Raleigh, NC – April 17, 2025 – The Angel Capital Association (ACA), the world’s largest professional development organization for angel investors, representing over 15K angel investors, 250 angel groups, and +30K entrepreneurial companies, awarded SonoVascular, a Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN) portfolio company, the 2025 Luis Villalobos Award in the Life Sciences category. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding innovation and impact in the Life Sciences sector among early-stage companies.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is the third most common cardiovascular disease, with 900K VTE events occurring annually resulting in ~300K deaths in the U.S. Current catheter-based treatments rely on high-dose thrombolytics requiring treatment in the ICU or devices that result in blood loss, trauma to the vessel and valves, and are less effective in removing clot burden. Hospitals are under increasing pressure to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs and care complexity and overcoming critical limitations with current interventional devices and techniques for treatment.
Leveraging intellectual property licensed from NC State, SonoVascular’s SonoThrombectomy™ System is a novel and highly differentiated ultrasound facilitated, thrombolytic enhanced thrombectomy system that utilizes microbubble-mediated cavitation as a core enabling mechanical mechanism of action to more safely and effectively treat VTE. It is a cathlab-based solution designed to maximize the reduction of clot burden, eliminate blood loss and vessel trauma, harness the benefit of low dose/duration thrombolytic without bleeding risks, and at a lower cost to the health care system than currently approved therapies.
SonoVascular has successfully completed eight cases in its First-In-Human (FIH) DVT study, and the results are proving the SonoThrombectomy system delivers excellent clinical outcomes without the drawbacks associated with current devices. Dr. William Marston, vascular surgeon at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine and member of the study steering committee commented: “The results obtained thus far in SonoVascular’s FIH study demonstrate the SonoThrombectomy System has the potential to become a disruptive technology that would effectively overcome the shortcomings of available therapies for the treatment of DVT.”
“Receiving the Luis Villalobos Award is an incredible honor and affirms our mission to transform VTE treatment,” said Daniel Estay, Founder and CEO of SonoVascular. “This recognition, coupled with WIN’s support, strengthens our commitment to advancing a safer, more effective treatment for a disease affecting a large patient population. Our progress, including our initial FIH DVT clinical results, underscores the potential of our SonoThrombectomy System to improve patient outcomes.”
Abby Phillips, WIN’s Director, said, “SonoVascular exemplifies what’s possible when world-class research, an exceptional team, and mission-driven investors come together. Their groundbreaking technology and rapid journey from the lab to the clinic are a testament to both the strength of NC State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and SonoVascular’s ability to execute with precision and purpose. We’re proud to have supported the company from its earliest stages and to continue championing its progress—now recognized with the prestigious 2025 ACA Luis Villalobos Award in Life Sciences.”
SonoVascular’s team includes John Ranshaw and Hannah Flores, alumni of the joint NC State-UNC-CH BME MS-TRAIN program, which emphasizes biomedical product innovation and new ventures. Ranshaw graduated from NC State’s Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization program, which first collaborated with joint BME faculty innovators Drs. Paul Dayton and Xiaoning Jiang, two of SonoVascular’s scientific advisors.
For the second consecutive year, a WIN portfolio company has won the ACA Luis Villalobos Award in Life Sciences. In 2024, Deep Blue Medical Advances received the honor. WIN remains committed to empowering early-stage ventures with high-growth potential and real-world impact.
About SonoVascular
SonoVascular is a clinical-stage medical device company that has developed the SonoThrombectomy system. SonoThrombectomy is a novel and highly differentiated ultrasound facilitated, thrombolytic enhanced thrombectomy system for venous and arterial thrombosis that utilizes microbubble-mediated cavitation as a core enabling mechanical mechanism of action to more safely and effectively treat VTE. It is a cathlab-based solution designed to maximize the reduction of clot burden, eliminate blood loss and vessel trauma, and harness the benefit of low dose/duration thrombolytic without bleeding risks. SonoVascular is headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC.
About Angel Capital Association
ACA is a professional society of angel investors who make up the world’s most prolific early-stage investment class. The association is the largest professional development organization for angel investors in the world deploying more than $650M in early stage capital each year. ACA provides an insider perspective that can help you make smart investment decisions. The Luis Villalobos Award is named in memory of Luis Villalobos, founder of Tech Coast Angels (now TCA Venture Group) and a passionate advocate for innovative startups. Each year, the ACA honors two companies whose ingenuity represents the future of entrepreneurial excellence in life sciences and technology.
About WIN
WIN is an early-stage, membership-based investment group composed of NC State alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of the university. WIN invests exclusively in companies with a connection to NC State.
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