in our internal plumbing that hold things up. Only then do we realize what we’re missing!

Unfortunately, there are millions of people around the world whose waste system is completely shot – and are unable to go to the bathroom like the rest of us. When waste can’t leave the body through its regular channels, doctors open up a hole in the stomach and redirect the colon to channel its waste through the hole – into a bag that’s attached to a catheter.

It’s called a “stoma,” and I am not making it up.  If you’ve never seen one, or have never known anyone who admit to having one, there’s a good reason for that: The loss of control and the problems that come with the stoma are enough to cause bouts of depression among those who have them, and many of the patients with stoma – who tend to be elderly – turn into shut-ins, embarrassed by the whole thing and fearful that something might go wrong with the stoma like leaks, smells, and other unpleasant features.

Even worse – patients with stoma have no control over what and when they, ah, evacuate. The body does what it wants, and when it produces waste, the patient does not have the option of “holding it in;” they just go, with the waste sloshing into the plastic bag attached to their body. Imagine being at a business meeting or at the movies, with your waste dropping itself into the bag – which now has to be emptied, and cleaned, for the next round. Who would want to live like that? But the irony is that, without the stoma, these people wouldn’t be living at all!

This is exactly the problem Israeli company Stimatix solves. It makes an artificial sphincter which allows patients with stoma to schedule their evacuations when they want, giving them back control over their vital bodily functions. When the patient is ready to “go,” they open up a liquid-proof cap that keeps the waste inside until they can get to an appropriate place to take care of business (like a bathroom). They can then fill up the bag and clean it out, without having to worry about social opprobrium. It’s not just about going to the bathroom – it’s about dignity.

Related articles

• Living With a Stoma After Throat Cancer (everydayhealth.com)
• Colon Cancer Treatment and Ostomy (everydayhealth.com)

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