Meet SauveBio, the new flow cytometry service provider on the block. 

Never heard of flow cytometry? Don’t worry, few have.

That’s why Jeff Sauve and Hannah Sheehan founded SauveBio, a contract research organization that allows companies developing life-saving health cures to access specialized cell analysis tools and expertise. Hannah and Jeff hope that their newborn company will catalyze groundbreaking discoveries in Massachusetts by expanding access to advanced technologies in the growing HealthTech community across the region.

Let’s start with the basics. What the heck is flow cytometry?

Flow cytometry is a laser-based laboratory technique that identifies and analyzes the properties of cells. The fluorescence-activated cell analysis tool can be used to evaluate bone marrow, peripheral blood and numerous other cell types that can help researchers and healthcare providers diagnose and study human health conditions. Flow cytometry is a specialized field that requires years of training, as well as highly advanced equipment.

Where does SauveBio come in?

Companies wishing to generate flow cytometry data need highly trained staff to operate complex machinery and analyze results. Flow cytometry equipment alone can cost up to a million dollars — add to that the cost of salaries for specialized staff and service contracts for machine maintenance, and flow cytometry work becomes prohibitively expensive for many researchers.

SauveBio aims to level the playing field by making it possible for organizations across the HealthTech space to outsource flow cytometry and cell sorting services in a more cost-effective manner.

Differing from other contract research organizations, SauveBio is unique in that it focuses solely on one research method. By specializing exclusively in flow cytometry, SauveBio aims to provide best-in-class services to the pharmaceutical companies and the research institutions they serve.

What is the origin story for this idea?

Hannah and Jeff came from different worlds. Hannah came from science, whereas Jeff came up in sales and marketing. Both were nestled in the corporate world when they met last year in Boston. “We had corporate jobs that made good money – and still didn’t feel totally fulfilled,” shares Jeff.

When Hannah explained the structural challenges inherent to in-house flow cytometry work, Jeff realized that their combined skill sets presented an opportunity to shake up the status quo. “On the first day we met, Jeff told me he was going to have a business someday,” notes Hannah. “I never thought it would be this, with me!”

Hannah didn’t always imagine herself as a founder, but Jeff’s business acumen helped her realize that her expertise could fill a truly unique gap in the market. “At first, I didn’t have the confidence to take that risk by myself,” Hannah explains. “It took him encouraging me to go for it.”

Jeff, on the other hand, credits his inspiration to Hannah. “I had honestly never met anyone as smart as Hannah in my entire life,” praises Jeff. “In a room full of PHDs, she stands out.” Together, they decided to take the leap and launch SauveBio.

How do Hannah and Jeff’s different backgrounds serve the company?

Like most strong co-founder pairs, Hannah and Jeff each bring a totally different skillset to the company. Hannah brings industry knowledge, whereas Jeff brings business expertise. Both are needed to start a company, but rarely are they contributed by an individual alone. “I didn’t even know what flow cytometry was when I met Hannah,” Jeff admits.

However, the founders agree that their varied backgrounds are an asset, because it leaves no room to risk stepping on each other’s toes. “We both have our area of expertise that we’re the point person for, which forces you to have total trust in your partner,” Jeff adds.

What Hannah and Jeff share is vision. Hannah and Jeff know their work has potential to expand the limits of scientific inquiry, which makes the work itself feel invigorating – even when it’s hard. “A founder might make 20-30 decisions on any given day,” Jeff notes. “Some are small, but you don’t know which ones will become big down the road.”

Hannah adds, “It only works if goals and priorities are aligned.”

Why Massachusetts?

Although Hannah and Jeff initially considered launching their company in Connecticut, the unmatched life sciences resources in Massachusetts made it the perfect home for their service. They opened SauveBio at the Worcester-based incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), which the pair describe as their most helpful decision yet.

“We considered opening independently, but we’re so grateful now that we opened in an incubator,” Jeff says. For one thing, they note that their MBI lab space costs less than most apartment rentals. MBI also arranged several customer meetings for Hannah and Jeff in their earliest days, allowing them to dive right into the deep end. “Their network has really taken us under their wing.” Jeff notes.

MBI’s vast industry knowledge has also proved valuable. “We’ve had questions that we discussed for days,” laughs Jeff. “And then we asked someone at MBI, and they answered in 30 seconds. You couldn’t ask Co-Pilot or ChatGBTt and get anything close to the knowledge of people here.”

Hannah adds that working with trusted industry partners has been instrumental for motivation and morale. “It feels like you’re in the place where something is happening,” she describes. “Someone is going to make a difference — and it might be us! It makes you want to work harder.”

What comes next?

Today, Hannah and Jeff are working to build their first list of customers. They’re fired up and ready to listen: What services are people excited about? What benefits the research community most?

“Our goal is to make it easier for the research community to forge progress,” Hannah explains. “They’re the ones who are coming up with the big, inventive questions that will change the world – and we’re here to help.”

Hannah and Jeff believe that expanding access to advanced flow cytometry services will allow  innovative Massachusetts researchers to increase the rate at which discoveries are made – helping people live longer, healthier, and more meaningful lives.

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