OEN NewsFitting the Puzzle Pieces Together Via Biomedical Engineering and Serial Entrepreneurship
Jeremy Hammer’s interest in science and math was nurtured early on. At age 12, a broken ankle gave Hammer a peek into the world of medical technology.
“I was really fascinated by the technology that helped care for my ankle,” he said. “That showed me my love of science and math could be applied to the medical field.”
Hammer eventually chose to go to the University of Utah to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering and stepped into his career path as a consulting engineer for a medical device startup soon after graduating. He sold copiers business to business while the startup was fundraising and did engineering for the startup in the evenings. The company was attempting to develop a needle device that could lessen the risk of false positives in blood cultures. When that organization ultimately dissolved, Hammer found an opportunity for innovation from different angle.
“From there, I researched the technology two competitors in the space were using and uncovered some areas for product improvement,” Hammer said. Thus, High Peak Medical was born.
Hammer dove into product development, improving and evolving a novel blood diversion device that can help prevent false positive blood cultures. Along the way, he got important market insights from investors, studied the clinical trials of competitors and was an Angel Oregon Life & Bioscience (AOBIO) Emerge Grant Recipient in 2022.
“Throughout the process, I learned that what I was working on wouldn’t necessarily create more adoption over competitors, and I shifted to increasing the intellectual property (IP)’s value,” Hammer said.
Hammer was able to get in touch with executives at Magnolia Medical Technologies, a company focused on advancing diagnostic accuracy in medicine, through his network. The connection proved fruitful, and Magnolia acquired High Peak Medical and its associated IP in July 2023.
One of Hammer’s key learnings from launching and then selling High Peak Medical is the importance of market fit.
“I actually did things in reverse with High Peak,” he said. “My advice to my future self is to dive into the market and voice of customer research–interview customers across different segments like innovators, early adopters and late adopters. Then start inventing.”
Hammer’s success with selling the IP has kept his entrepreneurship interest alive and well. He’s now working at early-stage startup EndoSound, going through the Venture Partners Program at Venture Partners Fund, and keeping his eyes and ears open for his next project. Once he finds the right fit, Hammer is looking forward to jumping into market research and uncovering product-market fit.
“I enjoy the startup atmosphere,” Hammer said. “Just like engineering, it’s problem solving; it’s all a puzzle, and putting each piece together is enjoyable.”
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