About NIRSense
NIRSense was founded in 2018 to help protect the health of the American warfighter. The U.S. military needs reliable and rugged devices that can monitor — and help prevent — hemorrhage-related deaths and cognitive impairment in fighter pilots in high-altitude and high g-force conditions.
With a grant from Defense Innovation Unit, a DoD organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military, the NIRSense team began developing an advanced cerebral oximetry device that could be worn in the cockpit . This device was proven to deliver accurate and reliable tissue oxygenation data even in extreme conditions, up to 7g. Shortly after this project began NIRSense was asked to develop a similar capability for stained somatic measurement in extreme environments that allow military medical personnel to sustain casualties for long periods before evacuation and thorough out the continuum of care.
Our collaboration with the DoD continues as we develop oximetry monitors for a wide range of military applications. At the same time, our team of researchers and engineers is adapting our proprietary technology, called Total OximetryTM, for use in civilian healthcare. NIRSense operates in offices in Richmond, VA and Cary, NC.
At NIRSense, we’re proud to say that all of our innovation is in-house. Our founders and leadership team bring extensive expertise in business management, startups, process management, patent management, and engineering. Our work is guided by an advisory team of experienced entrepreneurs and MDs. And our design, prototyping, and quality processes are overseen by a development team of electrical, mechanical, software and manufacturing engineers, including six PhDs.
Leadership
Casey Boutwell, PhD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Boutwell’s research background focused on optical sensor development. His professional experience includes intellectual property strategy, technology licensing/negotiation, and business development. He contributes his technical expertise in optoelectronics; business experience in technology commercialization, intellectual property, and licensing strategy; and professional network in digital health and wearable biosensing systems.
Josh Andrews, MBA
VP of Operations
Mr. Andrew’s background involves hands-on technical leadership to deliver multimillion-dollar process scale-up, technology transfer, and capital expansion programs across the chemical, industrial, and biomaterials sectors. He merges technical depth with disciplined project governance, stakeholder alignment, and proactive risk management to accelerate innovation and operational readiness.
Dan Rodenhaver, MBA
Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Rodenhaver is 20 year veteran of the medical device industry with extensive sales, marketing, and product launch experience. As a previous founder he brings start-up and growth knowledge to the leadership team. Mr. Rodenhaver is leveraging his network and industry experience to guide NIRSense's user focused design approach and identify the ideal markets for our technology.
Advisors
Board of Directors
Dan Cave
Board of Directors