LEAP and Lansing Regional SmartZone Supports Medical Startup from formation to $1.55 Million SBIR Award
Sit Sense receives funding to bring additional product and business to the East Lansing Regional market
East Lansing, Mich. (June 29, 2026) — The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and the Lansing Regional SmartZone are excited to announce that LEAP and SmartZone-supported East Lansing medical startup Sit Sense has been awarded a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Fast-Track grant totaling $1.55 million. The funding will support further extending the company’s automated recliner chair that seeks to prevent occupant pressure sores, a condition that causes more than 60,000 deaths and cost US hospitals up to $26.8B annually.
“All the support from the SmartZone has been really great, especially as we’ve been in the process of raising funds,” said Sit Sense co-founder Justin Scott. “This new SBIR grant will allow us to bring a version of our product to market that will support an even broader set of patients.”
“LEAP is thrilled to see another medical tech company take form in our local ecosystem,” said Bob Trezise, LEAP president and CEO. “Sit Sense isn’t just a company, it represents an intentional effort through the partnership of MSU Research Foundation, MSU Innovation Center, MSU Tech Center, and the SmartZone to cultivate a groundbreaking idea into a company that can make a strong economic as well as societal impact.”
The idea behind Sit Sense began in the mechanical engineering department at Michigan State University; the company originally sought to develop a new wheelchair that would similarly address pressure sores in paralysis patients. Their pivot to a medical recliner occurred in response to the long regulatory process inherent in wheelchair development. However, eventual development of the Sit Sense wheelchair will benefit from the data generated by the recliner. The medical recliner automatically adjusts occupants, preventing pressure sores and decreasing hospital staff time and injuries.
Sit Sense is based in downtown East Lansing inside the Technology Innovation Center (TIC).
“The City of East Lansing is grateful to the National Science Foundation for its support for the important work being done by Sit Sense,” said East Lansing Mayor Erik Altmann. “The City continues to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, and this award demonstrates the world class research being done right here in our community, thanks to Michigan State University.”
LEAP has supported Sit Sense throughout their journey, from helping them with company formation through Local Accelerator Funds, to enabling them to get their product clinic-ready through Business Accelerator Funds. Local Accelerator Funds are sourced from local SmartZone funding, and Business Accelerator Funds come from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Both specifically support the growth and acceleration of high-tech, high-growth companies. Sit Sense co-founder Justin Scott explained that the funding helped the small company to extend their runway, affording them time and opportunity to secure additional funds. Additional support was received from MSU Research Foundation, MSU Tech Transfer, and the MSU Innovation Center.
“Sit Sense is exactly the kind of company the SmartZone was designed to support: a deep-tech idea with real potential to save lives, founded by researchers who needed a partner to help them navigate the early stages of building a business,” said Abbie Tykocki, Chair for the SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority. “Watching them grow from concept to securing a $1.55 million federal award is a testament to what’s possible when great science meets the right ecosystem.”
Sit Sense is the winner of the 2025 Eastern Michigan University Venture Challenge and 2025 MiLSEA Pitch Competitions.
More about the company’s work can be found here: https://sit-sense.com/
