British startup Andiamo is in the midst of a crowdfunding effort on Indiegogo to develop 3D-printed, custom orthotics for disabled children. It’s working toward a £60,000 – or $100,000(ish) goal – by Oct. 20.
The idea here is to reduce wait times from six months to just a few days for back braces, hand splints and ankle-foot orthotics by using 3D scanning and printing. It’s using “industrial grade” 3D printers and materials.
The company is headed by Naveed and Samiya Parvez, who founded Andiamo after their son, Diamo, passed away on his 9th birthday because of complications from cerebral palsy. But when they were caring for him, they realized the process of getting a back brace was onerous and uncomfortable for their child – and have since vowed to help other parents and kids more seamlessly use orthotics. They described some of the challenges Diamo had with his braces:
- Wheelchairs had to be changed to fit his new brace. This happened every time a new brace was made.
- Special seating systems at school and at home had to be purchased that could be used with and without Diamo wearing his brace.
- We had to buy seamless clothes and very fitted clothing to reduce the risk of sores.
- The brace had plastic foam on the inside as padding, which meant he was at risk of overheating in warm weather.
- The brace added 2-4kg to a child that required manual handling throughout the day.
Their Indiegogo pitch includes the following concession:
We’ve done a lot of market and user research during our time with the amazing folks at Bethnal Green Ventures and during the past 12 months we learned that Andiamo is deemed by traditional investors as a risky venture as we aim to disrupt an industry that hasn’t changed in over a hundred years. Traditional investors don’t like risky ventures.
At the same time, orthotics patients and their families are telling us that they want to see this service realised, so that’s why we are turning to crowdfunding.
Andiamo plans to use the funds to design prototypes over the course of a year. It wants to test the 3D-printed products with real patients as a proof-of-concept, so it can then attract further investment. It also needs to continue developing ways to adapt 3D-printed designs to fit patients with a range of conditions, which will require further research, the company said.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The initial fundraise will help Andiamo raise enough capital to work with three families over the course of a year in developing orthotics. It’s laid out its 18-month roadmap:
