You Asked! Brandon Answered!
Interview with Brandon Kao, nanotechnology start-up founder and University of Pennsylvania student
Brandon Kao is the co-founder of VisiPlate, an award-winning startup that uses nano-scale drainage implant to defend against blindness induced by open-angle glaucoma. He studies at University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering, where he pursues a degree in materials science and engineering.
In our first installment of the Quark Interview Series, we invited Brandon as our first guest to learn more about the growing field of nanotechnology, his experience with growing a start-up, and student-life at the renown University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of a week, our audience submitted over 40 questions and the most mature and meaningful of which were selected to be answered by Brandon. The following below is a transcript from our interview:
Tell me a bit about your background. How did you first get started with VisiPlate?
I’ve always been fascinated by science and impactful business applications that arise from innovative technology. Prior to attending Penn, I was exposed to entrepreneurship at the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology Summer Institute at Penn, where I worked with a team to design, prototype, and pitch a smart water bottle. At the summer institute, I met Rui Jing Jiang, a Wharton student who was also excited about technology and innovation. With Rui Jing Jiang and her classmate Adarsh Battu, we formed a team to enter the Y-Prize competition at Penn. In this competition, teams were given a technology developed in Penn Engineering labs, thought of a novel application for the technology, and pitched a business plan to commercialize their product.
One of the 2017 technologies was a nano-thin plate with remarkable mechanical properties. With understandings of material science engineering, strategic management, finance, marketing, and biology, our team was well equipped to come up with a medical device application for the technology. We searched for implants that require thin materials and settled on an ocular application. After brainstorming and research, we decided to develop a nano device targeting open angle glaucoma, and talked to medical experts to determine the commercial viability of our idea, which was largely dependant on the large and growing glaucoma patient population, regulatory ease of entry, and poor performance of competitors. Since winning the Y-Prize, we have progressed to prototyping, refining our business plan, and even conducting a pre-clinical animal study to test for toxicity.
What do you love most about working on VisiPlate?
I enjoy learning from professors and our advisors about VisiPlate’s development, because they always have valuable insights and advice for us. It’s fascinating to learn from their huge wealth of knowledge and to see the way they think and solve problems. Ophthalmologists, engineering professors, and entrepreneurs have all been advising us on our venture and have contributed greatly to our successes so far. Getting to know these mentors better and hearing them share their experiences is something I really appreciate.
How has working on VisiPlate shaped you as a person?
Working on VisiPlate has presented me with different types of challenges that helped me gain a more general knowledge of product development. In growing our company, we have learned about the overall industry, product prototyping, manufacturing, our competitors, the supply chain, and many other areas that I haven’t previously directly worked on. It’s a refreshing change from school and very “real-world,” giving me a broader perspective on business and technology.
What are some tips you would recommend to students who are interested in pursuing a career path or interest like yours?
If you are interested in entrepreneurship, you should definitely try to learn both technical and business skills. Both are extremely important and any technology business needs to focus on both for it to succeed. Even if you are not an expert in one of the fields, knowing the basics will help you appreciate how business and technical development complement the other and understand the interplay between the two. Also, continuously hone your teamwork skills and know how to ask for help. My co-founders, mentors, and advisors have been invaluable for our venture — you will never be able to do everything alone!
How do you balance balance the management of a startup with the workload of university?
The university workload is heavy, but students can decide which activities they want to focus on. Since starting to work on this startup, I’ve tried to prioritize working on the startup over some of the other clubs I participate in. Still, there’s never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want to. I think that my passion for this startup definitely helps me stay focused and find the time on evenings and weekends to work on VisiPlate.
What do you hope to accomplish within the next year?
In the next year, we hope to move on from our first animal study to a more comprehensive pre-clinical study to obtain more robust results to prove the efficacy and safety of our prototype. We will also apply to more incubators and accelerators that help medical startups get their businesses off the ground by providing funding, mentoring, and connections. If all goes well, we hope to raise funding from venture capitalists to fund a clinical trial and bring us closer to FDA approval.
Why are you working in this industry?
Medical devices have the potential to quickly make an impact. The regulatory pathway for devices is not as long as that of pharmaceutical drugs, but devices can still dramatically improve patients’ quality of life. Specifically, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, with worldwide prevalence expected to reach 80 million in the next 3 years. The vision loss is permanent, with only treatments to stop progression, but no available cure. I’ve always wanted to use my engineering skills to help develop something that makes an impact on people. I think that our company is on the right track and has the potential to help prevent vision loss for glaucoma patients, which will be an increasing problem in the coming years.
What is life at UPENN like?
Penn is a great community that makes life here both academically and personally rewarding. The faculty give great support to the student and are invested in their success, providing help whenever students need. All the students are so driven and talented that you are constantly learning from your peers. The wide variety of interests of the student body gives rise to a range of extracurriculars that students can join, ranging from finance and consulting clubs to volunteer teaching clubs and sports.
