Laura Epstein, the founder and CEO of Pulse Charter Connect, delivers an organ transplant to a surgeon.
Pulse Charter Connect, led by his persistent female founder, Laura Epstein, takes the Organ transplant Logistics Crisis frontal. By replacing outdated, manual systems with a modern, automated platform, the company ensures the efficient delivery of life -saving organ donations and offers renewed hope on the waiting list of the transplantation.
Ensure efficient delivery of donated organs to patients
The organ transplantation landscape in the United States is characterized by grim figures: more than 100,000 individuals grow on the Transplantation waiting listwhile alone 45,000 transplants are carried out annually. An amazing 28,000 organ donations Go every year unused because of logistics inefficiencies, which contributes to 16 daily dead among those who are awaiting transplants. Pulse Charter Connect recognizes the urgent need for innovation in this life -saving sector and is a beacon of hope.
Epstein, CEO of Pulse Charter Connect, identified the inefficiencies in the organ transport system while consulting an Air Charter Company during her time at the University of Chicago BOOKH School of Business that studied for her MBA. Epstein, a registered pilot with a bachelor’s degree in space technology and experience at the Federal Aviation Administration, was uniquely positioned to understand the complexity of aviation logistics. The influence of her father, as the owner of an air transport company that specializes in moving invaluable art, continued her passion for logistics and transport.
Pulse Charter Connect, identified the inefficiencies in the organ transport system.
Driven by the desire to streamline the logistics process of organ transport, Epstein founded the company in 2022. The company initially focused on developing its own automated platform that would connect medical institutions with transport fleets, so that the efficient delivery of life -saving organs would to assure. This approach “Expedia for Organ Transplants” was aimed at replacing the outdated, manual systems that the industry had long plucked.
The lack of transparency and real -time tracking with organ transplantation has been an important challenge, which hindered efficiency and lives possible. Barry Friedman, former executive director of the AdventHealth Transplant Institute, partner in Guidry & East Consulting, and Pulse Charter Connect Advisor, emphasized this issue during his testimony of the Senate from 2023: “In many cases, organs must connect from one flight to one other flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to a Other flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight to another flight To another flight to a person who is responsible for transfers. “
He also emphasized the difference between the possibility of following daily packages and the lack of a system for following transplant bodies, and notes: “Although someone can follow his Amazon or FedEx package, there is currently no consistent way to do this to follow life -saving organs. In this critical field underlines.
In 2024, the congress obliged a commotion in the organ transport industryThe breaking of a 40-year exclusive contract of the United Network for Organ Sharing (Unos). This movement has opened the door for new players such as Pulse Charter Connect to introduce modernization and efficiency.
Epstein’s unique mix of experience and her passion for solving critical problems has positioned her as the ideal leader for this transforming company. Kate Kitto, head of Simplex Ventures, praised Epstein’s ‘exceptional skills and daring vision’, and emphasizes her ability to bring innovation in an industry that is ripe for change.
Mark Tebbe, Deputy Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Investor, praised Epstein’s ability to translate theoretical knowledge into tangible results, and emphasized her impact on his students as a proof of the potential of the next generation founders .
The success of the company has attracted the attention of investors, which leads to a recent $ 2 million financing round led by Ivy Ventures and Simplex Ventures. This brings the total financing to $ 3.3 million, which will scales activities, improve the software of the platform and expand the reach of the company in the US
Female founder overcomes bias to improve access to organ transplants
Laura Epstein, founder and CEO of Pulse Charter Connect, delivers an organ transplant.
Epstein has had to overcome various challenges when building its organ transplantation logistics company, Pulse Charter Connect. Two major obstacles navigate through gender predisposition in fundraising and the aviation industry.
According to PitchBook, the percentage of risk capital is invested in women exclusively established Companies have fallen from 2.8% in 2015 to 2.0% in 2024 and 0.9% in 2025 from January 31. Aware of this inequality, Epstein used its network proactively to secure the financing for Pulse Charter Connect. Her participation in these programs offered access to a diverse network of investors and mentors.
Epstein, for example, joined professors and alumni who became early investors in Pulse Charter Connect via the MBA program of Booth. TechStars, Tampa Bay Wave and Cedars-SINAI Accelerator programs introduced her to healthcare-oriented investors and advisers. In addition, Cedars-Sinai accelerator brought in internal stakeholders, including their transplanting center in the hospital.
In addition to challenges on fundraising, Epstein also had to overcome gender advantage in the aviation industry. From 2022, around 9% of CEOs in large global airlines were women, and 12% to 13% of the commercial aviation industry C-Level Executive positions became in the possession of women. Epstein’s experience as a pilot and space engineer-a field where women are considerably under-represented-has helped her navigate the aviation industry dominated by men. She also describes mentorship as a key to her success.
Epstein built confidence among stakeholders in the hospital, many of whom were deeply rooted in manual processes. She used testimonies from customers to open doors and show the value of the Pulse Charter Connect platform. “It’s just the trust of different stakeholders in the hospital,” Epstein explained. Expertise in transport logistics is essential, but one must also approach every hospital transplantation coordinator with the willingness to learn and adapt.
Perhaps the most unexpected challenge that Epstein was confronted was to conquer her lifelong aversion to blood. As a child, she was so terrified of blood that she received an exemption to skip the biology lessons. She came to consider Anatomy as comparable to Aerospace Engineering, her bachelor’s degree. She learned to release by thinking of capillaries such as the pressure systems in an engine and the heart is the engine.
The innovative approach to this female founder of organ transplantation logistics transforms a vital sector and tackling a critical need in the US. The company has been released for a more efficient and impactful future for organ donation by streamlining communication, optimizing routing and ensuring seamless coordination among all stakeholders.