Luminoah

The way you have streamlined the math burden for patients will be a huge improvement.

The versatility of wearing it where and when you want will be a gamechanger.

Luminoah will change how I manage my health. Real-time updates on my nutrition means no more relying on memory to update my doctor.

A technology that allows users to feed during the day, that doesn’t interfere with the day-to-day activity [especially of kids]… would be a real improvement.

Luminoah will literally transform my daughter’s life. She’ll be able to go back to school, something I never thought was possible.

Luminoah was named Startup of the Year at the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) 25th Annual Gala. “We are grateful for this recognition and proud to grow our company in Charlottesville,” said Luminoah’s Founder and CEO Neal Piper. “Our mission is to build a brighter future for people requiring tube feeding. This award is dedicated to our fellow Lumineers and the millions of enteral users who depend on us.”

“This year’s awardees represent the pinnacle of innovation, perseverance and community spirit that define our region’s dynamic tech ecosystem,” said CBIC Executive Director Tracey Greene. “Their achievements inspire us all, and it’s an honor to recognize their extraordinary contributions.”

About Luminoah
Luminoah is a medical technology company dedicated to improving the standard of care for patients requiring enteral nutrition. The company’s portable, intuitive, and connected nutrition system creates a new reality for patients and providers, enabling the freedom to feed anytime, anywhere with robust data tracking and remote patient monitoring. To learn more, visit Luminoah.com.

Hello friendly traveler! My name is Marty Weiner. I was a founding engineer at Pinterest, the first CTO Reddit, and now a “retired” mad scientist who loves to build anything and everything, especially if it helps make the world a better place… or at least funnier.

One of the ways I could help make the world a better place happened by accident when I met Neal, The Nicest Guy in the World^TM. No really. Like Mr. Rogers nice. Neal had an idea for a product that all began when his 3-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Quick spoiler so I don’t keep you stressed: Noah is now 7 and fully recovered and thriving! For Neal and his wife Val, while dealing with the unfathomable hell I can only imagine of having a child with cancer, one of the many really hard things was feeding. For about 18 months, Noah couldn’t swallow. Food slush had to be pushed through a tube straight to his stomach via a surgically implanted connection. That meant Noah sitting there for hours next to an IV pushing liquid food straight into his stomach. That meant going anywhere was a hassle. That meant this little kid that just wanted to jump and run and play had to just sit there. That meant other kids at school teasing him. That meant (and this competes for the best/worst new failure mode phrase I’ve heard) “feeding the bed” on occasion. What’s “feeding the bed”? That’s when the IV line detaches at night and the pump keeps pushing food slush out onto the bed. Eech.

Through all that pain, Neal didn’t seem to lose his drive and passion. He’s got like Serena Williams level of drive and passion. I find that truly inspiring – to go through such a hard life path and come out of it with his burning need to do something to make the world a better place.

Neal had a vision. What if the liquid food and pump were compact and portable so that going places was easy? So that a child or grownup who needs this kind of feeding can jump up and run and play and work and relax? What if this device was also fun and cool (you know, maybe some sweet Spiderman graphics on the screen)? What if the alert sounds emanating from this device didn’t sound like the panic-inducing sounds of the ICU, but rather, were relaxing, fun, or enjoyable? Seems doable and definitely revolutionary for people going through this. This is some Steve Jobs level vision Neal had.

So, I started chatting with Neal about how I could help as an advisor and possibly more. Cause when you meet a Mr. Roger + Serena Williams + Steve Jobs, you just gotta amplify them.

We chatted about funding, hiring, and building a software team—all the usual startup stuff. But then I asked that fateful question: who’s building your circuit board? Nobody?? Dude, I wanna build it!

And for a year and a half, while my kids were in bed, I did. I’ve built maybe 20 circuit boards in my life, but never one for production and certainly never one that would need to also get FDA approval and be in the hands of small children pouring orange juice on it and dropping it in the mud 🙂. I had to learn a lot for my part. We pumped out 8 or PCBs until honing in on the one that’s going to the FDA.

