About Us
Our Origin
HoustonBionics was founded through close collaboration with clinicians, researchers, and patients. Early development efforts were shaped by hands-on experience working with individuals recovering from stroke, where consistent access to high-frequency rehabilitation remained a persistent challenge.
Many patients expressed a desire to continue structured rehabilitation outside scheduled therapy sessions but were limited by appointment availability, transportation, and fatigue. These barriers often prevented individuals from performing sufficient, high-quality repetitions needed to support continued recovery. These insights guided our efforts to develop a system designed to support continued rehabilitation in the home.
Our Approach
HoustonBionics develops rehabilitation technology intended to complement, not replace, clinical care. Our systems are designed to support active participation, goal-directed movement, and consistent engagement outside the clinic while aligning with established principles of neurorehabilitation.
By enabling patients to remain engaged in structured rehabilitation activities without increasing clinical burden, our approach helps extend the impact of care beyond the clinic and into everyday life. This approach allows rehabilitation intensity to increase without requiring proportional increases in clinician time.
We work closely with clinicians and researchers to ensure that our approach remains grounded in clinical relevance, user safety, and real-world use.
Meet Our Team
Utku Pehlivan, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Utku is a neuro-rehabilitation roboticist trained at Rice University. During his doctoral studies he developed advanced upper-extremity robotic systems for stroke and spinal cord injury recovery.
His engineering background includes roles at Disney Research, Intel, and Applied Materials, with expertise spanning robotics, adaptive control systems, and medical device development. At HoustonBionics, he leads product innovation and clinical integration.
Kutay Pehlivan
Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer
Kutay leads hardware architecture, manufacturing strategy, and system reliability at HoustonBionics. With deep experience translating complex robotic platforms into scalable, production-ready devices, he oversees engineering execution from prototype to deployment. His focus is building clinically effective systems that meet the standards of modern healthcare delivery.
Yagiz C. Sisman
Co-Founder, Chief Business Officer
Yagiz is a healthcare growth operator focused on commercialization and health system partnerships. He led international expansion and institutional engagement at Seven Bridges - now Velsera, supporting population-scale genomic initiatives.
He was also a founding member of a healthcare data platform that reached over 20M accessible patients through major health system partnerships. At HoustonBionics, he leads capital formation, strategic partnerships, and market expansion.
Scientific Advisory Board
HoustonBionics’ Scientific Advisory Board members are highly respected and accomplished thought leaders from academia, clinical practice, and commercial healthcare organizations.
Marcia O’Malley, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation - Rice University
Nuray Yozbatiran PT, Ph.D.
Associate Professor for Research Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.
Engin Cakar, M.D., Prof. Dr.
Chair Stroke Focused Neuro-recovery Center Memorial HealthCare Group
Ozkan Celik, Ph.D.
Sr. Robotics Researcher Applied Materials
Atilla Ertan, MD
Professor Emeritus, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UT Health (Ertan Digestive Disease Center - Memorial Hermann)
Supporting Recovery Beyond the Clinic
At HoustonBionics, we are building technology to help individuals recovering from neurological injury, including stroke or traumatic brain injury, continue meaningful rehabilitation activities beyond traditional care settings.
Our work is focused on supporting upper-extremity recovery by enabling structured, goal-directed practice in home environments while maintaining active user participation. By addressing the sharp drop in rehabilitation intensity that often occurs after discharge, we aim to support continuity of care during a critical period of recovery.
