As a core lab manager at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Jeremy Sikorski was overwhelmed by the use of paper logs in laboratories.
The logs are used every day to track maintenance and quality control tests. And often, many laboratories got cited for missing logs and incomplete data.
Sikorski wanted to find a better way to log lab data, so he approached Daniel Summers, a software engineer, to see if he could standardize the data and create a solution for his lab.
“It quickly became apparent that there was a real business opportunity at hand,” Summers said.
Soon after, Sikorski and Summers partnered to start
Electronic Lab Logs, a Wilmington startup with a cloud-based platform for laboratory maintenance, replacing the use of paper logs.
Electronic Lab Logs employs a software platform that notifies users of maintenance schedules and tracks tasks for laboratory equipment. Users can review and sign-off electronic checks and generate custom reports, among other tasks.
While the company started software development in 2017, it has already caught the attention of the local and state startup ecosystem.
In May, Electronic Lab Logs was one of the recipients of a grant through the NC IDEA SEED program. The company was awarded $50,000 which Summers said the company would use to grow in adjacent markets.
Electronic Lab Logs was one of six companies in the state chosen after a three-month selection process that collected 142 applications.
Also in May, the startup received the third-place award in the inaugural NC BIONEER Venture Challenge, aimed at boosting regional life science innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurs and companies.
“I entered for a couple reasons. I wanted help refining our business processes and fundraising goals, and I also wanted to expand my network and take advantage of the resources and mentors they provided,” Summers said. “Both exceeded my expectations.”
Summers said the support they have received from the Wilmington community has been amazing.
“I wanted to specifically mention UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It’s a shame it’s taken me this long to get connected with such a great organization. In fact, both of the grants we won came directly from events they sponsored, so I’m certainly very grateful for the work they’re doing to connect our community, especially through our recent challenging times.”
The co-founders hope to grow the company and expand its product roadmap to include software that will service radiology, pharmacy and other adjacent markets, Summers said.
“We believe there’s no reason any paper logs should be used for tracking compliance,” he said. “We’re working with hospital and private labs now to replace all their logs, but we also will be offering future versions of our product that will be priced competitively enough to even attract the physician’s offices and smaller facilities as well.”
