KT Cath’s Mission: Revolutionize Catheter Care with a Simple Tool
A drive to change the lives of patients and caregivers was the inspiration behind KT Innovations, a company looking to eliminate infections and more serious complications associated with catheter use with the invention of the KT Cath.
Katelyn Holt - a registered nurse and company CEO - founded the company. Through her 10+ years of nursing experience, Holt repeatedly witnessed the failure of existing incontinence solutions, including the failure of condom catheters, incontinence briefs leading to skin breakdown (ulcers), and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) from internal foley catheters that can lead to blood infections and death. This shockingly prevalent failure of care led her to invent a new style of male urinary catheter–the KT Cath.
As a functional and dependable alternative to the current standard of care, the KT Cath deploys a revolutionary design that is a departure from condom-style and other traditional external male catheters. The product journey milestones began in June of 2020 when the KT Cath was granted an official US Utility Patent. The RIHub Venture Mentoring Service program paired Holt with experts in the MedTech/Med Device and FDA Regulation spaces, followed by the RIHUB Customer Discovery Program, which finds the right customers prior to development and market entry through “Lean Stack” methodology.
How NEMIC Became a Pivotal Partner for KT Cath
Continuing on her entrepreneurial journey, Holt took a deep dive into the Medical Device and Medical Technology space, by completing NEMIC’s signature MedTech Leadership Program [MTLP], followed by being accepted into the highly competitive NEMIC Accelerator Program, funded through Rhode Island Commerce. Katelyn has received $17,000 in grants along with 'in kind' services for the development of KT Cath. As of today, the device continues to move through the research and development process, where prototypes are helping to refine and perfect the design.