The Importance of UpLyft: An Interview

By Sam Shepherd

UpLyft is a seated transfer assistive technology that gives people the ability to independently (or with help) be safely transferred from one spot to another, such as from bed to wheelchair. UpLyft is important for people with mobility challenges, whether it’s someone with a developmental disability, someone aging or with another health condition. We had the chance to interview Craig Misrach, the CEO of UpLyft, to learn more about the company’s background, operations, and challenges. 

Question 1: Tell me about how UpLyft got started and how you got involved? 

I was brought on as CEO about 6 years ago. I was asked to lead the commercialization efforts for the company. This is my third medical device company. I was brought on to get through FDA registration, clinical and usability requirements, as well as establish manufacturing and distribution. Today, we’re scaling and expanding our sales reach through the U.S. and Canada. I was informed about it really through a contract manufacturing partner I used with one of my previous ventures, who was approached by our late Founder and was looking for a CEO to run the business. Our late Founder, Anton Simson, was a triple degree engineer from MIT; a 30-year aerospace engineer. One of the reasons as to why something like this doesn't otherwise exist is because we had a literal rocket scientist that developed UpLyft. The reason he [Anton] did so was because he had a dear friend who got in a car accident, weighed 275 lbs, was paralyzed after, and his wife couldn’t get him out of bed. Anton was 80 years old at the time, in 2016, and the first prototype he built, his friend Patrick used it for two years to get out of bed independently before he passed away. So, Anton developed the technology, filed all the patents, incorporated here in California, and then we met, as I mentioned, and that’s how we got off of the ground. 

Question 2: What are some of the biggest challenges broadly? 

First of all, in the industry as a whole – and it’s why we think we’re so well positioned –  there really is no adequate bedside transfer technology to independently transfer in and out of bed. There is a technology called scissor lifts where the weight capacity on those is arguably no more than 250 lbs. They have no seat, so it makes for not the most comfortable experience and the weight of your body is on your armpits. Versus with UpLyft, you’re just sitting comfortably with your arms at your side or maybe with one hand using the joystick. I think the second challenge in the assistive technology space, and it’s probably something a lot of executives or people commercializing the space will say, is the payer landscape. We live in a country where insurance reimbursement is the status quo and expectation, and part of the reason I got in this space is because it seemed to be more cash-pay oriented. With standard hoists and lifts, it’s $2,000 for a portable sling or a hydraulic and some folks can pay out of pocket for that. But obviously with any advancement in technology, especially one that can provide the value of the independence of getting out of bed, or in the case of our zero lifting configuration: less physical burden, less time to transfer, more comfort in transfer, there’s value there. And value then becomes priced. We’re not inexpensive. We’ve had to be very creative through our leasing program, which allows people to be able to afford an UpLyft. Some customers have also used a third-party nonprofit organization to get some sort of subsidy. I would think those are two of the most challenging aspects of this space.

Question 3: Who do you normally work with? 

We built this company on the foundation of a direct consumer business. You met Bria, our VP of Marketing, and she’s been with us for almost 6 years. She previously ran marketing for F1 racing in Montreal and she really knows how to utilize various marketing tactics to attract the end user consumer, which is why we are getting inbound leads. So it’s beautiful, especially in the space where you’re helping people with disabilities, that they are contacting us expressing their interest. That digital funnel is something that frankly, in the DME space, is not the norm. The industry has very much been operating with lots of COGS to the supply chain, insurance reimbursement, and retail locations as an example. Instead, UpLyft is using digital marketing to build a significant portion of our demand and that’s how we’re attracting our customers in home health. For institutional healthcare - which we define as senior living, hospitals, or complex rehab - we have a Head of Sales to drive demand at the Executive Director and Chief Nursing level and we also partner with great 3rd party organizations, such as Human Care, who is a known international player in the hoist and lift space. Their CEO, Liz Morand, has been a fantastic partner, as well as the rest of their organization. UpLyft fits like hand in glove with Human Care’s overhead gantry product called the FlexiRail which helps people independently transfer from their bedside. I see a lot more synergy for respective organizations as time moves forward. We also utilize a lot of 3rd party dealers to access homes and complete the last mile of delivery and customer training. So, that's another avenue that allows us to access the consumer. Now that we branch into institutions, to augment our sales staff, we are looking to partner with additional multinational safe-patient handling organizations who may have a robust sales force and want to partner with us to sell and distribute UpLyft further across sales channels. But obviously, it’s opportunities like this interview that help to spread the word. LinkedIn is also an avenue. I say this all the time, doctors and nurses are important people too; it’s very much a business-to-business platform where you can market your technology and give people the ability to inquire over time. 

Question 4: Is there anything else that you’d like to add? 

We're doing this for the disabled individual. The gift of independence; it’s not that UpLyft can cure everything, but for sure it can help improve or restore one’s quality of life in a home situation. When you're talking about institutions, picking someone off of the floor is a big deal. Also, changing bed linens; lifting someone to change bed linens is a big deal for nurses. So, we’re not just here for the individual but we’re also here for nurses and caregivers to make life a little bit easier for something that can be very challenging. 

You can learn more about UpLyft here.