She Reinvented the Bedpan After 400 Years | Nadia Tedeschi, Mylo Medical

All right. So that red light just came on. I'm gonna let you know, 9 outta 10 people leave the podcast cuz they're so stressed out. Like, this is the most high-stakes podcasting. How are you feeling? Do you wanna go through with it?

You feeling okay? I feel good. I feel good.

Woo. All right. We got one, right? Our data's changing. All right, let's get actually to the real, real episode here. I always love to start with, I'd love to hear your 90-second pitch. One, who are you? What is your company and what does the company do?

Yeah. So I started this company about, A little over a year ago, after I was working as a nursing assistant in a rehab facility and we administered a bedpan to a patient, she looked up at me through her tears and said, nobody should have to live like this. So I immediately knew I had a, a problem that I needed to solve. So I got to working in my garage, whatever I could find, building scraps. And here we are with the, the Mylopan.

That's amazing. This, this, this is really great. So I guess for our people out there who, you know, have not seen this, have not looked at it, how do you sort of describe it? What's happening behind the scenes? What problem are you fixing here for people?

Yeah. So when you look at the current one, what isn't a problem? So we tried to take every pain point that the current one had. So insertion, pain, infection control, all of these negative aspects and turn them into features of the Mylopan. So the main one is getting a hard, rigid piece of plastic under a fragile, limited mobility patient. So, you know, bulk and hard materials were just out of the question for us. So we went to think of what could kind of help not only the comfort, but for the nurse insertion. And we landed on inflatables. So, mm-hmm. When it's flat, the patient can roll on top of it and then you inflate to their desired comfort level.

Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, that seems like one of those, like, I always love these conversations when we're all learning. It's like, it's a no-brainer. Like, why, why, why are we not doing this? Like, how did, how did we get to the first idea of, of, of, of, of this big bulky thing? Like, why are we doing that? So I guess talk to me a little bit about maybe like materials, how you think about that, how does that impact sort of the infection control that you were just talking about? So just what does like material sort of look like in, in, in a project like this?

Yeah, so the current one hasn't been reinvented for 400 years. Years. So it's a relic of 16th century medicine. Think of a glorified medical-grade salad bowl that we're shoving under patients. So there's a, there's a lot of issues that, that come with it, obviously. And infection control spreads like wildfire. These HAIs are costing hospitals billions a year. And to really eliminate that, the disposable market is actively increasing as people are discovering new ways to, to look at innovative devices. So having a dual layer bag that I invented, the bag itself covers the entire base, so the base can be reused their, the patient's entire stay, and you're only disposing of these biodegradable bags.

Oh, interesting.

When the patient is done doing their business, they can pull the strings and like a drawstring bag or a typical garbage bag, it will close, seal the waste, and then the nurse will take the outer bag and then just toss that in the trash. So the nurse doesn't have to look, see it, smell any of the patient's waste. It adds a layer of dignity because, you know, nurses, we're used to that stuff, but we know the patients, you know, get embarrassed and it's not the most glamorous product, but we're trying to help both parties here.

Yeah. So, so you just mentioned, I mean, it's one of those ones too, I've worked on it a number of products in my life around, you know, just bodily function, right? And one of these things is just like a necessary evil, but how do you sort of approach just the marketing of it? Do you, you know, do you think that you need to, you know, go sort of like the Squatty Potty funny vibe? Do you need to stay serious because it's more medical? Just how do you sort of think about putting out a message to get people to obviously take it seriously, but then also know like, all right, you know, how do you just sort of walk that fine line when you're, when you're thinking about marketing for a product like this?

You gotta have fun with it where you can. I think the reason it hasn't been reinvented for 400 years is because no one talks about it. So, you know, bringing awareness to it in any light gets our message across and, you know, helps us with our mission. So I think the big thing right now and what we're starting to see a trend and focus on is patient dignity. So for us really quantifying the cost of dignity or lack thereof in these current devices and markets. So making it where if, you know, a loss of dignity leads to actual dollars that these hospitals are using due to infection control, patient satisfaction rates, nurse turnover. So making the process more efficient and dignified has downstream cost effects that should help the facility.

