Company you should know: MaxQ

MaxQ is a company out of Stillwater, OK whose mission and service is to “help our clients protect product and patient safety”. Biologics and Biotech drugs must be maintained at specific temperatures to retain quality, maintain efficacy, avoid contamination, and prevent degradation. MaxQ’s packaging systems meet strict requirements to help make sure that the lifesaving biologics are protected at precise temperatures during transit. The result is a safer product with almost zero risk of product loss during the shipping process, thereby leading to a cost and performance-optimized supply chain.”

The 3 founders of MaxQ started the company informally in 2012-13 following their graduation from OSU. Initially, they focused on developing high-end aerospace materials but eventually pivoted when they discovered some of the issues plaguing the supply chain for biologics and biotech drugs. A lot of blood was going to waste as it would go bad during shipping - which often consisted of a bag of ice sitting on top and hoping that would do the job.

This gap in the supply chain represented a great opportunity, and so they turned their research from aerospace materials to insulative materials. MaxQ came up with a solution that could keep packages at a controlled specific temperature for up to 24 hours. This timeline has now expanded to 120 hours with on-board GPS monitoring capabilities to track the shipments. The market has been very receptive to these solutions as they not only are more effective in capabilities, but also cost. Shipping with smaller, lighter boxes has reduced shipping costs for customers significantly. Hospital blood banks and Blood centers became the initial clients, with MaxQ now serving nearly 40% of all blood banks across the country. The company is looking to grow its presence in markets such as diagnostics, live tissue transport and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals.

MaxQ has received multiple rounds of funding since 2013 and is growing at a rapid pace. They are constantly exploring and finding new applications, including several potential military applications. The future certainly seems bright for MaxQ and the many lives its products could end up saving.