Startup Spotlight #164: Syntr Health Technologies

Syntr Health Technologies has developed a processing device, the SyntrFuge™ System, for the microsizing of adipose tissue for body contouring

Oct 12, 2021

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I got the chance to speak with Ahmed Zobi, co-founder and CEO of Syntr Health Technologies, about what he’s working on at his startup, and any advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs.

Syntr Health Technologies was founded by a team of undergraduate biomedical engineering students at UCI through the BioEngine program; a senior design capstone program that focused on spinning out startups from the Biomedical Engineering department. As a dedicated group of students under the leadership of Ahmed Zobi, they wanted to make a positive impact in this world. One common factor that they all shared as students is that we had/knew someone that was affected by diabetes and that have suffered from diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). As a result, they decided to create a new device that could automate the processing of the patient's own fat tissue to be used as a supportive tissue in these wounds.

After winning the capstone grand prize of $14K, they dedicated every penny of those prize winnings to Syntr. Along with many sacrifices, such as participating in clinical trials of other companies, driving for Amazon, Lyft, or even Uber so that they can make ends meet, the team dedicated years of bootstrapping this company to now being fully funded, FDA cleared, and clinical trials approved in specified fields of use.

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Startup Spotlight: Syntr

Problem: Syntr's mission is to assist physicians with a device that accelerates adipose tissue processing at the point of care. Syntr Health Technologies is focused on becoming the market leader in automated adipose tissue processing, reducing recovery times, and improving quality of life.

Market: Our Current go-to-market strategy is targeting the Fat Grafting market at $4.2B with a starting point in the Dermal filler market valued at $3.4B. Our goal is to sell our FDA-cleared device to Aesthetic Surgeons (Plastic, Derm, and other equivalent surgeons), to process the patients’ own fat tissue for aesthetic body contouring especially in the face.

Solution: Syntr has developed a patented and FDA-cleared medical device that is able to process the patient’s own fat tissue at the point of care in under 10 minutes. The procedure only requires mini-hand liposuction and can be done with local anesthesia, and can process the fat within minutes to be grafted back into the face as a dermal fat filler solution using an autologous and natural solution to combat lack of contouring in the face to native fat depletion.

Team: The Syntr Health team includes a variety of Engineering, Business, Regulatory and Clinical specialties worked together to push this product to market. Our initial revenue-generating stream is the aesthetics market and we aim to get regulatory approval down the line for the diabetic foot ulcer market which adversely affects the African American and Hispanic minority communities.

Recent Success:

Zobi: I would say the one thing I have been successful at is managing a diverse team with limited funds. Syntr has been bootstrapped since we were students and along the path, whether it was business plan competition winnings or NIH SBIRs, all the funds were poured into Syntr. The success is the result of sharing that sacrifice with my co-founders and dedicating every waking minute to the company. Lastly, the ability to be capital efficient was very important as it allowed us to build value in the business without losing too much control early on.

Recent Struggle:

Zobi: One thing that I feel I have struggled with early on was the fundraising side of a startup. Coming from a low-income minority household and forming a minority-owned startup was very difficult as it felt that we needed to prove more of our technology than what you hear on the news or through the fundraising grapevine. It is not easy to raise capital but we worked hard and in the end, our hard work was seen and valued by our current investors and we feel we are better prepared for the next steps.

Founder Advice:

Zobi: My biggest advice is to stay motivated and don't ever allow someone to tell you to stay down or not to do something that you feel in your gut is right. I am the type of person that does not take no for an answer, I find a solution to target the problem at hand. Entrepreneurship is very (x100) difficult, but what sets successful people apart is their tenacity and dedication. Work hard and keep on pushing no matter how many obstacles are ahead of you, no matter what people say to you, no matter how many people try to bring you down, surround yourself with a team that cares and will support you too.

Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:

Zobi: Here are three founders you should check out next!

Lila Milbes, Founder of Livinz: Livinz is a company looking to disrupt the construction industry, by providing education to renovation.
Dr. Maria Alexandra Artunduaga, Founder of Respira Labs: Respira Labs is on a quest to stop the progression of and ultimately prevent respiratory diseases by empowering patients, caregivers/families and clinicians with high quality and actionable health information at home.
Jessica Ortega, Founder of Chula Aesthetics: Chula Aesthetics is an online jewelry shop selling quality gold plated jewelry. Chula Aesthetics is under a year old and is still a small business.

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