Real-World Startup Experience Combined With
Industry Expertise and Proven Business Methodologies
Lay The Foundation
Clearly defining the problem(s) a new solution will address and who the first customers are likely to be, is critical to ensuring an early and successful alignment between research, development and commercialization efforts.
This training introduces participating teams to the concept of a beachhead market and provides them with proven tools and methods…
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Perfect the Pitch
A great pitch deck starts with a compelling and de-risked business model and builds on it to highlight the key content investors care about.
With this goal in mind, The Refinery leverages a mix of training, white-board sessions, consultation and coaching to assist startups with developing a killer pitch deck – whether they're looking to…
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Execute The Plan
Created to accelerate the development of medical devices and services, The Forge provides accepted startups with the expertise and resources they need to transition their validated technologies into market-ready products with FDA clearance.
Our coordinated approach is implemented by a fractional team of…
More…Lay The Foundation
Clearly defining the problem(s) a new solution will address and who the first customers are likely to be, is critical to ensuring an early and successful alignment between research, development and commercialization efforts.
This training introduces participating teams to the concept of a beachhead market and provides them with proven tools and methods for defining theirs.
Topics covered:
- Market Segmentation & Sizing
- Journey Mapping
- Pains, Gains & Jobs to be Done
- Identifying & Ranking Risks
- Stakeholder Interviewing
- Intro to Pitch Deck Development
Includes the following:
- 2 daylong in-person workshops
- 2 two-hour virtual workshops
- 3 virtual consultation sessions per Team
- Optional regulatory assessment services also offered
Perfect The Pitch
A great pitch deck starts with a compelling and de-risked business model and builds on it to highlight the key content investors care about.
With this goal in mind, The Refinery leverages a mix of training, white-board sessions, consultation and coaching to assist startups with developing a killer pitch deck – whether they're looking to raise their first seed investment, or a round of follow-on matching funds. For our more promising startups, we'll also make introductions to our network of angel investors.
Services Offered (as needed):
- Training on 12 topics every pitch deck should address
- Assessment of current business model and pitch deck
- Business planning and de-risking
- Pitch deck content development
- Pitch deck graphical design
- Presentation scripting assistance
- Coaching on presentation delivery
Execute The Plan
Created to accelerate the development of medical devices and services, The Forge provides accepted startups with the expertise and resources they need to transition their validated technologies into market-ready products with FDA clearance.
Our coordinated approach is implemented by a fractional team of medical device experts with decades of experience in new product development, regulatory strategy and commercialization.
Areas of Expertise Provided:
- Regulatory
- Verification & Validation
- Engineering (Embedded Software, EE, ME, etc.)
- Manufacturing
- Marketing (Up & Downstream)
- Project management
- Product design
- IP Development
- Executive Leadership
- More…
At HealthForge, we turn breakthrough medical device innovations into high-value investment opportunities. Our venture studio model unlocks the potential of world-class technologies that often stall within academia, bridging the gap between brilliant research and commercial success.
A Smarter Path to Market
By focusing exclusively on medical devices and services, we align every resource toward one goal: accelerating commercialization and maximizing exit potential.
Our team includes industry veterans with deep experience developing and launching FDA-regulated devices for leading healthcare companies such as Philips, Smith+Nephew, and MEDRAD.
These experts actively engage with our startups to guide product development, regulatory strategy, and market launch, thereby ensuring each venture is built for speed, compliance, and scalability.
What Investors Gain
- Clearly defined problem and validated solution
- Patented, market-ready technology
- Vetted founders with aligned incentives
- Professional cross-functional team
- Exit-focused strategy from day one
- Investor-ready pitch and realistic business model
We're Passionate About Startups
Julie Gulick
CEO & Co-Founder
Business Leader and strategic thinker with strong implementation skills. Expert in translating customer needs into marketing requirements for products and services. Julie has a BS, MS in Materials Science from Penn State University and an MBA in Finance & Strategy from the University of Pittsburgh.
John Kachaylo
CMO & Co-Founder
Marketing Veteran with demonstrated experience and success in strategic marketing, marketing communications, product management and business development. Skilled at market analysis and brand building. John has a BS, BA in Advertising from Youngstown State University.
Our Strategic Partners
Bally Design applies a human-centered design philosophy to create innovative products that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are intuitive to use.
SDS develops software for embedded systems and IoT devices used in a wide range of markets, including industrial, governmental, and of course, medical.
Qualira leverages their deep industry expertise to navigate and execute the regulatory requirements of the FDA and global markets.
MedTech Dynamics assists startups with program management services that ensure a product development process that's on schedule and within budget.
The Barry Group is a full-service marketing communications agency offering website development, digital advertising, email marketing, CRM, list and database management, graphic design, and more.
Appalachian Investors Alliance (AIA)
is a non-profit foundation working to revitalize the region's economy through entrepreneur readiness. Over 400 accredited investor members across 11 states have invested in nearly 90 businesses.