Tactile Systems Technology Inc
A maker of at-home therapy devices, Tactile Medical builds pneumatic compression systems that treat lymphedema, the chronic limb swelling that often follows cancer treatment. Its flagship Flexitouch system lets patients do at home what used to require a therapist's hands. Founded in 1995 by Irene Waldridge, a certified manual lymphatic drainage therapist in Minneapolis, the company grew out of her wish to bottle her massage technique into a machine. Its name comes from "tactile," meaning touch, since the device mimics a therapist's fingers pushing fluid from swollen limbs.