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Device company founder and CEO to serve as Entrepreneur-In-Residence

Penn State Hershey recently welcomed Eric Sugalski, founder and CEO at Boston Device Development, to its Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, a service of Penn State College of Medicine's Office of Technology Development. In this role, Sugalski will offer Penn State Hershey employees and students guidance on their entrepreneurial endeavors, with a focus on medical device development.

Sugalski, an accomplished mechanical engineer and entrepreneur, founded Boston Device Development in early 2009. He has led multidisciplinary teams in the development of complex products ranging from medical imaging systems to novel laparoscopic electrosurgical instruments. Prior to founding Boston Device Development, Sugalski held executive and engineering roles at product development firms IDEO and Insight Product Development. In addition to his role as an entrepreneur and engineer, he serves as a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology instructing courses on product design. He earned his MBA at MIT's Sloan School of Management.

As an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Sugalski will be on the Hershey campus regularly to provide individual support for inventors regarding their device or idea. He will work with inventors to answer critical questions about an idea or device before and throughout the development process.

“I believe the convergence of medicine and engineering can lead to significant innovations in medical procedures and enabling devices,” Sugalski said. “I look forward to collaborating with Penn State Hershey investigators to have a positive impact on clinical care while building the foundation for new device ventures.”

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program began at Penn State Hershey in 2011 and is supported by a grant through the Discovered in PA, Developed in PA (D2PA) program from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program was created to help faculty overcome the challenges they face during the early and critical phases of company development.

“Penn State Hershey is focused on helping faculty further their entrepreneurial efforts by developing technologies that hold significant promise for patients” says Keith Marmer, D.P.T., M.B.A, associate dean for research innovation and director of the Office of Technology Development. “The addition of Eric to the Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program is a great example of another resource available to support faculty in the commercialization of translational research.”

Boston Device Development helps organizations design, engineer and prototype compelling first generation medical devices. The company has a strong history of working with start-up companies formed in the laboratories of universities. Sugalski and his team assist early stage start-up companies to define a compelling case for the device, build a functional prototype, establish a supply chain and launch production. In certain cases the group operates as an investor to help early stage companies achieve funding milestones.

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