Invest in Pirouette Medical (YC S21)

Pirouette is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare accessibility by ushering in the future of injections. We make auto-injectors designed to be approachable and easy to use. With Pirouette, it's not just about saving lives; it's about empowering them.

Led by rocket scientists and top engineering minds from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Clarkson University, NASA, and General Electric, Pirouette is developing proprietary technology to save lives – whether a patient is facing an overdose or a child has severe allergies. 

Y-Combinator, and notable venture capital funds including Safar Partners, Liquid 2 Ventures, and Gaingels all agree: Pirouette can be a disruptive force to the massive $600B injectable drug delivery market. 

For over half a century, injection technology has remained largely unchanged, relying on outdated syringes wrapped in plastic to reduce accidents and errors. These attempts are far from optimal. 

Injections continue to cause fear and anxiety, often stemming from a patient’s anticipation of pain, the visual impact of a giant needle penetrating the skin. This fear can petrify patients and caregivers, preventing them from readily administering medicines they need to survive.

While auto-injectors sought to reduce the need for healthcare providers on-site, they didn’t address the needle phobia nor eliminate use errors, and simultaneously drove up costs.

For individuals in potentially fatal situations, the daunting task of self-administering or administering medication to someone else adds unnecessary anxiety to an already overwhelming experience. For some, this fear of injecting medicine can be paralyzing.

Equally anxiety-inducing is the exorbitant cost of auto-injectors. Even with insurance, high copays and limited annual purchase allowances often result in inadequate access to these essential devices, leaving patients financially burdened or without the support they need. 

The injections market is in critical need of an intuitive and affordable solution.

At Pirouette, our goal is to make injections as easy as pushing a button.

Pirouette’s auto-injector looks different for a reason. We started from scratch, leveraging design thinking methods to ground our approach in real patient needs and insights intended to address the most important factors: ease-of-use, portability, and affordability.

With Pirouette, patients administering an injection would never see the needle. The steps to administer the injection were designed to be intuitively simple, with the goal to reduce the risk of errors, such as accidental injections or lacerations that could result from incorrect administration.

50M Americans are at risk of life-threatening allergic reactions. 300 Americans are dying of narcotic overdoses every day. Pirouette wants to simplify the administration of life-saving medications like Epinephrine and Naloxone for you, your loved ones, or your neighbor who might depend on them. But it doesn't stop there - the vision encompasses a wide array of drug applications. 

We want to revolutionize the way critical life-saving treatments are administered, starting with severe allergic reactions and drug overdoses. 

Pirouette's auto-injector is designed with the capability to pair with any injectable drug. Our technology has the potential to be applied to an array of new markets, such as medicines for those struggling with chronic obesity or trying to start a family via in vitro fertilization (IVF).

By using one standard auto-injector platform for multiple medications, we can streamline production and keep costs low. This uniquely low cost of goods sold (COGS) and price model could open the door to a significant advantage over competitors, broadening both access and market penetration.  

Pirouette aims to revolutionize healthcare by expanding our scope of intuitive and affordable injectable medicine to millions, transforming access to vital treatments for millions.

The total addressable market (TAM) for injectable drugs surpasses $600B with an 8% annual growth in U.S. prescription rates. Pirouette’s first-generation auto-injector, focusing initially on epinephrine and naloxone, already has the potential to reach to nearly half of this vast market ($250B).

The global Naloxone market is, unfortunately, significant and growing rapidly: $320M+ (by conservative estimates) in 2023 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1%. This market is expected to reach a projected $743M+ by 2028.

We envision a future where all injectable medications can be seamlessly delivered through Pirouette’s best-in-class auto-injectors, thereby transforming the colossal $600B market.

Pirouette’s intuitive device and affordable design are already catching the attention of potential patients and prescribers. We know because they’ve told us themselves.

Data from our recent survey conducted in collaboration with the University of Rochester shows that a staggering 93% of more than 900 patients want to make the switch to Pirouette’s epinephrine auto-injector and over 70% of more than 250 prescribers want to begin prescribing it.

Pirouette’s impressive technology is fortified by a powerful collection of robust utility patents. 

Our auto-injector is shielded by an extensive intellectual property moat that protects our internal mechanisms, design, and future iterations of the technology.

Pirouette's team is made up of a dynamic powerhouse of creative engineering minds from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Clarkson University, NASA and General Electric. With over a decade of tackling highly regulated industries together, from aerospace to medical devices, our team brings experience in bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and patient-centered healthcare solutions.

We plan to make Pirouette injections accessible via a network of wholesale distributors, leveraging their capabilities to reach retail pharmacies, clinical sites, and patients directly. 

Our pipeline of potential partners is enthusiastic and ready to back our distribution efforts.

We’re laser-focused on two strategic goals: 1) securing FDA approval and 2) launching two flagship products in the market: the epinephrine and naloxone auto-injectors. Once we achieve these goals, we can scale and rapidly expand our product offerings.

As Pirouette’s auto-injector makes its debut, our cutting-edge functionality and affordable pricing will position us for market disruption and corresponding revenue growth. 

Our initial focus on our epinephrine and naloxone auto-injectors alone has the potential to capture 17% of the market over the next five years. Please note, this is a forecast and can not be guaranteed.

Injectable drug delivery now touches more lives than ever, as millions rely on auto-injectors for both chronic and emergency care. Pirouette envisions a future where injections are as easy as pushing a button - meticulously designed with patients in mind.

We’re raising on Wefunder because we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to invest in making life-saving medications convenient and accessible for all and to engage the communities that we are working so diligently to advocate for. 

NON-MARKETING DISCLAIMER

Pirouette has not received regulatory approval to market any auto-injector nor any other medical device. The funds from this campaign will support the development of Pirouette’s auto-injector technology on the pathway to a potential future submission requesting regulatory approval. An investment is not a purchase of a device. No devices, of any kind, will be provided in connection with an investment in this fundraising campaign.