City company’s CapTrack product could revolutionize lab systems
A device made by a local startup company is about to revolutionize laboratory systems.
Trent University-based business Lab Improvements revealed the CapTrack at the university’s DNA building on Tuesday.
It’s a portable device that’s designed to eliminate high-risk, monotonous tasks in labs, while improving productivity and workflow.
CapTrack recaps sample tubes and enters the tubes’ information into a database, making it quicker to locate in refrigerated storage later on.
Lab Improvements partners Alex Bushell and Steve Wright created the device.
Bushell said lab workers often spend up to two hours searching for samples in coolers. Using CapTrack, lab staff will be able to find them in minutes.
“It’s crazy to think that labs do this manually now,” Bushell said.
On Tuesday, they signed a deal with M2 Scientifics in Michigan to market and distribute their device to American health sciences.
Although the local company is licensed and certified to sell in Canada, the health care system and procurement process haven’t made it easy so far.
“Canada is a tough nut to crack ... it’s very difficult,” said Bushell, adding that the provincial government is working to change that.
CapTrack sells for about US$50,000, while traditional large-scale automated systems providing the same function can cost more than $3 million.
It’s also much smaller than its counterparts. The 64-pound tabletop device can be unplugged and moved from one workspace to another.
And it’s designed to work on any power system in the world.
“We plan to roll it out globally as we continue to grow,” Bushell said.
The pair has dubbed CapTrack the 100-mile machine because they were able to source the majority of its parts locally, have it locally manufactured and their five employees are local too.
Bushell and Wright, both Peterborough natives, have been working on the machine since they launched their business about two years ago.
During that time, they’ve been working out of The Cube, the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster’s incubator.
“We’re not entrepreneurs ... and needed lots of support like anyone would, but together with them, we were able to essentially live our dream of starting our own company and working for ourselves,” Bushell said.
Michael Skinner, the president and CEO of the Innovation Cluster, said Lab Improvements success is a great example of the high tech jobs that can be created locally.
“One of the big challenges when you’re selling a community is proving the community has the capacity to be successful and I think this is a great showcase of Lab Improvements showing what our community can do,” Skinner said.