Cush

Our business is a wheelchair cushion that not only helps aid in the prevention of pressure ulcers but also aids in the healing process as well with its unique design and technology

April 11, 2014; 7:19 AM • by RVANews staff

WHAT DOES YOUR START-UP BUSINESS DO?

Our business is a wheelchair cushion that not only helps aid in the prevention of pressure ulcers but also aids in the healing process as well with its unique design and technology.

On record, there are about 474,692 of new case of bedsores a year (Health Grades Inc, 2013). This number does not take into account the cases of bedsores that go unreported. In 2002, 34,319 deaths were attributable to bedsores; which was calculated to “34,319 per year, 2,859 per month, 659 per week, 94 per day, 3 per hour…” (Health Grades Inc, 2013). Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman, died from complications from an infection that stemmed from a pressure ulcer.

HOW DID YOUR VENTURE START?

We all are VCU students. This venture started as a class assignment for the entrepreneurship program in the school of business. Calvin Peterson is one of the team members who is paralyzed and has been for 9 years now. He came up with the concept because of his battles with pressure ulcers. He had a severe pressure ulcer five years ago that cause him to take a semester off from school and a leave of absence from work. It was so bad that he had to get surgery to help it heal. We all felt passionate about his story and wanted to assist him in finding a solution to combat this problem.

HOW WILL YOU USE THE $10,000 CASH PRIZE TO HELP YOUR START-UP?

We will use the money to fully develop our prototype as well as to invest it in research and development.

April 11, 2014 7:19 AM 0