Arch Grants Awards $200,000 to Two Local Companies Through Growth Grants Program

(pictured: Stephen Von Rump, Co-Founder and CEO, Aegis Digital Health)

We are pleased to announce that we’ve awarded $200,000 in non-dilutive Growth Grants to two St. Louis-based portfolio companies: Aegis Digital Health and Buck Surgical, each receiving $100,000 to advance to their next stage of growth.

“We’re thrilled to support Aegis and Buck Surgical through Growth Grants,” said Gabe Angieri, Executive Director. “These startups reflect the innovation, grit, and determination that define St. Louis’ startup ecosystem. We’re proud to help accelerate their path from breakthrough to impact.”

Launched in 2021, the Growth Grants program is designed to help existing Arch Grants portfolio companies scale operations, secure follow-on capital, and deepen their regional roots. Funds are awarded on a competitive basis and must be matched by additional external growth capital. Companies must maintain their headquarters in the St. Louis region for at least two years. An expert panel of volunteer judges comprised of investors, founders, and industry leaders selects awardees using a defined rubric.

“This award will help us reach a tipping point for our business,” said Stephen Von Rump, Co-Founder and CEO of Aegis Digital Health. “We have experienced dramatic revenue growth over the past six months but now we need to scale our operations to grow even faster. We’re deeply proud of how far we’ve come and grateful for Arch Grants’ support along the way. We are thrilled to continue growing as part of the St. Louis community.”

Dr. Donald Buck, Founder and President of Buck Surgical, sees this as a pivotal moment. “This is a true full-circle moment for Buck Surgical. Our Arch Grant award in 2021 was crucial in providing the springboard for our journey – the financial support, networking and entrepreneurial education, and the validation which allowed us to raise additional funding and develop our first device. Now, four years later, the Growth Grant will support our efforts to take our big, bold idea to commercialization where we can begin to save lives and limbs.”

About the Awardees

Aegis Digital Health developed SweetSpot, a software platform and clinical support service that supports end-to-end remote patient monitoring for all diabetes devices. SweetSpot is powering proactive diabetes care by combining a centralized software platform for managing diabetes device data from CGMs and insulin pumps with virtual, wrap-around clinical support services. Von Rump plans to use the Growth Grant funding to fast-track hiring of key team members, including diabetes educators and patient engagement specialists, accelerating revenue growth and allowing the company to serve more people with diabetes, faster. Company leadership includes Stephen Von Rump, Co-Founder and CEO; Ralph Oiknine, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer; Amiad Fredman, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer; and Abby Cohen, Co-Founder and COO.

Buck Surgical is at the forefront of medical device innovation, developing cutting-edge surgical solutions that improve outcomes and expand patient access to care. Dedicated to modernizing life-and-limb-preservation treatments in vascular and microvascular surgery, Buck Surgical’s first device, The Annexus™ Coupler, allows surgeons to connect blood vessels as small as 2mm in diameter, in as little as two minutes of time, without the need for complex medical equipment. The Growth Grant funds will support additional device production and testing as the company moves toward commercialization. Leadership includes Dr. Donald Buck, Founder and CEO, and Jennifer Buck, Director of Business Strategy.