ZeitLife Receives Investment From National Kidney Foundation’s Innovation Fund

By Dan Anderson • Nov 22, 2023

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) recently announced its latest investment through the NKF Innovation Fund. ZeitLife Transplant Innovations is a global medical device company specializing in advancing technologies to modernize kidney preservation and logistics.

Headed by industry veterans deeply committed to the organ procurement and transplantation community, ZeitLife brings specialized engineering, industrial design, clinical insights, scaled manufacturing, and commercial expertise to address the most pressing challenges and ambitious promises in kidney transplantation. And the company is at the forefront of advancing preservation fluid and machine perfusion technologies, with a relentless focus on the urgent challenges in organ transportation and logistics. Their specialized expertise and commitment to serial entrepreneurship in the field position them to drive the sharing of organs over longer distances, ensuring universal compliance with solidly established clinical evidence.

By introducing efficient new business models and routine workflows, ZeitLife is accelerating the modernization of the procurement and transplant system. This strategic investment with NKF’s Innovation Fund will further empower ZeitLife in its mission to serve as a key player in the promising future of supplying organs on demand.

This deal signifies the NKF’s ongoing commitment to investing in innovative solutions that will improve the lives of kidney disease patients and advance kidney health. And the NKF’s Innovation Fund has a track record of supporting groundbreaking companies, including Klinrisk and Diatiro, to enhance health equity through cutting-edge technology.

Launched in 2021, the NKF Innovation Fund strives to accelerate funding, development, and commercialization of therapies that kidney patients need and deserve. And the fund invests in early to mid-stage companies that are developing innovative, patient-centric kidney therapies. The long-term goals of the NKF Innovation Fund are to prevent kidney disease, eliminate transplant wait lists, and provide better/safer treatments for dialysis patients so they can live fuller and more productive lives.

KEY QUOTES:

“We’re honored to have NKF’s support and encouragement. Nobody knows more about the tough challenges our customers face and the bold innovations our company offers.”

— Ron Mills, CEO of ZeitLife

“We are thrilled to invest in ZeitLife’s quest to modernize kidney preservation and logistics. ZeitLife’s dedication to advancing technologies and their commitment to the betterment of kidney transplantation align perfectly with NKF’s core values. With the support of the Innovation Fund, we look forward to accelerating the transformation of kidney preservation and logistics, ultimately improving the lives of countless patients waiting for kidney transplants.”

— Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient