Startup RhinoSystems Inc. hopes to take the discomfort out of nasal irrigation with its “high-tech neti pot.”
Led by former two-term Ohio Republican Congressman Martin Hoke, Rhino is gearing up for the December or January release of the second-generation version of its irrigation device, the Navage — a combination of the words “nasal” and “lavage,” which refers to washing out a bodily organ with fluid.
Thus far, the company has funded operations with a 2009 angel investment round of an unspecified amount, though Hoke did allow that it was greater than $1 million. Going forward, Hoke hopes to support the company with sales and avoid additional dilutive funding.
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The new product launch will coincide with an aggressive consumer marketing campaign for the Navage. So far the device, which has been on the market since July 2009, has been pushed only via the Internet, but the company plans an expensive TV ad campaign. Hoke hopes the advertising makes the product so popular that retailers begin knocking on his door, clamoring to stock the $50 device on their shelves.
Hoke estimates the U.S. market for nasal irrigation devices and saline mixes to be about $450 million annually.
While Hoke acknowledges that nasal irrigation isn’t the sexiest business in the world, his decision to enter in stems from personal experience. He suffered from sinus infections on and off for years, and tried irrigation a few years ago at the suggestion of a friend. While he liked the results from a traditional neti pot — a ceramic teapot-like device that’s used to force salt water into one nostril and out the other — the user experience wasn’t the most enjoyable.
“It’s messy, and it’s got a high yuck factor, and it also can be quite uncomfortable,” Hoke said.
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So Hoke set out to design a better alternative. For him, the “aha” moment centered on the concept of pressure. Most irrigation devices push fluid through the nasal cavity, but the Navage uses a pump to depressurize the lower of its two containers, resulting in a pull of the fluid that Hoke says eliminates any feeling of pressure in the nose.
“We make it convenient and easy and a much more pleasant event for users,” Hoke said.
(To see the Navage in action, check out the video below.)