The r.Prod 3D printer’s potential has been recognized at the Propelify Innovation Festival, an annual event that welcomes thousands of innovators, entrepreneurs and startups.
This year, over 120 start-ups took part in the competition. In this panel, 10 companies were selected to appear before a selection of judges at Propelify; and Arfona came out winning among the 4 finalists who made their presentation on stage.
The Brooklyn-based start-up, Arfona, is founded by Justin Marks in 2016. It implemented an innovative, fast and cost effective method of 3D printing of partial dentures.
The printer with a range of dental filaments is Arfona’s flagship product. Made In collaboration with Valplast, dental materials manufacturer, this printer is the first in its category specifically designed for the production of prostheses.
The start-up then wins a cash prize of $ 10,000 as well as $ 25,000 in business credits from the competition’s sponsors.
Marks gave his feeling about this victory :
“We are thrilled not only for the win but for the opportunity to make oral health issues front and center in the tech and investor communities. More than 178 million Americans are missing at least one of their natural teeth and many patients go untreated because the process is either too expensive or too unpleasant. We’re proud to be working on a solution to this problem and to be recognized by the startup community for our achievements.”