For those who are new here, at Sisu, we design and commercialize cutting-edge medical technology to enable access to healthcare for each person in their community. To date, we have invented two ground-breaking devices: Hemafuse and (r)Evolve.

 

Hemafuse is our FDA-cleared autotransfusion device that is proven to save lives. It enables surgical operations to be performed regardless of whether donor blood is readily available, by enabling clinicians to capture blood from internal bleeding and return it to the same patient in the same surgery—your own blood is the best blood. Hemafuse is becoming standard care for access to blood in cases of internal bleeding. It has been used effectively across general surgery, orthopedic, cardiothoracic, and ob/GYN surgeries. Our next product, (r)Evolve, manually centrifuges and separates blood in any setting. This device is cost-effective and can be used in environments without electricity.

 

We are a women-founded company started in 2014 by Gillian Henker, Carolyn Yarina, and KatieKirsch. Over the last eight years, we’ve been busy. Sisu has made ground-breaking progress from the launch of our company in 2014 to today. We have expanded to five countries, including sending 1,005 surgeries worth of Hemafuse to aid in the humanitarian crisis occurring in Ukraine.

 

Interested in learning more about Sisu Global’s accomplishments along the way? Below is a full list of what we have achieved over the past eight years. Thank you for your endless support of Sisu Global. Because of your support, we are only expanding from here! Stay tuned to our blog for more updates.

 

 

2010

 

SEPT

The medical need for autotransfusion was identified. The first Hemafuse prototype was created during a UMichigan engineering capstone project. Gillian Henker is the primary inventor of Hemafuse and she had a vision of building a company to scale Hemafuseand similar technologies.

 

 

2014

 

FEB

Sisu Global Health was founded by Carolyn Yarina, Gillian Henker, and Katie Kirsch.

 

JUL

Sisu receives $250K funding from Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge forDevelopment. Much of this went towards technical development and vital connections.

 

Awards:

 

Features:

 

Other features (links no longer available):

  • Yahoo Finance

 

 

2015

 

JAN

Sisu joins the DreamIt Health Accelerator program based in Baltimore. This three-month program facilitated partners and shareholders such as DreamIt Ventures, Johns Hopkins University, Abell Foundation, and BioHealth Innovations.

 

FEB

Sisu completes the first formal useability study from Hemafuse in Zimbabwe.

 

JUNE

Sisu relocates to Baltimore, Maryland, and creates its first office

 

Awards:

 

Features:

 

Other features (links no longer available):

  • Financial Times
  • The Latest Medical Device Startups You Need to Know, MedReps.com
  • Annual Bloodless Surgery Conference in Nigeria, Speaker
  • The Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Conference in China, Panelist

 

 

2016

 

JAN

Hemafuse's first patent is approved and issued.

 

OCT

The first units of Hemafuse are made using injection molding and full sterilization processes

 

Awards:

 

Features:

  • Technical.ly Baltimore: Here are the nominees for the 4th annual Baltimore Innovation Awards
  • MedReps.com: The Latest Medical Device Startups You Need to Know
  • Ventureburn: The female entrepreneurs rising from emerging markets
  • Mashable: “16 brilliant innovations tackling poverty around the world”
  • Mashable: “8 health innovations transforming women's lives around the world”
  • Baltimore Magazine: featured Innovation for “Wise Blood”
  • Digital Talks: “Dünya Kadınlarının Hayatını Değiştirecek 8 Sağlık İnovasyonu”

(translation: 8 Health Innovations That Will Change the Lives of the World's Women)

 

Other features (links no longer available):

  • Durable Human
  • MedCity News
  • Powerful Women in HealthTech
  • Spark Newsletter

 

 

2017

 

FEB

Sisu completes the verification and validation studies which are used to confirm the safety and efficacy of Hemafuse.

 

MAR

Closed $1.2M Round of Financing, led by Catalio Capital (formerly known as Camden Partners Nexus Fund)

 

APR

Sisu’s first clinical pilot is complete with using Hemafuse which shows that the collected blood is safe for transfusion (Ethiopia)

 

JUN/JUL

Regulatory approval for Hemafuse in Ghana and Kenya.

 

OCT

Sisu completes Hemafuse clinical pilot in Ethiopia. This confirms that it is a safe device for the collection of blood.

 

Awards:

 

Features:

 

 

2018

 

MAY

Sisu receives an ISO 13485 Certificate, a global standard that has provided us with the expansion into new global markets.

 

SEPT

Raised $1.2M Convertible Note to fund Hemafuse launch in Africa.

 

OCT

Kenyan hospital completes its first successful Hemafuse surgery.

 

Awards:

Named Amongst the Top 55 Companies in Laudato ‘Si Challenge Champion of Maryland Manufacturing: International Business – by the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland MedTech Innovator Military Pitch Competition, Runner-up.

 

Features:

USA Today: “Funding your Dream” with advice featured from Sisu’s CEO

Baltimore Business Journal: featured company by “Steve Case: D.C., Md., Va. should stop competing and start collaborating

RampMD Speaker, Advances in Medical Device R&D

MedTech Innovator Military Pitch Competition, Runner-up

MedGadget: “Hemafuse for Autotransfusion of Blood from Internal Hemorrhage”

GE Africa: GE’s Gealthy magination Mother and Child Programme Second Cohort to address Maternal & Child Health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Other features (links no longer available):

  • Global Health Technologies Coalition: “10 brilliant technological innovations to save moms and babies” Presented at Sankalp Africa as a Showcase company from GE Healthcare & the Miller Center Women Business Leaders in Healthcare (WBL), Panelist Women Business Leaders in Healthcare (WBL), Panelist

 

 

2019

 

APR

Hemafuse is used in the first orthopedic surgery.

