Aggie I-Corps Success Stories

Spotlight: Harley Flores

Revolutionizing Healthcare Through Innovation

Meet Harley Flores, a nursing student at NMSU who is tackling a common problem in healthcare with an innovative solution. While pursuing his nursing degree, Harley identified a significant inefficiency in medical procedures and decided to do something about it.

A Simple Solution to a Complex Problem

Harley's business idea centers around a specialized sleeve that healthcare professionals wear on their arm or hand while starting IVs and drawing blood. The sleeve contains all the necessary supplies organized and easily accessible, eliminating the frustration of searching for equipment that often gets scattered, lost, or contaminated during procedures.

"Everything is just thrown on the bed, and people are looking for things. Things get lost, things get dirty," Harley explains. "Everything's right there on your arm and it's easier and faster and more accurate."

Discovering the Market Through I-Corps

Despite having no business background, Harley joined the I-Corps program to gain the knowledge and skills needed to bring his healthcare innovation to market. The program proved to be more work than initially expected, but the insights gained were invaluable.

Through the required 30 customer discovery interviews, Harley learned a crucial lesson about his target market. While many healthcare professionals were excited about improving current processes, he discovered that established nurses who had been doing things the same way for decades were resistant to change.

"I found out that I have to cater more towards the nursing students or people incoming into nursing or into the medical field more than pushing it on to seniors in the field," he shared.

Building Confidence Through Validation

The I-Corps experience significantly improved Harley's perspective on his idea. The customer interviews revealed that healthcare professionals are genuinely frustrated with current processes and eager for solutions that could make their work more efficient.

"It showed me that it was a good idea. People are really interested and they want something to change in their process," Harley noted.

Next Steps and Future Plans

Armed with validation from the I-Corps program, Harley is now working with Sandia National Labs through a grant from the New Mexico Business Development Center to develop blueprints for his product. His next steps include creating a prototype and moving toward manufacturing.

While balancing nursing school, clinical rotations, and business development presents challenges, Harley remains committed to bringing his innovation to healthcare. He believes his solution could significantly impact the medical field by making procedures faster, more efficient, and more hygienic.

Advice for Future Entrepreneurs

Harley's biggest takeaway from I-Corps was learning to think beyond just the product itself. "It gets you thinking about the big questions rather than just your product. It's more like, where can I fit in this world? More than like, oh, where can this product fit?"

He also discovered the value of cold outreach, something that initially made him uncomfortable but proved effective in securing half of his required interviews.

For future I-Corps participants, Harley emphasizes that the program is "definitely worth it" because it provides useful information and encourages big-picture thinking about how innovations can make a real impact in the world.

The I-Corps program at NMSU helps researchers and entrepreneurs validate their business ideas through customer discovery and market research. Learn more about upcoming cohorts and how to apply at https://arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu/program/aggie-i-corps/