New Company ProtoStar™ Launched to Produce Safer, Next-Generation Assistive Mobility Products Designed to Reduce Fall Risk and Enable Users to Stand Upright and Walk Longer
-- Initial product launch scheduled for February 2016 --
-- Company names board of directors comprised of prominent industry members --
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ProtoStar™, Inc., today announced its debut as a new San Diego-based company formed to design, manufacture and commercialize a new category of medical walkers that enable users to stand upright and walk safer, longer and more comfortably than with currently available, less stable mobility devices. The Company plans to unveil its initial commercial product, the LifeWalker™ Upright, at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, February 18 -20, 2016, in Anaheim, CA.
ProtoStar will address the rapidly growing $4 billion global market for mobility products with a line of next-generation, functional walkers designed to improve the lives of people who need assistance with walking as a result of aging, trauma, spine or joint replacement surgery, musculoskeletal, neurological and gait disorders, and obesity.
The Company also announced the members of its board of directors, comprised of prominent industry veterans including:
- Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Purcell, who has 40 years of experience founding and operating successful technology companies that grew in value to hundreds of millions of dollars, including San Diego-based Encad, an innovator in digital image printing technology, which was acquired by Kodak Company.
- Craig S. Andrews, vice chairman and acting chief operating officer, a corporate attorney for over 38 years representing private and public companies, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, with an extensive background in the life sciences and medical device industries.
- Peter C. Farrell, Ph.D., founder and chairman of the board of ResMed Inc. and board member of Nuvasive, Inc.
- Steven R. Garfin, M.D., distinguished professor and chair, UC San Diego Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
- Andrew Senyei, M.D., managing director of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, with more than 25 years of experience in the building of emerging, life science and healthcare companies.
"The spark and motivation to form ProtoStar and to create a new generation of safer walkers was at first personal, having witnessed a family member struggle with deteriorating mobility and health," stated Purcell. "Walkers essentially haven't changed in nearly 60 years, and it was clear through research that a considerable market need exists for a walker that would keep millions of people walking longer, safer and upright, while restoring their dignity and confidence. With our first commercial product soon to be launched, I am proud of the progress the ProtoStar team has made in the short period of time since we began our quest in 2014. The vision, expertise and commitment of our management team and board of directors have been exceptional. We look forward to bringing the benefits of our proprietary upright walker technology to disabled and elderly patients worldwide as we continue to reinvent assistive mobility."
Additional members of the founding ProtoStar leadership team, who average more than 25 years of experience in many facets of the technology, engineering and healthcare industries, include Peter Fellingham, vice president of advanced development engineering, Tom Forgeron, vice president of sales and marketing, Larry Murrill, chief financial officer, Dr. Tom Yichuan Pan, vice president of materials and manufacturing, and Jim Ward, vice president of legal affairs.
About ProtoStar, Inc.
ProtoStar, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, is focused on the design and commercialization of a new category of assistive mobility products that are referred to as "upright walkers," which the Company believes will create a new paradigm in medical walkers that will prove to be safer for patients, provide for improved stability, result in better health, and allow patients to walk longer and further. The Company's mission is to create mobility devices that improve the lives of people who need assistance with walking as a result of aging, trauma, spine or joint replacement surgery, musculoskeletal, neurological and gait disorders, and obesity.
For additional information please see www.protostar.us or www.lifewalkerupright.com.
Company Contact:
Tom Forgeron
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
619-350-0150
[email protected]
Media Contact:
Scott Rieger
619-994-5994
[email protected]
SOURCE ProtoStar, Inc.
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