Urologic Design Raises $1.2M Pre-Seed for Male Incontinence Device

Urologic Design, a Branford, Connecticut-based start-up that commercializes urology care innovations, has closed an oversubscribed $1.2 million pre-seed round led by Angel Investor Forum, which the company describes as Connecticut's primary angel group.

HBS Alumni Angels of Boston, Haven Founders Fund, Connecticut Innovations, Yale Angels and several individual investors also participated in the equity round. The company did not disclose a valuation or any prior funding.

A Yale Urologist's Answer to Male Incontinence

Urologic Design was founded in 2022 by Dr. David Hesse, the company's co-founder and chief scientific officer and an associate professor of urology at the Yale School of Medicine. Its first product is a patented urethral occlusion device for men, designed to manage urinary incontinence.

Hesse frames the opportunity around scale and daily experience. He cites 25 million people in the U.S. living with urinary incontinence and describes the options available to them today as uncomfortable, cumbersome and hard to fit into everyday life. The company was founded, he said, to develop "a simple, temporary solution that gives people greater dignity, control, and confidence."

From the Bench to a First-in-Human Study

The company has built a working prototype, secured IP protection for the device and completed extensive bench testing. It is now preparing for an initial clinical study in a small cohort of men with stress urinary incontinence.

The new capital is earmarked for refining and testing the first product, continued research and development, regulatory work and preparation for a first-in-human study. The announcement does not cite any regulatory clearance to date, so the device remains in development rather than on the market. The planned study will focus specifically on men with stress urinary incontinence.

Angel Money for the Middle Ground

Angel Investor Forum's interest centers on where the device sits in the treatment landscape. "AIF invests in companies addressing meaningful unmet needs with differentiated solutions," said Matthew Stannard, life sciences lead at Angel Investor Forum. Stannard said Urologic Design stood out for its approach to bridging the gap between absorbent products and surgery.

The syndicate is notably regional and academic. Alongside Connecticut's primary angel group, the round drew Yale Angels, Boston's HBS Alumni Angels and Connecticut Innovations, along with Haven Founders Fund and individual backers.

Why It Matters

Incontinence is a large, under-discussed market, and for men the choices described by the company's backers come down largely to absorbent products on one end and surgery on the other. Urologic Design is betting that a temporary device can carve out the space in between, offering control without a permanent procedure.

The round is small by medtech standards, which makes the oversubscription worth noting: early investors were willing to back a device that has cleared the bench but not yet the clinic. That is the next hurdle. A first-in-human study will show whether the prototype performs in patients as it has in testing, and the results will shape how the company approaches its next raise and the regulatory path ahead.

Source

PR Newswire — Urologic Design Raises $1.2M Pre-Seed Round to Develop Novel Medical Device for Urinary Incontinence