How CMI Support Helped Turn an Idea into PopSole®
I recently had the honor of speaking with the co-CEO’s of PopSole®, Dr. Jeffrey Gusenoff, MD, and Dr. Beth Gusenoff, DPM. They shared the story of the initial help the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) provided to turn their idea into the company known as PopSole®. I also interviewed engineers Kurt E. Beschorner, PhD, and Peyvand Moghaddam, PhD, to capture the engineering perspective behind PopSole’s development.
In their practices, Jeff (plastic surgeon) and Beth (podiatrist) treated patients with a variety of foot problems by injecting fat tissue. After the procedure, patients are not allowed to put weight on their feet, although they still want to stay active. That unmet need is what inspired the development of PopSole®. Beth mentioned that her husband Jeff has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He knew there had to be a better option than the bulky surgical recovery shoes that are provided. He then came up with an initial prototype that involved wrapping the foot in bubble wrap. This led to the development of a customizable insole in which the patient can pop/deflate specific areas to relieve pressure and provide cushioning.
Jeff and Beth realized this could improve lives, so they decided to pitch the idea to the CMI. CMI funding and advisory support allowed the team to pursue customer discovery, work on their investor pitch, pursue a patent, and learn more about the business side of developing a company. In addition, they were introduced to the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where the couple mentored a team of students in a course on medical product ideation. One student, Steven Donahoe, stood out to the couple. He created initial sketches, models, and a pitch deck. Through this collaboration, the team also connected with engineers Dr. Beschorner and Dr. Moghaddam, whose prior research focuses on footwear biomechanics and contact pressures. Although their primary work centers on fall prevention, their experience using finite element analysis (FEA) to study contact mechanics made them a natural fit for the PopSole® project.
Another student named Seth Strayer worked with the team’s engineers to model the system. Seth applied his background in mechanical engineering, while Dr. Beschorner and Dr. Moghaddam contributed expertise spanning mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and biomechanics. Together, they used Finite Element Analysis to evaluate the PopSole material’s response under different loading conditions. This research can be found here. Ultimately, the model was used to improve the early prototypes by changing the shape of the popping areas to minimize pressure in the surrounding regions.
The co-CEOs mentioned that the informal clinical trials they conducted were very rewarding because they could see firsthand how much the patients enjoyed the prototype. There was a one-month trial period where people could test out the product, but they loved it so much that they didn’t want to give it back. Therefore, Jeff and Beth decided to extend the trial period to
three months. After eventually being required to give the product back, one user went to Dick’s Sporting Goods and tried to buy five different insoles to equal one PopSole®. Many users in the trial used the prototype when they had a painful spot, were dealing with sore bones, or even wanted to recover from wearing high heels for too long. That’s when the team knew that they should market the product to the public because it could be used for more than post-surgery treatment. This amazing prototype even helped the team win the Pitt Innovation Challenge grant and a Coulter Translational Research Grant, which greatly helped move PopSole® along.
The co-CEOs also mentioned that the initial prototype helped them explain their idea to other engineers. Those engineers made modifications and ultimately helped to commercialize the life-changing product that is sold today online at https://popsole.com/.
-Jana Citrenbaum