Sarah Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Atreo Medical Inc
Sarah Smith was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1985. In 2003, Sarah began studying electrical and biomedical engineering at McMaster University. During her years at McMaster she was an active member with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Society (ECES). From 2005 to 2007 she was the society’s VP Finance responsible for the handling of all group financial records and transactions. During her university tenure, she was also an integral member of a fast-paced engineering firm. From this experience, she advanced her ability to bridge the gap between the technical and administrative sides of engineering and maintain a smooth, productive working environment.
In April 2007, Sarah graduated from electrical and biomedical engineering with distinction. Upon graduation, she, along with two of her classmates, founded Atreo Medical Inc., with the goal of commercializing the CPRGlove technology that they developed as a final year engineering project. The CPRGlove is a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) assist device that uses sensors to determine how well a rescuer is performing CPR and delivers real-time feedback in order to improve the quality of CPR being delivered. In June 2007, they were featured in Popular Science magazine with the CPRGlove being recognized as one of the top ten inventions of the year and in November 2007, the CPRGlove was featured as one of TIME magazine’s ‘Inventions of the Year’. Due to the wide media coverage and their success at various competitions, Atreo Medical Inc. gained traction and secured resources to further develop the concept of the device. In April 2008, Atreo Medical Inc. successfully secured the one of the first two $500 000 investments from the Ontario Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF). Atreo Medical’s first product is expected to launch in mid 2009.
Sarah is currently the Chief Operations Officer of Atreo Medical Inc. and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company. She is also responsible for handling company accounts, managing customer and investor relationships and overseeing the timely completion of critical tasks. Sarah possesses a unique ability to harness the intense pressures of the entrepreneurial environment and translate them into productivity within herself and her team members.