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UT Ventures has made its first investment, backing Solaris Endovascular, a Dallas-based medical device company developing minimally invasive treatments for patients with dialysis access complications and peripheral artery disease.

The deal is a milestone for UT Ventures, which launched in January 2026 with eight founding members and has since grown to about two dozen. It symbolizes the network’s shift from recruitment into active dealmaking with University of Tennessee alumni-led companies.

Solaris Endovascular has a UT alumn on its C-suite, which is exactly the profile the network was built to fund. The Solaris investment supports the company’s oversubscribed $5 million convertible bridge round.

“Solaris Endovascular was among the first companies to present to our angel network, and the response from our members was immediate,” said Maha Krishnamurthy, president and CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) and UT Ventures. “Solaris Endovascular is a leader in the medical device space, and the technology they are developing has real potential to change outcomes for patients. We are excited to be part of this journey.”

What is Solaris building?

Solaris is developing a platform built around covered stents and drug-eluting technology. Its lead product, Solaris DE, is a sirolimus-eluting covered stent, essentially a mesh tube coated with a drug that helps keep a blood vessel from narrowing again after treatment. The company is targeting restenosis, or the re-narrowing of vessels, and longer-lasting results in dialysis access, with potential use across a broader set of vascular conditions.

The company’s DEScover Trial has completed enrollment. According to Solaris, interim six-month data showed 95% target lesion primary patency, 100% patency in arteriovenous graft patients, and 91% patency in arteriovenous fistulae patients, with no device-related serious adverse events reported through 30 days.

Solaris DE received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Breakthrough Device Designation in 2026, a status meant to speed review of technologies that address serious conditions with few existing options.

For John Reviere, Solaris’ vice president of clinical and quality operations and a UT Knoxville graduate, the backing is critical for the company’s next step in growth.

“Support from UT Ventures strengthens our ability to advance Solaris DE and bring a truly differentiated solution to patients who have very few good options today,” Reviere said.

The goals for UT Ventures angel network

As we reported in May, UT Ventures was founded to connect UT alumni investors with startups that have ties to the university. Members pay an annual fee, the network brings them companies, and each angel decides individually whether to invest.

To draw investment from UT Ventures, a company needs someone on its leadership team with educational ties to UT; it can be built anywhere in the country, in any sector. The network has said it expects most of its targets to sit at the seed-to-Series A stage while it finds its footing.

Marty Brown, CEO of PYA ( the publisher of Teknovation) and a General Partner in Market Square Ventures, said Solaris Endovascular is the perfect first candidate for this group to invest in.

“UT Ventures gives UT alumni a meaningful way to put their capital to work behind companies connected to the university,” Brown said. “Solaris Endovascular is exactly the kind of company we had in mind: strong leadership, breakthrough technology, and a clear path to improving patient lives.”

With a first deal on the board, UT Ventures officially has a live portfolio.

The group remains open to both new investor members and applications from UT-connected startups! If you are interested in becoming a member investor, click the application link here.

Learn more about Solaris Endovascular.

Learn more about UT Ventures.

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