SOUTH BEND-TayCo Brace said that about 14,000 patients kicked walking boots to the side of the road. This South Bend-based startup is strengthening its unique ankle brace, which already has a large customer base, from NFL players to seniors. TayCo Brace recently announced a $1.2 million seed round of financing to keep up with the demand for its ankle brace, inspired by a treasure in Indiana: Notre Dame football.

The client list of the brace includes 65 NCAA teams (including the Irish Fighting Team) and 17 NFL teams. The brace is the brainchild of University of Notre Dame athletic coach Mike Bean.

TayCo Brace co-founder and CEO Gavin Ferlic said: “Mike invented the [bracket] while working with football players from the University of Notre Dame. “After an ankle injury, it was difficult for him to get his players back on the court. He found that [traditional ankle braces] were not as stable as they needed to be and presented a lot of challenges in putting them in the shoes. So he thought,'I can prop up the outside of the shoe. '"

This is a key feature of the TayCo lateral ankle brace. The traditional strap is flush with the ankle and must be worn inside the shoe, but TayCo's rigid strap is designed to be worn outside the shoe, hence the name "outer." This is a feature that opens the door to a wide range of applications outside the sports world. Ferlic and his father, Dr. Fred Ferlic, a retired plastic surgeon, obtained a license for the technology and established TayCo Brace to bring the device to patients on and off the stadium.

The start-up company said that the brace can help patients recover from a long series of ankle or foot injuries and is an alternative to traditional walking boots. Ferlic said that the TayCo lateral ankle brace is light in weight, but it also provides the stability needed to heal the injury; studies have shown that the stability of the brace is about 88% of that of walking boots.

"But it doesn't have all the other problems associated with walking boots, such as being very heavy, awkward and causing differences in limb length, which usually causes pain in the knees, back or hips."

Ferlic says that perhaps most importantly, the brace allows patients to return to daily life more quickly.

“In walking boots, you usually can’t work normally. Think about a patient who needs to return to work in a steel toe or closed toe environment. If they wear walking boots, they will be on vacation for 12 to 16 weeks,” Ferlic said. "TayCo allows patients to wear the brace comfortably outside of shoes or even boots. TayCo provides the stability required for the ankle, but allows patients to continue to lead a normal life and do what they like."

Ferlic said the device can be considered a "two-in-one" brace because it can hold the ankle in place or convert it to allow free movement.

"If you wear walking boots for 12 weeks and have been fully immobilized, your ankles may heal, but you may experience some long-term dysfunctions, such as difficulty regaining full range of motion, because your ankles have been in that position for too long. "Felik said. "And TayCo can be fixed to range of motion; it is essentially a two-in-one bracket."

TayCo said that with the rapid development of this young company, the recent $1.2 million in seed funding is an important driving force. Investors include Indiana-based Elevate Ventures, IrishAngels and Pit Road Fund. Ferlic said that compared with last year, revenue in 2021 has increased by 50%. The funding will help the team grow and launch an updated brace, which is a prefabricated and customized brace suitable for the medical and sports markets.

"We are really, really excited; for several years, we have received feedback from doctors on how we can improve an already outstanding product," Ferlic said. "I think we have been able to add some features to make the product more stable, more comfortable, and delivered in a better way."

Ferlic stated that the partnership with the IDEA Center of Notre Dame University is the company's "huge asset" and a key factor in its success.

"Almost every day we hear a good story about a patient who has a wealth of experience on TayCo; it may be that the patient shed tears because he or she can walk painlessly, or it may be that the athlete did not intend to participate in a large competition, but now it can be because of him or her. I shed tears with the required stability or confidence," Ferlic said. "Although we are growing and making an impact on a larger scale, it is great to hear these personal stories... how TayCo has brought them back to normal lives in some ways. That's what excites us."