 

MAR

Sisu Global CEO & Hemafuse featured on 60 Minutes, alongside Eric Schmidt

 

SEPT

Sisu partners with Amref Health Africa in Kenya and Surgi pharm and officially launches Hemafuse in Kenya.

 

NOV

Sisu goes global by presenting at four conferences around the world.

 

DEC

CEO and Co-Founder, Carolyn Yarina, is named in the Forbes 30 under 30 for healthcare.

 

Awards:

  • Sisu was awarded Second Place for Best Poster at a premier blood conference in Berlin

(NATA: Network for the Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives).

 

Features:

  • CBS 60 Minutes: Hemafuse on 60 Minutes alongside Sisu CEO & Eric Schmidt
  • Technical.ly Baltimore
  • Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures: “Female Entrepreneurs Explain Why Baltimore Is aGreat Place for Tech”
  • Standard Media: “Amref adopts Hemafuse to help combat internal bleeding deaths”
  • East Africa Business Times: “Amref Kenya Partners with Sisu Global Health and Surgipharm to improve access to blood.”
  • Business Today, Kenya: “Now You Can Donate Blood To Yourself During Surgery”
  • The Nation, Kenya: “How you can now ‘donate’ blood to yourself: Patients with internal bleeding now have a chance of survival”
  • KTN News (Kenyan TV): “Can You Donate Blood to Yourself?” Kenya Television Network(KTN News) Interview with Gillian Henker
  • NTV Daily (TV): TV Segment where Hemafuse is highlighted as a solution on “There is a shortage of blood reserve in the country”
  • People Daily: “Surgical autotransfusion to address blood shortage”
  • Capital FM News: “Amref unveils autologous transfusion device to aid recovery of lost blood from patients”

 

 

2020

 

JAN

Hemafuse’s impact is recognized by the First Lady of Kenya, who bought and donated Hemafuse to a Kenyan Hospital

 

JUL

Hemafuse listed for procurement by Kenya's Medical Supply Agency (KEMSA): A major accomplishment as KEMSA supplies to all public healthcare facilities in Kenya

 

AUG

Added Dr. Geoffrey Ling to Board of Directors. He is a former advisor to Obama White House, founding member of DARPA’s biological services division, served 5 combat tours performing surgeries where Hemafuse would have been used.

USPTO announces Sisu as one of the Patent for Humanity winners by the US Patent Office for its innovative design and impact on the world.

 

NOV

Sisu's 5th patent was issued (2 patents on Hemafuse, 3 on the (r)Evolve modular centrifuge)

 

Awards:

 

Features:

 

 

2021

 

MAR

Sisu is announced a winner at SXSW, where start-ups around the world pitch their impressive technology.

 

MAY

6th Patent Issued (3 Patents on Hemafuse & 3 patents on (r)Evolve).

 

JUL

Hemafuse gains FDA Clearance.

 

SEPT

Hemafuse expands across Ghana, where over 20 hospitals are trained on Hemafuse.

 

OCT

Co-founder, Gillian Henker, is named a ReaLIST Engineer 2021

 

DEC

Heamfuse receives its first order from Pakistan; Sisu’s first order to be located in Asia.

 

Awards:

 

Features:

 

 

2022

 

MAR

Sisu ships 500 units of Hemafuse to aid the efforts in Ukraine

Sisu reaches one million dollars in lifetime revenue.

 

APR

Hemafuse receives regulatory clearance in Tanzania

Hemafuse launches in Tanzania.

Seven hospitals in Tanzania are trained to use Hemafuse

 

MAY

Features in Wall Street Journal in print & on the WSJ affiliated Global Heroes Website featuring Sisu & FINCAs work to ship 1,000 units of Hemafuse to provide blood access in Ukraine.

 

JUN

Sisu signs multi-country agreement, launching first in Ghana

Sisu sends a second shipment of 505 units of Hemafuse to Ukraine (to a total of 1,005units)

 

Awards:

TiE 50 Award Winner

RESI Innovation Challenge Finalist

 

Features:

  • Global Heroes: FINCA and Sisu Global Come Together to Save Lives in Ukraine
  • Global Heroes on YouTube: FINCA and Sisu Global Come Together to Save Lives in Ukraine
  • BioBuzz: Featured company for “Why Baltimore Medtech Sector a Key Asset for Ascending Biotech Cluster”
  • BMJ Journal Volume 12, Issue 5: Featured solution for autotransfusion low-resource settings in “Autotransfusion in low-resource settings: a scoping review”, a published research article.
  • FINCA: “FINCA is Partnering with Sisu Global to Save Lives in Ukraine”
  • FINCA: “Why We Invested: Sisu – FINCA Ventures
  • Technical.ly: “With millions raised since founding, Sisu Global Health seeks to grow reach”
  • Technical.ly: “These Baltimore companies are intervening to help Ukrainian civilians and staff.
  • SEC Life Sciences: “International Women's Day 2022: Four life science pioneers shaping modern medicine”
  • Billionaires.africa: “Healthcare Advancements as a Future Focus”

 

COMING SOON…

Sisu is planning to launch Hemafuse in India and is currently pursuing registration.

Sisu is in discussion with eleven additional distributors across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.