Yeah, that's great. I wanna move over, back over kind of more on the serious side of this. Where does the FDA fit into something like this, I guess? And just where are you in the process of, of going through, you know, FDA clearance and and all of that stuff?

Yeah, so you wouldn't think that a device like this would really need to be heavily monitored by the FDA, but it is a Class 1 device. So that's the lowest level. We do need to be registered with the FDA, but we don't need pre-market approval, clinical trials, anything really rigorous on that end. We are building out our QMS, and once we have that system in place, it kind of makes sure we're aware and abiding by the regulations of the FDA. Then we We'll register with them. They will, you know, kind of see the, the product, making sure we're doing everything right. If we get a complaint, we know how to handle it and so on and so forth.

So, yeah, very nice. How, how about IP protection? What does that sort of look like? Where are you guys in that, that process? Uh, if an investor's looking at this, how, you know, how are you guarding and protecting, uh, what, what you've done here?

Yeah, so that's a big thing that we wanna make sure we're, we're fully covered. We are patent pending right now, not just on the, entire bedpan system itself, but the actual dual closure cinch and seal mechanism that we can then use and apply in other devices in this industry. So for example, the commode is another one in that category where we're already getting ready for the, the Milo pot. And then when we take that, that system to the diaper, Milo pad, so the, use cases can really spread far for this simple kind of mechanism.

Yeah. What, what does go-to-market truly look like? Is it 100% hospitals? Is it something that you try to, you know, have consumers buy on a Shopify store or an Amazon or something like that? Sort of a direct-to-consumer, I guess. What does it sort of look like in your mind of a, of a go-to-market strategy?

When I look at where we want to be, it's where the current one is. So everywhere that there's the current bedpan, we want to go in and replace it. The current users of the bedpan bedpan are not as wide as they should be because the current one is so, has so many negative effects that they'll often resort to either more invasive, or I've heard that nurses don't bother and they'll just put a towel down and have the patients go on that. So, and they're putting them in adult diapers, which again has, you know, infections, loss of dignity, that whole thing. Right. So when we think about getting to market, not just the, the current bedpan users and who purchases that, but also those kind of similar categories that they may be like, a bedpan would make more sense for their current situation.

Sure, sure. And I guess how do you define maybe market and competition and maybe even people starting to use it, right? People adapting to it, right? Like what is, what do you, how, how, what's, what kind of barrier to entry are you sort of looking at of really getting people to go, we switched our whole hospital over from this to this, right? Like, like how, how big is that mountain right now that you're seeing?

Yeah. So one of the big things that we have on our to-do list is we want to conduct a structured quantitative comparative study measuring the infection exposure and cross-contamination rates specifically between the traditional bedpans and our Mylopan. So we'll demonstrate the reduced contamination risk, liability exposure, and downstream HAI costs. To pursue guideline-level validation through infection control committees, accreditation bodies, and healthcare system policies. So that the adoption of the Mylopan is not just a better alternative or more dignified alternative, but an evidence-based standard for infection mitigation.

Sure, sure. What, what's your team sort of look like right now and how are you thinking about putting that together?

Yeah, so my team right now is bare bones as most early-level companies are. Yep. I did early on, was so grateful to to onboard my, my current COO. He's been in this industry for 30+ years. He's sold startups to Medtronic, Smith Nephew, the big, big guys in the industry. So he's really been the backbone of kind of teaching me the ropes. I'm a sponge in this industry. Any, anywhere I can get information, I want you on my team. So I also have a great team of advisors. We have an investor's investor relations advisors, worked in the White House, past clients, Google, Mazda, big name companies, um, an engineer that is widely experienced in his craft, um, a finance investment banker. He's in charge of multi-billion dollar portfolios and our marketing who has 20+ years managing Fortune 500 companies. So really trying to get a diverse range of kind of what's needed and to fill the gaps that, you know, a solo founder can't on their own.

