An award-winning Galway medtech start-up is one of ten from around the world to be selected for the second cohort of 51 Labs focused on preventing maternal mortality in the US – before, during and after birth.

NUA Surgical is the only non-US company selected to participate on the accelerator which is a familiar position the company has found itself on throughout its start-up journey.

Last year, the company were the only non-US company selected for Cohort 15 of the prestigious Texas Medical Center HealthTech Accelerator in Houston and in 2021, they were the only European company selected for the maternal and infant health accelerator with Parkview Health, Indiana.

NUA Surgical is an award-winning Irish startup that strives to reduce the risk of maternal complications following caesarean delivery through their patented technology.

The company has developed the SteriCISION C-section Retractor, ergonomically designed to improve access and visualization to the uterus, reduce the risk of wound trauma and facilitate a safer surgery.

The experienced founding team of Barry McCann, Padraig Maher and Marie-Therese Maher is bolstered with the recent appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Garner, global women’s health thought leader, as their board chair. They were chosen from a pool of 70 applicants from around the globe.

The ten will take part in a virtual, twelve-week accelerator featuring one-on-one mentoring with industry experts, workshops, interactive roundtable discussions, forums and more.

The programme will culminate next Mayo in a live showcase in Chicago attended by leaders throughout the women’s health community.

It’s the latest accolade for NUA Surgical, which has received global accolades for their maternal health innovation since spinning out of the renowned BioInnovate Ireland programme at University of Galway.

In 2022, NUA won the MedTech category of the ‘Global Tech For Good’ Competition run by Empact Ventures, and were double winners at the National Start-Up Awards.

The company were also double winners at the 2023 National HealthTech Innovation Awards in the category of ‘Best Indigenous Start-Up’, followed by ‘Overall Winner’ across all categories.

And last December, NUA Surgical was named ‘Emerging MedTech Company of the Year’ at the prestigious Irish MedTech Awards.

CEO Barry McCann described this as ‘another positive step for the company, and a great opportunity for us to strengthen relationships with some of the top healthcare systems and women’s health companies in the US’.

“For our innovative device to be recognised by subject matter experts is further validation that we truly can make a difference in maternal health outcomes which is core to our mission,” he added.

Pictured: NUA Surgical founders (from left) Padraig Maher, Marie-Therese Maher and CEO Barry McCann.