About Prapela

Since receiving our first award in 2017, Prapela has become America's most-awarded pediatric medical device startup. We are honored and motivated to work with neonatologists, nurses, researchers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the FDA to improve the health of newborns.

On April 4, 2025 the US Food & Drug Administration grants the Prapela SVS hospital bassinet pad with De Novo Marketing Authorization

On January 8, 2025, The NIH/Venture Well program provided funding and resources for a new provisional IP filing and freedom to operate opinion

On October 25, 2024, Maine Technology Institute granted us an award from their Prime2 Fund supporting our commercialization efforts

Maine's International Trade Center provided us a grant on June 23, 2023 to help us better understand our markets outside the United States

On March 10, 2023 the National Institutes of Health awarded us with a grant to improve the treatment of central apnea in preterm newborns.

On January 25, 2023 the European Patent Office grants a patent on Prapela's technology for reducing irritability in babies with colic and opioid exposure.

Prapela received our 2nd FDA Breakthrough Device Designation on January 3, 2023. The award accelerates our work in Apnea of Prematurity.

On October 23, 2022, Prapela's innovation for Apnea of Prematurity (AOP) took 1st place in the FDA-sponsored NCC-PDI program.

Prapela was one of 20 companies selected from a field of 700 companies to present at the Worldwide Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)

On May 24, 2022, Prapela became the 1st company from Maine selected into the MedTech Innovator Accelerator Program

Prapela was recognized by Startups.us as one of Maine's best startups. Selection criteria included innovation, growth, management & impact.

Prapela was awarded a second SBIR award on May 25, 2021. The award supports a clinical study led by Tufts Medical Center and supported by 5 other clinical sites

We had so much fun being selected as a finalist on May 7, 2021, in this wonderful community-based competition to support startup companies

On April 20, 2021, Maine Technology Institute recognized our efforts earlier in the year towards our goal of FDA clearance

Impacted by the pandemic, we were grateful to receive support from the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission in October, 2020

The US Food & Drug Administration designated the Prapela bassinet pad for NOWS as a breakthrough medical device on October 4, 2019

On September 3rd 2019, we received a"Milestone Achievement Program" award from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

Prapela wins the Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge - Product Phase on August 27, 2019

iSPI is a group of health practitioners from more than a hundred institutions worldwide dedicated to improving the health of children through innovation.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded Prapela a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant on March 19, 2019

At SXSW in Austin Texas, Prapela was awarded $25,000 from the Baylor College of Medicine in the FDA Pediatric Device Innovation Program

We were selected to this first-of-its-kind gathering of entrepreneurs, funders, experts, and mentors to shine a spotlight on early childhood innovations

November 1, 2018 marks the day when Ohio's Third Frontier awarded Prapela in the Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge - Challenge Phase

Prapela was honored to be one of the few pediatric startups selected for financial support from the Hood Foundation on July 2, 2018

MassChallenge announced the selection of Prapela to its 2018 Cohort on May 23, 2018. A total of 1600 startups applied to MC in 2018.

We were honored to be selected as one of the 2018 finalists in the 7th annual M2D2 Challenge

On February 16, 2018 the NIH/NIDA announces Prapela a one of the winners in their "Start a Substance Use Disorder Startup" Challenge.

In Helsinki Finland, on November 30, 2017 we won the top prize in a field of 135 applicants from around the world.

Prapela was honored to be chosen as the best overall presentation given to over 200 attendees in Waltham, MA on October 27, 2017

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Our first award was from this FDA sponsored event held by Children's National Health System in San Jose, CA on September 24, 2017

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More about Us

Located in Portland, Maine, our team is led by co-founders John Konsin and David Morrill. John has 40 years of experience in the life science and consumer markets and has launched over 100 world-class products. David has 33 years of experience in product design, electronics, software development, and manufacturing, and holds 10 patents. With the FDA authorization of our bassinet pad, we look forward to adding to our team and introducing more products using our unique stimulation therapy for newborns.

We take our work seriously.

Here's are the references for much of the information provided on POE and NOWS.

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About Prapela

More about Us

We take our work seriously.

Here's are the references for much of the information provided on POE and NOWS.

Get in Touch