Sure, sure. Let's move over to, you know, fundraising. The reason we're talking right now is, you know, found you over on NetCapital and you're out raising capital right now. So I guess walk us through a little bit on maybe some of the conversations behind the scenes as to why to choose crowdfunding, why to go this route, and just, you know, what you're sort of hoping that happens, you know, with building a crowd in the community right now.

Yeah. So back to the other point of, you know, no one's talked about this for 400 years. When we look at how we kind of want to get the word out, we knew we couldn't do it quietly. And crowdfunding is not the typical pathway for medical devices in any sort of sense. So we, but we did want to get the word out. We wanted to spread awareness and we think this is something that should be a community-level discussion that, I mean, it's built by nurses for nurses. The, the thing that we're really trying to fix is the gap between the corporation and the people building these devices and the actual end user. And the reason that it has gone touched for so long is because of that large gap. So really making it as community-oriented as possible will just help both sides. Yeah. Yeah.

What, when you start to think about the type of investor that might be looking at this, especially at this pa— stage, we're, we're, we're looking at mostly retail investors. What would be, if somebody's never invested in anything like this, what are they getting into? And not your deal specifically, but what are they getting into of just how long does it take a product of where you are right now to really be adopted? FDA, some of the clearances we just talked about, like what should they really know about this type of investing at this stage if they're looking at like a medical product like this?

Yeah, I mean, all companies and startups, there's a lot of hurry up and wait. So, you know, there's milestones along the way that can help, but the whole process that I've found seems to be the most important. You know, It's a marathon, not a sprint. So every sort of day-to-day tasks and, you know, the launching the fundraising and the TV show we went on, all of these things are really just adding in the background, getting us on the right track to hopefully speed that up as much as possible. I mean, we've been working at this for a while now, so hopefully it's not too much longer, but we do, you know, want to make sure we're doing it right the first time and that this actually does have the impact that that we think it can have.

Yeah. Is there an objection that you've heard kind of consistently that as a company you're working through right now? Is there, you know, something in maybe a design or even fundraising or whatever it might be? Just is there something that you've— that has sort of popped up a few times that you're like, all right, we're really focused on adjusting or fixing this right now?

So it's, it's been interesting the feedback we've gotten. I've actually want, you know, someone to push against it and say, oh, I think you should do this, I think you should do that. But the feedback we've gotten so far has just been like this. This is amazing. When can I get it? When can I get my hands on it? Our first prototype, we went to a trade show. We had people trying to buy that off of our table. It was in no way, shape, or form production ready. The bag spring broke. I was using my shoelace, but they still wanted to buy it. And it just kind of validated that they're looking for any sort of improvement and with the current And I think that they're less focused on the specifics of it and really thinking it through and more just, it's so bad currently that they're gonna be willing to try out anything at this point.

Sure.

Obviously we need to take that into account and make sure that it is, you know, fully doing what we want it to do. So we, we've working with engineers, we're doing a roundtable with nurses to, to really poke at and, and try and pressure test this design as much as possible. But I, I agree with them that any improvement is a great improvement. So we want to get this, get this to market as soon as possible.

Who is the like main decision maker that you would be going after for a product like this? Is it a head of a hospital? Is there a buyer in this for somebody that I have no idea? I have no idea how this works either in my own world, right? Like, so who, who would be a decision maker that you need to really be following and finding that says, hey, we're going to adopt this and roll it out in a test or whatever it might look like? Who, who is that type of person?

Yeah, for direct-to-facilities, it would definitely be, you know, chief nursing officer, a director of nursing, nursing administrators, stuff like that. But really every level has some sort of impact. If a nurse sees something that, you know, they really think they should adopt, that can trickle up down the line to the purchasers. But we do wanna go heavily in the distributor route. So these districts that already have networks and relationships with these hospital networks, facilities, purchasing organizations where they, they know that they can bring something to the table and they can, they can get that adopted pretty quickly. That will be our, our biggest push for, for volume right off the bat. We already have a couple conversations and partners up in the works that are ready to get their hands on it as well. But really just targeting from from every layer, the, the key decision makers to the nurses, to even the patients advocating for this device should kind of attack it from all angles. So, so they can't, can't avoid us.

