De Oro Devices makes mobility assistive devices to allow people with mobility disorders to walk confidently and safely.
De Oro uses research-backed sensory cues to help people with mobility disorders walk with improved step symmetry, step length, and overall safety and mobility.
CEO: Dr. Corinna Lathan – De Oro Devices
Their beachhead market is in Parkinson’s Disease where they help overcome freezing of gait, one of the most common and most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s. Their initial device, NexStride, combines a green laser line visual cue and a metronome auditory cue into a small portable device that can attach to any cane, walker, or walking pole.
This patent-pending technology can be used in Parkinson’s, Stroke Rehab, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cerebral Palsy. NexStride is already available in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
More about De Oro:
“NexStride, by De Oro Devices, Is Giving People With Parkinson’s the Gift of Mobility” – StartUp Health, 11/5/21
“With Sara’s manufacturing and hardware experience, Kerry’s business development expertise, and both of their willingness to get their hands dirty with us, we couldn’t ask for a better team to join our journey.” – Sidney Collin
CEO: Dr. Corinna Lathan
Headquarters: San Luis Obispo, CA
Sidney Collin, Co-Founder, President, & CTO of De Oro Devices
Meet Sidney Collin:
Background: Sidney Collin is the inventor of NexStride, and is the co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Sidney has always been obsessed with understanding how the brain works. She has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, with a focus in Electrical Engineering, from Cal Poly, SLO. All the work that Sidney focused on was in brain computer interfacing: individualizing deep brain stimulation, using neurofeedback to treat children with ADHD, and using sensory cues to improve mobility in neuro-degenerative diseases.
This curiosity about the brain, the body, and how they interface was what pushed Sidney to develop NexStride for a local veteran in San Luis Obispo, California, and start De Oro Devices to bring it out to market into the hands of the people who need it. She has an academic research background in neuroscience, with a research paper published in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. The Pacific Coast Business Times recognized Sidney in their 2020 40 under 40 list, as well as their ““Who’s Who in Health Care, Insurance & Life Science” lineup.
Why Start De Oro Devices? “When I was finishing up my engineering degree at Cal Poly, I met a local veteran named Jack. Jack was this amazing, motivated, intelligent man who happened to live with Parkinson’s disease. The worst symptom that he experienced was Freezing of Gait. Freezing of Gait stopped Jack from being able to walk at all on his own. He couldn’t go on a walk with his wife, Sandy, or even go to the bathroom by himself.
After looking into the research, I found that there is a simple solution for freezing of gait: sensory cues. These cues are standard of practice for treatment of freezing at any physical therapy clinic; however, what was missing was a way to take those cues outside of the clinic. I found the most effective visual and auditory cues, combined them into a simple, portable device, and attached it to Jack’s walker. It was like night and day for Jack. He would freeze, and as soon as he turned on the laser, he was moving again.
He was so excited about the device that he brought me to a local Parkinson’s support group to show off his new technology. That’s where I met 20 other people who also experienced freezing and had no effective solution. How is it possible that such a simple technology that is well-known to be effective doesn’t exist in the world already?! I realized how much of an impact this device could have, so I started De Oro Devices with my co-founder, and we began manufacturing our first product, NexStride.”
Sidney Collin, Co-Founder, President, & CTO of De Oro Devices
Why Seek Venture Capital? “There are tens of millions of people around the world who need a NexStride yesterday. Partnering with VCs gives us the ability to grow faster and get this into the hands of the people who need it, through capital, resources, connections, and knowledge of the space.”
Why True Wealth Ventures? “Kerry and Sara both have the experience and the willingness to be able jump in and provide help, advise, and feedback that will be immensely beneficial in our company’s growth at this stage. With Sara’s manufacturing and hardware experience, Kerry’s business development expertise, and both of their willingness to get their hands dirty with us, we couldn’t ask for a better team to join our journey.”
Have you seen women General Partners bring a different perspective to the table? “I have. I think women General Partners tend to take a more holistic approach to assessing a company – focusing more on the people, the culture, and the values, instead of solely on revenue. This expanded perspective helps be able to see otherwise missed opportunities and risks to businesses.”
Do you think a woman’s perspective is valuable to this market? “Yes – having a woman’s perspective is valuable to all markets. However, it is especially critical for De Oro Devices as a majority of the people making the purchasing decision for NexStride are women. We need women on the business side to better represent and understand our customers.”
Words of Wisdom: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”- Peter Drucker. This really underscores the concept of possibility and responsibility. It is on us to create the future we want to live in. It is on us to create the products that we will need to use to live our lives in the future.”