A little aside cause I gotta geek out with you – it’s insane how fast you can prototype hardware now! I can iterate a design on Kicad (which, if you haven’t tried it, is amazing), ship it out to PCBWay (today’s sponsor… just kidding), and have it back in my hands in a week. For just about $80. Holy crap… that’s nearing the speed of software development. (And don’t get me started on how amazing 3D Printers are…). Ok, geek out over. Back to it.

We set out to build this portable food pump and did just that. In the earliest days, I hacked alongside Neal, Hill Johnson (an excellent product manager), Landon Gilkey (an excellent mechanical engineer), and Kevin Owen (an excellent electrical engineer). Once the company was able to get some funding underneath it, the team rapidly expanded with more brilliant people to cover all the areas needed to bring this device to market. And now we’re off to the races, quickly stepping over each hurdle as any great team does.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, one to introduce you to Luminoah, soon to be the hot new kid on the med tech block :). And two, I want to reach out to all of you out there who find yourselves in the same lucky position I’ve found myself – having a little extra time on my hands (or hate sleep) and a background that helps startups get off the ground – and encourage you to find and amplify another Mr. Rogers… err… I mean Neal Piper. You might just help change the world for the better :).

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – January 11, 2024 – Luminoah Inc., a medical technology company dedicated to improving the standard of care for patients requiring enteral nutrition, has been awarded a $463,000 grant from Virginia Catalyst. This funding propels Luminoah’s innovative enteral feeding system one step closer to commercialization, poised to grant millions of users the freedom to feed themselves anytime, anywhere, while empowering healthcare providers to support their patients remotely.

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), announced that it has awarded $2.2 million in grants to four life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded through Grant Round 15 of Virginia Catalyst’s ongoing mission to stimulate economic development by promoting collaborative projects that address large, unmet needs for improving human health, and that can create high-paying jobs in the Commonwealth.

“This grant will accelerate our efforts,” says Neal Piper, Founder and CEO. “Born from a personal need right here in Virginia, we’re proud to collaborate with two of Virginia’s leading universities: The University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University. This grant marks a significant milestone for Luminoah, propelling us towards bringing our transformative technology to the millions who need it most. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and unwavering dedication to improving healthcare for all.”

Mike Grisham, CEO, Virginia Catalyst said, “We are excited to fund this cohort of companies and their collaborating university partners on these important life science innovations. Together, they will have a significant impact on economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia while improving human health.”

Through this 15th round of funding, Virginia Catalyst has awarded 61 grants totaling $29.7 million, resulting in over $47 million in matching funds and an additional $821 million in follow-on funding to date.

Other Grant Round 15 project awardees include Adovate, LLC (Charlottesville, VA), Nanochon, Inc. (Washington, DC), and S1P Therapeutics, Inc. (Blacksburg, VA)

About Luminoah
Luminoah is a medical technology company dedicated to improving the standard of care for patients requiring enteral nutrition. The company’s portable, intuitive, and connected nutrition system creates a new reality for patients and providers, enabling the freedom to feed anytime, anywhere with robust data tracking and remote patient monitoring. To learn more, visit Luminoah.com.

About Virginia Catalyst

Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), doing business as Virginia Catalyst, has a vision of advancing life sciences throughout Virginia as a means of addressing large unmet medical needs to improve human health and to create high-paying jobs throughout the Commonwealth. Funded by the Virginia General Assembly’s General fund, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, Eastern Virginia Medical School, George Mason University, and Old Dominion University. Virginia Catalyst has funding opportunities to support collaborative projects in the Commonwealth. For more information, visit www.virginiacatalyst.org.

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Building a Brighter Future for Tube Feeding

What We’re BuildingA revolutionary tube feeding system.

Portable

Intuitive

Connected

Why We’re Building ThisMore than 50% of adults have at least one chronic condition.

Healthcare and Equipment Provider

29 year-old user with short bowel syndrome

Adult user with Gastroparesis

Gastroenterologist

Mother of an 8 year-old user

TestimonialsOur product journey starts with the users.

Stay Up to DateRecent Articles

Luminoah Wins Startup of the Year

From Silicon Valley to Healthcare Innovation: My Journey from Pinterest and Reddit to Transforming Medical Tech at Luminoah

Luminoah’s Receives $463,000 Grant from Virginia Catalyst