Yeah. What, what's keeping you up at night around the business?

What isn't? You know, every— before it's on the market, I don't think I'll, I'll take a deep breath until then. It's, it's long nights just thinking about, not just right now and getting to market, but what are we going to do after that? Thinking of new ideas, how to really get this as big and make it as big as possible. But this whole thing started from that patient that said nobody should have to live like this. And I always find myself thinking back to her and just hoping that, you know, we get— if she's still, you know, in need of a device like this, that, that we can help her out and you know, make her situation and everyone else's a bit more dignified, more comfortable, um, and more efficient.

What's the sort of the milestones, maybe the next, you know, 6-month milestone you want to hit, year, 18 months out, maybe even 2 years out? What, what are those milestones that you guys are really focused on making sure that you try to hit and, and, and staying focused around it?

Yeah, so right now we're fully focused on getting the product ready for market. So we're validating and hoping to freeze the design within the next few weeks. And then we'll move forward with production. We want to get our pilots out. So we're doing a roundtable. That's kind of our first step. Then we want to do an actual pilot. So with facilities we have on our waitlist, we're going to ship them out some samples, get some feedback, have them fill out, you know, what they like, what they don't like, what could be improved, all of that. And then we, we want to go to full, full level adoption. A lot of partnerships with GPOs. Kind of government organizations, even really spread our reach as, as far as possible.

Is it, is there one or two things that could trip this up that, you know, you, you, you guys, you know, sort of a, a potential boogeyman in the corner? Like, is there anything that you can think of that, that you really have to just navigate and be concerned about the most?

I mean, there's, what isn't, you know, at a startup, it's, it's a lot of making sure that the, the foundation is set up properly. Before we, you know, have orders coming in and we're backtracking. Really taking things step by step now will hopefully help, hopefully help us in, in the long run. Making sure that, you know, we're compliant with the FDA is, is a big one for sure. We don't want to get audited. And that's a whole, a whole headache in itself. So making sure, yeah, we're compliant, we have our insurance, we have our IP protected. And our team, we're making sure that, you know, we have a great group around us that can help us support from us being very small right now to when we are hopefully a multimillion-dollar company and having a headquarters and all of that stuff. So yeah, I would say definitely focusing on the foundation, the structure, the baby steps.

Yeah. Yeah. As a, as a newer founder of, of a startup, what's the biggest either life lesson you've learned so far in this journey or biggest obstacle that you overcame that you just, you know, you look back and you go, yes, I had to really navigate this, you know, in this journey?

I would say that from what I have saw that really helped move the, the needle forward the most would be just simplifying everything as much as possible when you're trying to explain it to an investor or whoever, potential customer, the, the more simple and easy to absorb you can explain your product or your current status or situation really gives a better response, I think, in kind of showing where, where you want to go, how they can help and where they might fit. It is a simple product and that's really been a great response that we've gotten is it is easy to understand. It's simple. We really just have to put them side by side and people can, you know, see the, the benefit clearly. So yeah, just simplifying things as much as possible when you're explaining, writing anything. So yeah.

That's great. Where could people go to, to dive in, learn more about maybe yourself, the story, fundraising? Where, where should we send people?

Yeah, so we have our, our offering page up on NetCapital and we have our website up as well. That's www.milomedicalsupplies.com. And there's a bunch of information there. You can sign up to be on our waitlist. Contact us. We're trying to, to get everywhere, increase our presence as much as possible, and hopefully get the word out.

That's great. Looks great. Well, I appreciate you taking time out of your day. This is a great conversation. I always love these just sort of no-brainer companies where you're like, yep, that just makes sense, right? It doesn't require, you know, we're, we're, we don't have to hit to get this huge long descriptive thing. It's like, yep, I, that's a problem. That's better.

Yeah.

Let's move on. What's next? So I always love this. Oh, for all my listeners out there, you guys know what to do here. You guys will, this is probably our 300th episode at this point, so go click on it, go check out all the campaign, go to the website, connect, uh, and if you like what you see here, you can take those next steps. Thank you so much for your time and good luck with the campaign.

Thank you so much.