CaroRhythm | Learning to Position for Success
By Nisha Maheshwari (CEO, Co-Founder of CaroRhythm, NYU Tandon PhD ’25)
& Lokesh Sharma (Co-Founder of CaroRhythm, NYU Tandon PhD ’28)
At CaroRhythm, we have always been clear on our mission: improving stroke care beyond the hospital. Our device, CaroSense, is the only outpatient stroke monitoring device that continuously tracks a patient’s vascular health. We help stroke survivors and caregivers feel safe at home and in their daily lives by notifying them of the early onset of a recurrent stroke. We help code stroke clinicians effectively treat patients by providing them with a patient’s last-known well, which determines the available treatment options. Before the SVF Accelerator, we thought this was enough to help us succeed in bringing affordability to healthcare.
The accelerator program helped us see that having a strong sense of purpose isn’t always enough to be successful in the business world or as a company. Brand strategy, a concept we had never focused on pre-SVF, is what really helps unlock attention and amplify success. All it took was one workshop for us to realize the importance of translating our clinical insights into investable stories. We want people to care as much as we do about secondary prevention and accessible healthcare, and that all starts with demonstrating how we show up as a company and a team.
We learned that a good positioning statement is distinctive, elevated, differentiated, and long-lasting, and that this can help us move CaroSense from a clinical innovation to a practical, scalable device for real-world integration. We know we have all of these elements.
We are distinctive: We’re two engineers with a passion for discovery and innovation, who chose to go into Biomedical Engineering to leverage our strengths and bring accessible and affordable healthcare to one of the most vulnerable populations. We are constantly asking questions, and unlike your average engineers, we engage our customers for the answers.
We are elevated: We don’t have to do everything; we just have to be the best at what we do. We are focused on engaging our initial target customers (stroke survivors) early in the development process so we can make sure we meet all of their needs without getting distracted by shiny features that only meet their wants.
We are differentiated: CaroSense is the only device that not only measures biometrics, but also images the vasculature of the neck to track embolic activity. We believe this will allow us to provide better reliability than our competitors.
We are long-lasting: Unfortunately, stroke and stroke recurrences aren’t going anywhere. In fact, the World Stroke Organization predicted this year that 25% of the global population will have a stroke in their lifetime. Secondary prevention will always be necessary. And it will always help save lives.
We learned that a brand is built by the hearts and minds of our audience, and not by us. Now, we’re ready to take this new knowledge and build a brand, product, and company that lasts.
