Twenty-five percent of adults snore, disrupting their own and their partner’s sleep, with negative effects on health, relationships, and work performance. Chronic snoring can be a symptom of OSA, a precursor to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), or an independent condition with a similar mechanism of action. Although not all snorers have OSA, a noticeable symptom of OSA is snoring. Many chronic snorers fluctuate between no apnea/hypopnea events and several in a night depending on their stress levels, general health, or sleep environment. Solutions range from over-the-counter products like nose strips and mouthguards for snoring, to Darth Vader-like CPAP masks for OSA, which can cause additional sleep difficulties.
The gold standard CPAP, although effective, disrupts sleep more than it helps alleviate symptoms for those with mild OSA. The remaining, more easily accessible products, do not address the underlying physiological cause of snoring and OSA: low tongue “patency”, where the main tongue muscle is too relaxed, causing the tongue to fall back or vibrate and obstruct breathing. A recent innovation involves implanting an electrical cuff into the tongue that emits an electrical pulse when the system detects the user isn’t breathing. Not exactly Zen.
Enter the HATCH startup Zennea Technologies. Founded by business major Rachel Chase and Oliver Luo from Mechatronics System Engineering when they were at Simon Fraser University, Zennea emerged from research done under the guidance of UBC Clinical Professor of Medicine and sleep disorders expert, Dr. Wayne Lai. It soon became clear to the two that no attempt had been made to address the causes of snoring and mild sleep apnea, so they got work.
The Road to HATCH
Their initial research into a solution got the pair into the HAX hardware accelerator, first in Shenzhen to work on a prototype, then in San Francisco to develop the business side. Connections there ultimately led to the Creative Destruction Lab and HATCH startup accelerator at UBC, where they currently reside.
“We’ve been in HATCH since early 2019,” says CEO Rachel, “and it’s been a great environment for us to build our team and be mentored by medical device experts from entrepreneurship@UBC (e@UBC). The HATCH workshops on sales, investor due diligence, and team building have been invaluable. Also, being associated with the University has added a level of professionalism we needed when we first started building the company.”
Zennea’s device, ZENS, consists of a non-invasive wearable device that attaches below the chin and is controlled wirelessly by a mobile app. It stimulates the tongue as required to keep it from relaxing or falling back and causing snoring and mild OSA. Zennea has just completed a preliminary clinical trial that will allow them to conduct a more extensive trial and apply for FDA approval. Meanwhile they continue to build their business in HATCH, growing from 6-14 employees over the past 6 months.
Launching a Startup an Olympian Effort
While not an Olympic event, getting a good night’s sleep can be a massive challenge for those plagued by snoring and sleep apnea, and their partners. Solving it—and starting a business generally—can be an Olympian effort. “Launching a company is a marathon, not a sprint,” comments Rachel. “You have to pace yourself and have a great team around you, with whom you can share the workload and rely on to pass the baton to. The HATCH internship program has given us access to people like Tori Koelewyn, and they are great additions to the team.”
Tori graduated from UBC’s Engineering Physics program in 2019. “Some of the best experiences I had in EngPhys were in the projects component,” she says. “It instilled a love of working with people and tackling challenging projects.” Tori jumped at the chance to join the HATCH internship program, which is generously supported by donors, the summer she graduated.
“During my internship,” Tori says, “the intern chose the company. I chose Zennea, because I liked chatting with Rachel, and I liked the technology. There was a good vibe that I responded to.”
Tori ended up working for Zennea four days a week through the summer, and with another startup the fifth day. “The internship gave me the opportunity to greatly expand my knowledge,” she adds, “and then transition into a full-time position. It was a smooth process, because I felt that I was already part of the team, and the project I had been working on fed nicely into the next one.”
“Sometimes the stars align,” concludes Rachel, “and we can bring interns like Tori onboard right away as full-time employees.
For more information on Zennea Technologies, contact info@zenneatech.com.
Rachel Chase, CEO
Tori Koelewyn, R&D Engineer