Voices of Entrepreneurs

Welcome to "Morgan Entrepreneur Spotlight," our monthly-ish showcase where we shine a light on Northeast Ohio's entrepreneurial superstars. Each feature delves into the journeys of individuals who have participated in our programs and are harnessing their learnings to fuel impressive growth and innovation.

Gary Wakeford is the Chief Executive Officer of SonoStik LLC. He has engaged with several Morgan Foundation–supported and regional growth programs, including the Morgan Startup Grant program, The University of Akron’s I-Corps program, and several offerings through Bounce Innovation Hub.

About Your Business

Please tell us a little about SonoStik.

“SonoStik is an early stage Medtech company focusing on the peripheral IV catheter market.  Our flagship product, the SonoStik guidewire introducer allows a clinician to ‘Get it right-The First Time’ when attempting to insert an IV catheter into a Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA) patient.”

Tell us a bit about the growth or entrepreneurship programs in which you’ve participated.

“SonoStik has been a recipient of a Burton D. Morgan Start up grant. These dollars were instrumental in allowing us to attend the Project Medtech Symposium in Chicago as well as get our molds and inventory shipped back to the states as we transition to a US based contract manufacturer. 

Our team has also participated in and has graduated from the University of Akron’s I-Corps program in November 2025.  As graduates of the I-Corps program we are qualified to participate in a higher level I-Corps program that also opens us up to apply for non-dilutive grant dollars. 

SonoStik is also a highly active member of the Bounce Innovation Hub participating in offered programs that have included all facets of operating and scaling a startup enterprise.”

How have these programs influenced your business or leadership approach? What were your key takeaways? 

“These programs have taught us specific tenets of business that have a direct impact on making significant progress. In particular, how important the two elements of time and money interact. The two things a startup needs most are time and money. The two things a startup tends to have the least are time and money. We have been taught that it is most critical to understand this relationship and always focus on ways to expedite your progress while also preparing for the unexpected.  You must learn to make decisions now and act on them, with the available data on hand, because oftentimes even a wrong decision is better than no decision.”

Tell us about any growth, milestones, or key wins you’ve experienced since participating in a Foundation-supported program or other growth program. 

“The programs I mentioned have been very instrumental in helping us achieve a number of mission critical milestones and have also positioned us to be honored with a number of awards. A major achievement for SonoStik was successfully achieving 510K FDA clearance to market. This is often viewed by potential investors as being a major derisking factor to making an investment. Having achieved 510K status will certainly help with filling out our SERIES A round of capital. 

The support and educational programs we received from these programs, along with the valuable tenets shared, positioned us to be honored and receive several accolades which include the following: 

• Winner PNC start up Showcase $5K grant September 2025
• Greater Cleveland Sponsorship Best Tech Award September 2025
• Burton D. Morgan Start Up Grant $3K April 2025
• SonoStik Achieves FDA 510K Clearance November 2024
• Project Medtech Symposium Chicago May 2024 one of three best presentation awards $500"

What has been your biggest challenge in growing your business, and how did you navigate it? 

“Our biggest challenge throughout this process has been, and continues to be, raising capital. Investment dollars are harder and harder to come by. Thus far we have weathered the storm by looking for any and all grant dollars available to help tide us over, until we receive a promised larger investment from one of our primary investors. We have operated with the approach of full transparency with our staff and our vendor partners. As such, everyone, both internal and external to the company have been very accommodating and gracious in working with us. There have been missed paychecks and extended terms on accounts payable, but by being fully transparent and keeping everyone involved, we have maintained  the full support our core team and partners.”

What are one to three goals you hope to achieve in the next twelve months?

“We are entering the new year with high expectations that 2026 will be our breakout year. We have achieved a minimum viable product, we have strong validation from our customer discovery interviews from I-Corps, and we have strong interest from a growing number of physicians. Our top three mission critical items are:

• Complete our SERIES A round of capital $1.5M target
• Get clinically usable product on the shelf
• Secure physician/clinical validation”

Insights & Impact

How do you define success — for yourself or your business?

“Success for myself is always doing my very best, treating everyone honestly and fairly.  My father always taught us to do our very best and then not to worry about the outcome. If you have done your best, there is nothing else you can do. For business, you certainly must measure your progress against specified milestones. I also believe in always being fully transparent with everyone involved. People will give you their very best if they know and feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.”

What motivates you to keep going when things get tough? 

“There are a few things that I lean on when times get tough. One is I always have a total belief in our cause. There are too many patients who will greatly benefit from our technology to let it fail.  Two, I can be stubborn, and I simply refuse to fail!  Lastly, it is important to realize that challenges and struggles are part of the game when launching a startup.  If approached with the right attitude, they can also be a big part of the fun.  You have to learn to enjoy all aspects of the ride!”

Who has been an important mentor, partner, or supporter in your journey? 

“One of our board members, Mr. Carl Stamp has been tremendously helpful. He has a pedigreed background in the medtech world and has seen it all. His guidance, counsel, and support have contributed to a large extent to our success to date.”

How does your business contribute to your community or industry? 

“We help as many organizations as we can in as many ways as we can. As we are not yet in the market, and are pre-revenue, most of our contributions have been via work in-kind. As previously mentioned, I personally attend most all of the seminars at the Bounce Innovation Hub and share my knowledge and experience with anyone where it may bring value.”

What advice would you offer to entrepreneurs just getting started?

“Take your work very seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. It can be the ride of a lifetime, but you must find a way to enjoy and learn from the good, the bad, and the ugly. Trust me, things will go wrong, and Murphy’s law will show up more than you can possibly imagine. You must keep the faith, stay on the course, and keep a positive and cheerful attitude.”

Personal Reflections