Startup
SequiDose aims to make IV delivery safer
UW-Milwaukee professors Dr. Jessica Rotier and Dr. Osvaldo Jhonatan Sepulveda Villet turned a back-of-the-napkin idea into a startup that’s now on the path toward FDA approval.
Their innovation, SequiDose, is a syringe-based delivery platform designed to streamline IV medication administration. The device is built to hold prefilled, sealed doses—supplied by pharmaceutical manufacturers—which are pierced in sequence by a specially designed internal plunger, allowing multiple medications or flushes to be delivered through a single connection. The goal: reduce the risk of infection, improve efficiency for nurses, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes. With support from UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation, the team is pursuing federal funding and long-term commercialization plans.
Brian Walsh, Senior Technology Commercialization Manager at the UWM Research Foundation, worked closely with Rotier and Sepulveda Villet to help the professors begin the pathway to commercializing their innovation.
“SequiDose is a great example of the pipeline to commercialization for a technology-based innovation and how our office as well as the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center can assist and guide. We first met with Jhonatan and Jessica over two years ago when they disclosed their idea. Less than a year later, they formed their startup entity – SequiDose – which opened the door for a Federal SBIR grant application. Not long after that, a provisional patent application was filed, and the team participated in the Milwaukee I-Corps program to gain business model insights. With continued pivots and iterations and hustling, Jhonatan and Jessica push forward with the goal of an FDA medical device submission in a few years as a monumental milestone,” he said.
MKEStartup.News (MSUN) recently spoke with the founders about their company and the next steps in their entrepreneurial journey.
MSUN: What is SequiDose, and where did the idea come from?
Rotier: SequiDose is a device that allows for sequential doses to be delivered through a single connection point—hence the name. As a nurse, I often give medications that require flushing the IV before and after. If you’re administering two meds, that’s five syringes and multiple cleanings of the IV hub, which adds time and introduces risk. I thought, wouldn’t it be great to streamline that? I talked to Jhonatan about the idea, and he started sketching what it could look like.
Sepulveda Villet: It really was a moment of serendipity. Within five minutes, we had a concept sketched out. We showed it around and kept hearing the same thing: “Why hasn’t anyone done this before?” That told us we were on to something. That sketch turned into a provisional patent and a formal disclosure through the UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation.
MSUN: What healthcare challenge are you aiming to solve?
Sepulveda Villet: Every time a syringe connects to an IV line, there’s a risk of introducing bacteria. That’s how central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) happen. These are serious infections that occur in 5 to 6 out of every 1,000 central line insertions. With millions of IV events happening across the country, the numbers add up fast. And since IV lines are a direct pathway to the bloodstream, even a small lapse in technique can lead to a big problem.
Rotier: SequiDose simplifies that process. It reduces the number of connections and flushes, which lowers infection risk and makes a nurse’s job easier, especially in high-pressure situations.
MSUN: What stage are you at in development?
Rotier: We’ve filed a provisional patent application and are in the process of converting that to a utility patent application.
Sepulveda Villet: We’ve also applied for NIH (National Institute of Health) funding under the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program. We were initially rejected but got great feedback and have resubmitted. If approved, we’ll begin work in December.
MSUN: What are your next steps if you receive the grant?
Rotier: We’ll begin by testing the device in UWM’s simulation center using IV arms and mannequins. We want to assess how easy it is for nurses to use.
Sepulveda Villet: SequiDose is a Class II A medical device, so we’ll need both preclinical testing and clinical trials with human subjects. We estimate it’ll take about 8 to 10 years from now to reach the market, assuming everything goes smoothly. The Department of Defense offers partnerships that could accelerate the timeline, which we’re exploring. They’re interested in dual-use technologies—those that serve both military and civilian medical needs. SequiDose could be useful in field hospitals or combat zones, where infection control and speed are even more critical.
MSUN: How has participating in the NSF I-Corps program helped shape your strategy?
Sepulveda Villet: I-Corps was eye-opening. It helped us realize that while hospitals will use the product, our actual customer is pharmaceutical manufacturers. Our device is designed to be prefilled and premeasured at the factory. That insight came directly from our customer discovery work in I-Corps, and it shifted how we position the product and whom we plan to license it to.
MSUN: What’s your long-term commercialization strategy?
Sepulveda Villet: We’re not aiming to build a manufacturing facility ourselves. Instead, we’d like to license the technology to established pharmaceutical or medical device companies. That way, it can scale faster and reach more patients without the burden of building infrastructure from scratch.
MSUN: What role has the UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation played in your journey?
Sepulveda Villet: They’ve been pivotal. From the very beginning, they’ve helped us move this from an idea to a viable startup. They’ve guided us through the patent process, helped us make connections, and supported our commercialization path. Without them, this would still be just a sketch on a piece of paper.
To follow the development of this emerging technology, connect with SequiDose here.
