Undergraduate Startup PICCPerfect Wins Beantown Throwdown
PICCPerfect, an undergraduate startup that produces safe, sanitary & stylish PICC line covers, took top honors in the 3rd annual Beantown Throwdown competition on October 9th.
Winners were determined by audience vote using play money to “invest” in the most exceptional ideas. More than 200 executives from public and private companies, angel and venture investors, members of the media, top service providers, students and others attended the event, hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge.
In addition to market exposure, winning teams received a range of prizes to help launch and build their business.
PICCPerfect cofounders
Participating schools included:
- Babson
- Berklee
- Boston University
- Boston College
- Harvard
- MIT
- Northeastern University
- UMass Lowell
- Wentworth
About PICCPerfect
CEO and CO-Founder Emily Levy has been suffering from Severe Chronic Lyme Disease since 2007. Yet, like most Lyme patients, she was undiagnosed and untreated for years. During her sophomore year at Babson College, Emily had a PICC line in her arm for six months, which delivered intensive IV medications to battle her Lyme disease. She only got the PICC line removed because of her dreams to travel the world and not let Lyme hold her back.
During her time with a PICC line, Emily tried the PICC line protectors available on the market, but she found they did not work as advertised or were unflattering. She was left to protect and cover her line with a sock. During that time, she attended college classes, social events, and even a Bar Mitzvah with a sock on her arm.
Emily felt depressed, self-conscious, and worn down from worrying about her PICC line’s appearance and the risk of it being pulled on.
After she got her line removed, Emily was determined to make a difference in the lives of other PICC line patients and those with chronic illnesses. She and her team set out to create PICCPerfect, a PICC line protector that joins fashion with function for all medical conditions that require a PICC line. She wants every spoonie to still feel fearless, and have that extra confidence boost while going through treatment.
Emily’s life mission is to turn her #LymeintoLemonAid.