Rockville Centre, NY - January 22, 2016 - Bobby Lenahan, 20, a William Floyd High School graduate Class of 2013 and current Molloy College student, is helping to revolutionize intravenous treatment for children through his invention, the “IV Hero,” a sleeve that covers an intravenous bag during treatments to make hospitals a less scary place for kids. Each sleeve is decorated with superheroes, transforming what was once an intimidating medical procedure into a creative opportunity to gain superpowers.
Bobby, a junior accounting major and co-founder of the Molloy Entrepreneurship Club, received the 2015 New York Business Plan Competition award in the Healthcare category for his invention. So far, IV Hero has been gaining traction with placements in the pediatric divisions of various Nassau County and New York City hospitals – Northwell Staten Island University Hospital and South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside with additional locations currently in the works.
During his time at William Floyd, Bobby was enrolled as a Business Academy and Virtual Enterprise (VE) student in William Floyd’s Career and Technical Education program. He was part of Business teacher Gregory Plantier’s “Forever Fit” team that received the third place award in the “Best Presentation” category at the 2012 Long Island Business Plan and Mini Trade Fair, a regional Virtual Enterprises International competition. He was also the vice president of the accounting department in that same VE class. (Read: William Floyd Business Department Wins Fifth Department of the Year Award)
“While I was at William Floyd, the business classes I took were integral in making me who I am today,” said Bobby. “I was very passionate about Mrs. Poidomani’s accounting classes – so much so that I took it for three years. This means that I took Accounting II twice because I wanted to further immerse myself into the field,” he said. “All these experiences really gave me a huge leg-up in my college and professional career. When I got to Molloy, I already knew the material for my accounting courses for the entirety of my freshman year, so I didn’t have to worry as much as my classmates. My presentation experience in VE prepared me for the many presentations I’ve given since high school – this includes in-class presentations, business plan competitions, pitch nights, etc. Being able to present clearly and confidently is a huge part of any area in business, so having been exposed to that earlier than most of my classmates was a great skill to have.”
Bobby frequently visits William Floyd’s Business students, including two trips so far this school year with one visit to the marketing students to speak about his journey starting IV Hero. “It was great for the students to hear about starting a business from the ground up, especially from someone that is not much older than them,” said William Floyd High School Business teacher, Amy Roethgen. “He spoke of all facets of his business from prototype to manufacturing to pitching. His business experiences are invaluable and impressive as well as his interaction with our faculty and students.”
“We are all very proud of Bobby and knew that he would achieve great things in his future career and in life,” said Karen Poidomani, William Floyd High School Business teacher and CTE Chairperson. “We believe that the firm foundation that Bobby received at William Floyd really helped set him on the path to success.”
Bobby added, “The goal here is just to help as many pediatric patients as possible. After all, these kids are the real superheroes. IV Hero is such a simple product that makes such a huge impact on their lives.”