About Us

Solving an Age-old Problem

Ostoform was born out of a need to improve skin health and quality of life for people who have an ostomy.

Through participation in a Stanford-affiliated medical device incubator program called BioInnovate, a team of engineers and designers – including CEO & co-founder, Kevin Kelleher (PhD, Biomedical Engineering) – spent time immersed in clinical settings, where they became drawn to the need to address the high incidence of skin complications among ostomy pouch users.

The “eureka moment” occurred when it was determined that a contributing cause of skin problems was the absorbency and resulting adhesive breakdown of ostomy appliances. This led to the design of a totally new and innovative product concept “The Ostoform Seal with FLOWASSIST”. While developing the prototype was exciting, seeing its positive impact on quality of life is what really inspired Kevin to bring the product to market.

The Ostoform Seal has a patent-protected non-absorbent “FLOWASSIST” component, which effectively directs stoma output away from the skin and into the ostomy appliance, resulting in fewer leaks, healthier skin, and reduced cost of care.

In 2023, Ostoform successfully integrated the FLOWASSIST technology into the baseplate of a 2-piece ostomy pouching system. Like the Ostoform Seal, FLOWASSIST helps protect the adhesive from excessive absorption and erosion, while directing output into the pouch.