What You Should Know:
– Pulse Charter Connect (PCC) has oversubscribed a $2 million seed round to modernize and streamline the way lifesaving organs are transported across the United States.
– The round was co-led by Ivy Ventures and Simplex Ventures, with participation from Cedars Sinai Health Ventures, Belal Badat Ventures, Techstars and strategic angel investors. This new funding brings the Chicago-based startup’s total raised to $3.3 million.
Pulse Charter Connect Secures Funding to Revolutionize Organ Transplant Logistics
Pulse Charter Connect (PCC), often called the “Expedia for Organ Transplants,” has secured capital to scale operations, enhance its proprietary logistics software, and expand its national footprint. PCC’s first-of-its-kind platform increases operational efficiency by seamlessly connecting transplant centers with air and ground fleets, ensuring the safe and efficient transportation of organs and surgical teams.
Founded in 2022 by Laura Epstein, a former aerospace engineer and ex-FAA, PCC was born out of Epstein’s firsthand observations of inefficiencies during a consulting project at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she pursued her MBA. Drawing on her aviation and logistics background, Epstein developed a technology-driven solution to replace the slow, manual coordination that still dominates organ transport today.
The urgency of PCC’s mission is clear: each day, 17 people die waiting for a transplant. While approximately 45,000 organ transplants are performed annually in the U.S., more than 100,000 patients remain on the national waitlist. PCC addresses this gap by streamlining scheduling, optimizing routing, enabling real-time tracking, and ensuring clear communication among donor hospitals, transplant centers, and transport partners.
Since launching in April 2024, Pulse Charter Connect has already facilitated organ transports that saved over 65 lives across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. The startup is a graduate of Techstars, Tampa Bay Wave, and Cedars Sinai Accelerator, and has earned multiple awards and top placements at U.S. pitch competitions.
Scott Kraege, Managing Partner at Ivy Ventures, praised PCC’s mission, noting, “Laura and the Pulse team are tackling one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare logistics—with the speed, precision, and transparency that should be mandatory.”
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