Chapel Hill startup SonoVascular earns top award from angel investor association

SonoVascular, a Chapel Hill medical device startup focusing on treating potentially life-threatening blood clots, has earned the top life sciences award from the Angel Capital Association.

The association honored SonoVascular with the 2025 Luis Villalobos Award in the life science category at the industry group’s recent conference in Denver. The group cited SonoVascular’s innovations in treating venous thromboembolism (VTE), or a blood clot that forms in a vein.

“This award provides recognition of the importance of both the clinical need and the transformative nature of our technology to treat VTE,” Daniel Estay, SonoVascular’s founder and CEO, said in a news release. “We are very grateful for the support of our investors and advisors to make this award possible as we continue our mission.”

The Wolfpack Investor Network, an investor in SonoVascular, nominated the company. WIN, North Carolina State University’s early-stage, alumni-driven investor group, is a member of the Angel Capital Association.

VTE is a serious condition made up of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein, typically in the leg, while pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot loosens and travels to the lungs. Both can restrict blood flow to the heart.

About 60,000 to 100,000 deaths each year occur in the United States because of VTE, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SonoVascular has developed a VTE treatment called the SonoThrombectomy System. The device consists of an intravascular catheter that delivers ultrasound energy and microbubbles to the clot, helping to mechanically break down the clot. It also delivers a low dose of a thrombolytic, or clot-busting drug.

In March, SonoVascular announced that its device had completed first-in-human trials in eight patients with deep vein thrombosis.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has supported SonoVascular through a $350,000 Small Business Research Loan.

“SonoVascular’s achievement reflects not only the ingenuity of its hybrid approach to clot removal, but also the power of academic collaboration fueling North Carolina’s life sciences sector,” said Greta Brunet, senior director of investments in the Emerging Company Development group at NCBiotech. “Earning the Luis Villalobos Award underscores how their technology stands to redefine the standard of care for VTE, offering safer, more effective options for patients while reducing the burden on our healthcare system. We’re proud to support a team that’s translating scientific discovery into real-world impact for patients at risk of life-threatening blood clots.”

SonoVascular’s technology originated in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, a combined program of NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.