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Babson Student Startup: PICCPerfect

Babson Undergraduate student Emily Levy ’16 didn’t let her diagnosis take control of her life – she used it to empower others in similar situations. Here’s her ‘PICC’ perfect story:

Turning #LymeintoLemonAid

Emily Levy ‘16 Learn More About Emily's Storyhas been suffering from Severe Chronic Lyme Disease since 2007. Yet, like most Lyme patients, she went undiagnosed and untreated for years. During Emily’s sophomore year at Babson, she had a PICC line inserted in her arm for six long months – all whilst continuing to go to class, and partaking in everyday college activities. PICC lines are catheters inserted through a vein in the upper inside arm that deliver intensive IV medications directly into the heart. They are used to treat a variety of chronic illnesses – from Lyme disease to cancer, and more.

During this time, Emily tried different line protectors available on the market, but found that they did not work as advertised and were very unflattering. Her only functional option was to cover her line with a sock, so that’s exactly what she did. At social events, in class, at a Bar Mitzvah, you name it – Emily could be seen with a sock on her arm.

Depressed, self-conscious, and worn down from worrying about her PICC line’s appearance and the risk of her line being pulled – Emily was determined to make a difference. Once her line was removed, Emily and her team of fellow Babson students set out on a mission to help every affected PICC line patient feel fearless and confident throughout their treatment.

The Result

Together, Emily and her team created PICCPerfect – a socially innovative company that helps put confidence back into the lives of chronically-ill patients, and improves their quality of life through functional and fashionable medical dressings.

As of May 1, 2015, PICCPerfect successfully funded its Kickstarter campaign to jumpstart the production of its one-of-a-kind PICC line covers, which will provide line protection for patients of all walks of life, and are comfortable, hygienic, and stylish.PICCPerfect

The PICCPerfect Team

  • Emily Levy ’16, CEO and Co-Founder
  • Yousef Al-Humaidhi ’16, CFO and Co-Founder
  • Hannah Conley ’16, Grant Manager and Executive Assistant
  • Leandra Grinage ’16, VP of Social Media
  • Alicia Tzau ’16, VP of Finance and Community Manager
  • Maria Del Mar Gomez ’16, VP of Market Research

Fashioning Goals

In addition to selling PICC line covers individually, the team hopes to get PICCPerfect products into hospitals, cancer, and vascular centers so that PICC line users can gain added line security and confidence before ever leaving a medical facility. Down the line, PICCPerfect will also be creating additional medical accessories for other devices, which may include diabetes pumps, canes, and oxygen tanks.

Babson – a PICCPerfect Community

Babson has been instrumental in the launch of PICCPerfect. During the current spring semester, a portion of the PICCPerfect team, including Hannah, Alicia, Leandra, Maria, and Emily, have all been able to utilize the Babson San Francisco campus during the College’s new Semester in San Francisco program. Under the guidance of Professor Jim Poss and his Silicon Tech Ventures class, PICCPerfect has successfully reached its goal of launching and successfully completing a Kickstarter campaign and is ready to start production.

In addition to receiving seed funding from Babson, the team has also used The John E. and Alice L. Butler Venture Accelerator as a major support network on campus. Emily, Hannah, and Maria will be hard at work implementing next steps for PICCPerfect as a part of the Accelerator’s Summer Venture Program.

“What an amazing experience it’s been working with fellow Babson students who are also my friends and colleagues,” said CEO and Co-Founder, Emily Levy ’16. “It’s given us a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the business at a school that encourages Entrepreneurial Thought in Action® and helps us thrive on like-minded passions.”

A PICCPerfect Day

Emily: ‘My PICCPerfect day would be lazily spent at the beach reading a book – with no joint pain and not affected by Lyme in any way.’

Yousef: ‘Mine would be riding my horse in the morning and playing video games with friends all night.’

Leandra: ‘Any day that I can make someone smile is a PICCPerfect day.’

Maria: ‘My PICCPerfect day would be spent entirely at the beach with family and friends.’

Hannah: ‘Spending a summer day outside with my family, enjoying overly competitive games and eating good food – that’s as PICCPerfect as it gets.’

Alicia: ‘My PICCPerfect day would definitely be spent enjoying a homemade meal (or two!) outside with friends and family.’