Pulse Charter Connect

Pulse Charter Connect (PCC) is a Chicago-based healthcare logistics software company building a national transportation platform for organ transplant logistics. The platform connects transplant centers, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), charter operators, charter brokers and perfusion teams, replacing phone-based, manual coordination and opaque broker networks with digital scheduling, real-time aircraft and ground availability, transparent pricing and HIPAA-compliant communication.

The product is offered either as a fully integrated system or as standalone modules. Components include an organ transportation marketplace that matches transplant centers with vetted air and ground transport and provides competitive pricing, real-time flight tracking and ETA alerts; clinical case management with a centralized organ offer dashboard and a structured case record created on acceptance that follows the organ through transplant; Pulse Chat, described as HIPAA-compliant and SOC 2 certified secure messaging with role-based channels, one-click messages and read receipts; and a staff management calendar for on-call scheduling with real-time coverage views and automated coverage-gap alerts. The company states the platform delivers a 66% time savings for transplant coordinators and cost reductions through matching the appropriate aircraft or vehicle to each mission.

PCC positions itself against the traditional broker model, describing its 24/7 digital scheduling with real-time data and insights as the differentiator, and characterizing itself as a concierge layer between transplant centers and transportation fleets. Press coverage has referred to the company as an "Expedia for organ transplants."

Founding story

Laura Epstein, a Long Island native with an aerospace engineering degree from the University of Virginia, a pilot's license and prior work as an engineer at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C., formed the company in 2022 while pursuing an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She had worked for a charter company flying organs and surgical teams and observed inefficiencies in communication and scheduling; the concept was further developed during a consulting project at Booth. Her father's logistics company is cited as an influence on her decision to become an entrepreneur.

Business model

PCC sells software and coordination services to organ procurement organizations, transplant centers, charter operators and charter brokers, operating a vetted marketplace that matches transplant demand with air and ground transport capacity. It describes sharing in the cost savings generated by assigning the right asset to each mission.

Revenue derives from the transport marketplace and platform modules sold to transplant centers, OPOs and transport operators; the company describes sharing in cost savings achieved through its verified network. Company leadership said in 2024 that revenue was beginning to climb with increasing transport volume.

Traction

Since launching in April 2024, PCC reported facilitating organ transports that saved over 65 lives across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. The company cites a 66% time savings for transplant coordinators. As of August 2024 it had four full-time and six part-time staff, growing transport volume and revenue, and was working on a contract with a West Coast medical institution.

Latest developments

In May 2025 PCC closed an oversubscribed $2 million seed round co-led by Ivy Ventures and Simplex Ventures, with participation from Cedars Sinai Health Ventures, Belal Badat Ventures, Techstars, The Josephine Collective and strategic angel investors, bringing total funding to $3.3 million. The proceeds are earmarked for scaling operations, enhancing the proprietary logistics software and expanding the company's national footprint.