From ER to VR: A Founder Shaped by Disasters Creates Tactical Triage Technologies to Train First-Responders
Career emergency physician, academic, and veteran disaster responder Nick Kman, MD, never set out to be a tech founder. From hurricanes Harvey to Helene, he has spent his career in the field, saving lives, so it surprises many when they learn he has also launched a company.
“I was a first-year medical student when 9-11 happened, and then a resident when Hurricane Katrina hit,” Dr. Kman said. “Those events are what made me want to work in emergency and disaster medicine. Helping people on their worst day is a portable skill set you can take to a flood or on an airplane.” And into business, as it turns out.
Technical Triage Technologies Fills a Critical Gap in Preparedness
While training first responders with a virtual-reality (VR) prototype built at The Ohio State University (OSU), Kman saw universal excitement for his innovation, as it filled a glaring need. His first-responder audience members asked, “How can we get our hands on that?”
Mass-casualty simulations are expensive, difficult to stage, and nearly impossible to standardize. Yet the stakes are enormous. “These events are very infrequent but super high stakes when they happen,” Dr. Kman said. “Emergency preparedness is something you may not know you have a problem with—until you do it wrong.”
Dr. Kman worked with OSU’s tech commercialization team to bring the VR platform to market. Tactical Triage Technologies delivers customizable, repeatable training that prepares military and civilian teams for the unthinkable—without the cost and logistics of live drills.
“Technology has reached the point that when people engage in the simulation, they are there. They feel fully immersed,” he said. “With our simulation, people can practice without needing models, mannequins, or special effects makeup or materials.”
Proof, Traction, and a Team to Match
Early pilots validated both the science and the demand. Support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) central research and development organization, provided credibility, funding, and access to defense networks that might otherwise take years to build.
“I don’t have a business, military, or sales background,” Dr. Kman said. “So I recognize that I need people on my team.” After an early grant rejection flagged team dynamics as an area to improve, he recruited a seasoned developer, a military veteran familiar with DoD contracts, and key business advisors. “Build the right team—and build it early,” Dr. Kman said. With Rev1’s guidance and vetted service providers, the startup strengthened its grant strategy and secured critical legal expertise without draining precious cash.
Scaling for Civilian and Military Impact
Tactical Triage continues to earn DARPA backing, and Kman will join the agency’s U.K. program this fall. The company has signed its first civilian licensee and is pursuing its first military customer which he calls “a huge milestone.” Ongoing grants support development of a pediatric mass-casualty trainer while the team considers additional federal funding, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) opportunities. “Our next phase is scaling, adding customers, and refining the product,” Dr. Kman said, “while staying as non-dilutive as possible.”
