Youthful aspirations may fall by the wayside for some. But not for Penn Electrical Engineering sophomore, Nick Harty, and Princeton sophomore, Aum Dhruv, majoring in Operations Research and Financial Engineering.
In fact, Harty and Dhruv launched their Medibound start-up in the summer of 2024. As a uniformed platform, Medibound will simplify the integration, management, and diagnostics of medical device wearables.
“It is the Apple HomeKit for the future of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT),” Harty said, explaining, “our mission is to streamline the journey from testing to treatment, providing healthcare providers and patients with a seamless experience.”
Essentially, Medibound addresses modern challenges associated with medical device equipment. According to Harty, this involves overly complex technical standards. The high costs associated with software, R&D, and legal standards create additional barriers as well. So, does the lack of operability and inefficient user interface (UI) evident in many applications.
To address the above, Harty and Dhruv have developed a software backend to partner with device manufactures, think health wearables or continuous glucose patches. These will connect to the Medibound software application. Its consistent UI will then communicate health data such as blood pressure, weight, stress levels, heart rate, body temperature, and glucose levels through an infinite combination of applications. As for obtaining medical records, the ‘Medi’ AI chat will connect patients to providers to discuss next steps, while remaining HIPAA compliant throughout.”
Harty’s interest in medical data and medical devices formed in the sixth grade. That’s when he began exploring Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). “It’s how we communicate to Electronical Medical Record Systems (EMRs) and Electronic Record Systems (EHRs),” Harty explained.
At the time, improving FHIRs was a relatively new practice, Harty noted. Eight years have elapsed since then. “But the problems of sharing medical records still exists,” Harty said. “It’s how you take all of the complex data behind what a patient organization device is, and you simplify it to the consumer level.”
Currently, Harty and Dhruv are developing their minimum viable product (MVP) to pilot with both biomedical engineering students as well as early-stage device start-ups.
Launching a start-up with its CEO, Harty, in Philadelphia and its COO, Dhruv, in Princeton may seem daunting for some. But that’s not the case for them. They forged a strong friendship competing against one another on the math team in the sixth grade. The friendship transcended Harty’s move from their home in Florida to New York. From there, they continued to compete as a duo in the National Science Fair. “He’s my best friend,” Harty stressed.
Following last summer’s launch, Medibound has a three-year roadmap and expansion plan. By January 2025, Harty and Dhruv plan to finish a base-level MVP for both Medibound’s back and front ends with the plan to deploy its Class I. In its first year, they plan for Medibound to grow from ten start-up partners to fifty scalable subscriptions. By the end of its second year, Medibound plans to enact a legal plan for Class II, gaining SAMD FDA approval as well as expansion. By the close of year three, Medibound plans to maintain growth and profitability as it expands into remote monitoring and the global market.
Harty’s current academic research interests rest in space medicine. To that end, Harty has launched the AstroLab project, which focuses on “creating an all-in-one OCT SANS imaging unit for astronauts. This project specifically targets conditions like Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), integrating AI-driven monitoring into compact, space-ready devices,” Harty explained. “My broader work aims to enhance continuous monitoring and real-time diagnostics, advancing healthcare both in space and on earth,” Harty added. As an EE undergraduate, Harty will double-major in Physics. Business ventures aside, Harty plans to pursue the doctorate and continue his research as a professor.
As for his creative pursuits, Harty has shot a short film each summer. Inspired by classics such as Casablanca, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Back to the Future, Harty enrolled in the Art and Business of Film class at Penn. There, he directed and shot the short film, Live a Little. According to Harty, “it explores themes of grief and rediscovery through the lens of a photography professor and his students.” Inspired in part by his love of cooking Italian cuisine, Harty’s aptly Italian named film crew, “the Ora Blu Club,” or the Blue Hour speaks to his love of cinematic photography. Or as Harty describes, how the “deep blues of the sky contrast against the warmth of streetlamps.”
For more information on Medibound: https://medibound.com