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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S case-log platform developed by two orthopedists and two graduates of the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology, including CEO Sangeeth Kumar. Kumar, 34, was born in India and worked as an engineer in motorsports early in his career and later for Silicon Valley startups. He says the idea for Jotlogs began in a conversation with one of JotLog's co-founders, an orthopedic surgeon. "He was telling me about his frus- tration about using the health records system to capture case notes, and how much time it took away from help- ing patients," says Kumar, who moved with his family from San Francisco to Portland two years ago. "It was a senti- ment I often heard from doctors." Working in the medical-device sector at the time, Kumar did further research and set up a team to launch JotLogs in January 2022. "ere's a lot of data within health care that's not really tapped into," he says. "We're at a good time where tech- nology can be utilized in meaningful ways to minimize some of the burden on doctors and other medical providers." While orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons at hospitals in New York State and the Boston area are currently testing the platform, cardiologists, urologists and doctors in other special- ties along with medical students have also expressed an interest, Kumar says. e web-based app, powered by artifi- cial intelligence, is available in Apple's ioS mobile operating system, with an Android version also planned. e technology is updated every few weeks based on user feedback. While the team has not filed any patent appli- cations, Kumar says they're still figuring out the right path and aim to start rais- ing external capital next year. Startup costs so far have been minimal for JotLogs, which received a $25,000 grant from from Northeastern University's Roux Institute via its Founder Residency that started in July. e company used the money for legal costs related to business incorpo- ration, to hire project contractors and P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Sangeeth Kumar, originally from India, is the Portland-based co-founder and CEO of JotLogs, a startup that aims to streamline data entry for surgeons. F O C U S S E P T E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 2 2 18 Had I started this business on the West Coast, it would have been a little harder and pretty fast-paced. — Sangeeth Kumar JotLogs F rom surgical data entry to early breast-cancer detection, innova- tion in health care is sparking a flurry of new business activity in Maine. Early-stage startups include Group B Labs, the Seattle-based cre- ator of an advanced baby bottle called "Bubbe" to keep formula and breast milk cold until feeding time, then heat it to the perfect temperature. Potential uses of the patented technology go well beyond a consumer product for parents, like nourishing newborns in neonatal intensive care units and for use with blood on battlefields. Formed in 2018 by Illi and Olivia Eisner, the now four-person company has strong ties to Maine stemming from its participation last year in a business accelerator program at Northeastern University's Roux Institute — and they might even be back one day for good. "If the conditions are right," Olivia says, "it certainly is a possibility for us." Saying more products are in the works, Illi jokes about a Bubbe/coffee maker combo, saying, "Everybody's happy then." Four other early-stage health-related startups, all based in Maine, are also worth watching. JotLogs: Solving surgeons' 'pain points' How can surgeons keep track of medi- cal procedures and then use that data for research? Enter JotLogs, a digital Five innovative startups out to 'disrupt' health care Finger on the PULSE B y R e n e e C o r d e s

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