The Business of Medicine

Entrepreneurship as a Life-Saving Venture

No medical school? No problem. That's one lesson of a recent entrepreneurial venture launched by Carnegie Mellon's Daniel McChesney (MBA'05) and Ernest Braxton Jr. (MBA'07).

Through their company NeuroLife™, McChesney and Braxton are developing a cutting-edge diagnostic device that's the first in the world to measure brain pressure non-invasively. The promising technology would eliminate risks facing the more than 3.6 million U.S. patients in danger of brain damage as a result of elevated brain pressure.

"The goal is to make it an automated, hand-held device that could fit into a compact bag," said McChesney. Working with fellow entrepreneurs Adil Wali (MBA'07) and Franco D. Harris (MBA'07), the team is well on its way.

The venture landed the Tepper School of Business team the top spot at this year's Super Bowl of Business Plan Competitions, sponsored by Global Moot Corp., and second place in FORTUNE Small Business's annual Student Showdown.

"NeuroLife illustrates the very best in analytic, creative and purposeful team thinking," said Art Boni, the team's faculty advisor. "[It] addresses an unmet medical need by turning a concept for a breakthrough diagnostic device into a viable business that will truly save patients' lives."

Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business is currently ranked the third-best business school in the nation by The Wall Street Journal.