Metamason is a healthcare-focused 3D scanning and 3D printing company dedicated to improving healthcare through technological innovation. Its proprietary Scan·Fit·Print™ process uses 3D body scanning, patented algorithmic design, and on-demand 3D printing to create individually customized, ergonomic medical device products. Its flagship product, Respere™, is a custom-fit, 3D-printed CPAP mask designed to revolutionize treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Respere™ is a light, subtle, and secure CPAP mask individually designed for every patient. Coming to market in 2017, the Respere™ digital platform will allow a sleep apnea patient to scan his or her face, and its proprietary algorithm will design a CPAP mask customized to fit the person’s unique facial topology. Each Respere™ product will be made to order and 3D printed from soft medical grade silicone using an exclusive Investment Molding™ technique, Respere™ offers comfort, flexibility and flawless fit.
Every human face is different. Through 3D customization, Metamason seeks to revolutionize CPAP use and compliance, promoting improved overall health and a better quality of life.
The Los Angeles based company closed a $3M seed funding led by 3P Equity Partners, a manufacturing-focused private equity firm located in San Jose, and Tsing Capital, a Chinese cleantech venture capital firm, with participation from individual angel investors.
The company intends to use the funds to complete FDA regulatory clearance and run initial clinical trials for its patent-pending flagship product Respere™.
Led by founder and CEO Leslie Oliver Karpas, and COO/CFO and co-founder Cliff Sarkin, Metamason is advancing Respere™, a custom fit, 3D-printed CPAP mask that combines proprietary process (Scan·Fit·Print™) 3D body scanning, patented algorithmic design and on-demand 3D printing to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a chronic respiratory disorder affecting 1 in 4 men and 1 in 9 women in the US alone.
The company plans to execute a crowdfunding campaign later in 2016 and begin marketing activities in early 2017.
Metamason raised $717K in January 2013 from Asimov Ventures. Metamason was recently accepted into the prestigious Singularity University Startup Network. Now an SU Labs portfolio company, Metamason is poised to benefit from the resources and mentorship provided by the respected Silicon Valley think tank and research institution.
Metamason co-founder and CEO Leslie Oliver Karpas said, “We are thrilled to reach this important milestone for the company. Our investors are confident that Metamason will be a disruptive, positive force in the $4 billion global sleep apnea market.”
“We’re not just selling a product,” said Karpas. “We want to give patients and providers direct influence over the creation of objects that profoundly affect their lives.”
CPAP, he explained, is a good place to start. “Despite CPAP therapy’s proven efficacy, over half of patients quit because of discomfort due to poor fit of their masks.”
Projected to become publicly available in Q2 2017, the Respere™ mask uses Metamason’s Scan·Fit·Print™ platform to incorporate digital scans of the patient’s face using a proprietary design algorithm, generating a CPAP mask that comfortably fits each patient’s unique facial topology. Each Respere™ product will be produced on demand, 3D-printed from soft medical grade silicone.
“Many people suffering from OSA can’t remember the last time they had a good night’s sleep,” Karpas said. “Mass-produced masks fit poorly because every human face is different. Metamason empowers patients through curated personalization. It’s our goal to improve lives by transforming the CPAP experience.”
COO/CFO and co-founder Cliff Sarkin added “We’re honored by the support of our investors and advisors—and galvanized by the outpouring of interest and enthusiasm from sleep doctors and patients”, noting that the company has already begun expanding its team of designers and engineers, and is celebrating the opening of its new headquarters in downtown LA.
