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Industry News
Mesa Oklahoma Invests in Lifeguard America
Mesa Capital Partners. May 8, 2006
Oklahoma City – Mesa Capital Partners Oklahoma today announced they have closed a $1,580,000 equity funding investment for LifeGuard America, Inc., (www.lifeguardamerica.com) a Tulsa-based company responsible for pioneering technologies in the human organ and tissue transplantation industry. The lead investor in this financing was Mesa Oklahoma Growth Fund I, LP, managed by Mesa Capital Partners Oklahoma.
LifeGuard America’s mission is providing services to significantly enhance the efficiency of the transplant logistics process. The company’s electronic solution gives physicians and clinicians access to improved information so they can make better decisions regarding the suitability of transplants for their patients faster. LifeGuard America has successfully automated the current paper-intensive process of collecting vital donor information by developing a sophisticated electronic process.
LifeGuard America’s patent-pending electronic Donor Information System allows transplant professionals to broadcast donor data quickly and easily via a secure Web site, so physicians and clinicians can view information such as blood and tissue typing, critical lab values and electronic images of the organs being evaluated in “real time.” In future phases of development, the company will support remote high-resolution video and audio access to the organ procurement operating room, allowing any number of transplant teams to simultaneously observe and interact with the procurement team. This enables remote procurement to take place with a high degree of confidence that the organ being procured is indeed suitable for the transplant recipient.
The software and services provided by LifeGuard America help organ procurement coordinators focus on better conversion rates with more time to spend on donor management. The net effect of these actions is to increase the number of organs placed from each donor.
Additionally, the company provides and supports an electronic Tissue Donor Information System, designed to allow tissue screeners and recovery teams rapid access to patient information. LifeGuard America also has implemented an Automated Referral System to effectively integrate information captured at the initial stage of a donor referral, and to help nurses manage the patient assessment and donor eligibility processes accomplished at the hospital level.
John Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of LifeGuard America said “We are very pleased with the significant equity investment led by Mesa Capital Partners, and we look forward to having them add their considerable management expertise to our endeavors. By working together, we believe we will greatly enhance the speed of our success.”
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to invest in LifeGuard America”, said Gregory J. Edwards, one of the Managers of the General Partner for the Fund. “This deal has many favorable aspects for Oklahoma, including the fact that LifeGuard America provides outstanding improvements for a dynamic organ and tissue transplant community nationwide. This company was formed with i2E assistance, utilizing the i2E incubator in Tulsa and now has received its first institutional capitalization. In many respects, this is actually a graduation for the company and we look forward to working with them to build business in the future. Our appreciation goes to the fine people of i2E, as well as the Oklahoma Capital Investment Board who made an early commitment in our Fund and allowed us to expand this type of activity in the State”.
About Mesa Capital Partners
Mesa Capital Partners Oklahoma is an Oklahoma City based early-stage private equity firm which invests in small businesses with high growth potential in industries and geographic areas which are underserved by other capital providers. The Mesa Investment Team has decades of first-hand experience with the challenges facing fast growing small businesses and works in partnership with entrepreneurs to realize the potential of their companies. W. Douglas Frans, Gregory J. Edwards and Moritz P. Schlenzig are Managers of Mesa.
Contacts
Gregory J.Edwards
W. Douglas Frans
(405) 755-8448