As hospitals close and access to trauma care becomes increasingly limited, especially in rural communities, the window to save lives after severe injury continues to narrow.

This is where SelSym Biotech comes. The company was cofounded by biomedical female engineers Seema Nandi and Ashley Brown, with Tom Barker and Andrew Lyon also serving as cofounders. Nandi earned her B.S. in biomedical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. from NC State, while Brown holds a B.S. in biosystems engineering from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Georgia Tech.

The Triangle-based biotech startup grew out of years of academic research and a shared commitment to turn laboratory innovation into real-world impact. What started as a postdoctoral and graduate research has since evolved into a biotech company working to address uncontrollable bleeding in trauma settings, with applications for both military and civilian care across the United States.

Early breakthroughs in synthetic platelets

Developed initially during Brown’s postdoctoral research and later advanced through Nandi’s graduate work, the technology showed enough promise to discuss the possibility of expanding the research in a new direction. Those discussions eventually led to the creation of SelSym Biotech, a company built to transform years of research into a tangible, translational venture.

Science that supports the body’s natural healing

Once SelSym Biotech was up and running, it was time to take the science off the bench. Enter SymClot, the company’s first synthetic platelet technology, designed to stabilize patients facing severe bleeding. Inspired by the body’s natural clotting process, the SymClot acts like a “helper” for platelets. When bleeding occurs, it rushes to the site of the injury, binds directly to the wound and helps the clot tighten and stabilize. This technology not only reduces blood loss but also gives doctors and first responders more time to provide care. The SymClot is designed to work where traditional treatments might not reach, making it a promising tool for trauma, emergency and battlefield situations. 

“30 million Americans live an hour away from a level-one trauma center and the SymClot exists to stabilize patients during that critical window,” Brown explains.

Charting their path as female founders

Founding SelSym Biotech has meant navigating a male-dominated entrepreneurial landscape, where female founders are few and far between. Brown and Nandi, the two women behind the company’s founding, are keenly aware of what it means to chart a path as female leaders in biotech. At the same time, they have benefited from a strong network of mentorship and support, including programs specifically designed to connect and uplift female founders across the United States. One program Brown highlighted as particularly impactful is Equalize Startups, a national program designed to support female entrepreneurs, providing mentorship, resources and a network of peers to help women navigate the challenges of building and scaling companies. 

“I’ve been fortunate to have incredible female mentors who have paved the way before me and offered invaluable support and guidance,” Nandi emphasizes.

That emphasis on representation extends across the company where half of the founding team is female, including both Brown and Nandi, and the company’s full-time staff is entirely women and graduates of NC State. Together, these realities have allowed Brown and Nandi to build a company that not only advances groundbreaking science but also models the power and potential of female leadership in biotech. 

As female founders, Brown and Nandi have navigated spaces where female voices are uncommon, learning to assert themselves while shaping the direction of SelSym Biotech. “I think sometimes it’s just being the only female in the room,” Brown adds. “You have to get comfortable with that being the case and speaking up.”

Advancing care for the long term

For the next decade and beyond, the founders hope SelSym’s technology will be a standard tool in emergency and clinical care, helping save lives in moments where every minute counts. They envision a company that continues to grow, not just in size, but also in exploring new areas of scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what synthetic platelet technology can achieve. Their long-term goal is to ensure that the life-saving promise of their technology reaches as many lives as possible while continuing to expand their impact within the realm of biotechnology.