By Anne Servidad, Altitude Accelerator Communications Intern
Did you know there are international doctors who have to manually ventilate patients with respiratory problems using a CPR bag? Did you know this process can last days? Personnel switch shifts and exercise comprehensive care to avoid any mistake that may end the patient’s life.
In the case of Dr. Dayo Olakulehin, Founder of LigandCorp and Altitude Accelerator client, his experience at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital has led him to create the world’s first D-Box. The D-Box is a battery powered, low cost ventilator meant for use in rural areas and urban centres with limited facilities. Conventional ventilators can range anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000, where as the D-Box was introduced at an initial price of $300. It requires little expertise to operate this invention, and it is powered by a rechargeable battery which can last for up to 12 hours.
As a young doctor in 2012, Dr. Dayo was required to manually ventilate a 5-year-old for four hours and had fallen asleep briefly in the early morning. If he had stopped for more than four minutes, it would have resulted in irreversible brain damage for the patient. It was in that moment that the idea for an automated ventilation system was born.
Although it was a brilliant idea, he had no experience in managing a business, let alone the knowledge to design and create the prototype. It wasn’t until he met Ray Minato, CEO of Inertia Engineering, that he was able to further develop his idea and make the first prototype. In just three months, they created a working prototype.
Dr. Dayo unveiled his product in Lagos, Nigeria on January 15 and plans to distribute D-Box to various hospitals.
“The Altitude Accelerator has helped and is still helping in many ways! Most importantly for me is the access to professionals. I can easily consult with lawyers, accountants, and experienced entrepreneurs basically at no cost. Considering that my background is in Medicine & Surgery, I have needed a lot of business education, and the Altitude Accelerator has been immensely helpful with the programs, training sessions, and interactions for start-up founders. Also I have been given an amazing advisor, James Sbrolla, who has been personally very helpful, approachable and always willing to help.” Dr. Dayo, founder of LigandCorp.
The Altitude Accelerator is ecstatic to be a part of this process and hopes to spread the launch of D-Box to the community!
