We recently connected with Diana Hall and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission is to provide waterproof, sanitizable casts and splints that allow people to practice basic hygiene like washing their hands and showering while healing. When I ran a mentoring program for children in poverty in my hometown, they would often have traditional plaster or fiberglass casts that would get dirty, soggy and smelly. The kids couldn’t play on the playground, shower, or even wash their hands to have a snack! I knew that we needed medical immobilization devices that wouldn’t stop people from living their active lifestyles and staying clean and safe. And that’s how ActivArmor came to be!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m Diana Hall, the Founder of ActivArmor. I have a degree in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, and worked in Fortune 500 companies in software engineering for many years. Growing up, my brother suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, so we spent a lot of time in Children’s Hospital. I saw kids having to adapt to medical devices that restricted their activities and lifestyles. I took some time off when my daughter was born, and started a mentoring program for children in poverty in my hometown and saw a need for sanitizable, waterproof casts, and worked with the top orthopedic surgeons to bring the much-needed product to market. We are now being used by the top doctors in hospitals and clinics across the country and in 5 other countries as well, and have given thousands of patients their active lifestyles back while they heal.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Some of the things that helped build our reputation in the orthopedic medical device market are:
1. Great Tech: The product is the only sanitizable cast on the market!
2. Regulatory knowledge: I worked directly with the FDA to help develop the test protocols for 3D printed wearable medical devices.
3. Advisors: I worked with some of the top orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine professionals in the country to develop and test the product designs.
4. A great team: I hired people that are smart, hard working, and believe in our mission. We are united in providing the safest, best products to our providers and patients with top notch support.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When the Covid pandemic hit, sports and elective surgeries were canceled, as were our main sales channels like professional conferences and in-clinic demonstrations. Instead of slowing down, we saw the need for PPE and patented transparent face masks for first responders and healthcare workers so that they could communicate better. And we invested in technology – developing an iPhone app for 3D scanning so that anyone could order a sanitizable cast or splint with their phone, nationwide, and brought on an experienced ortho-tech to safely provide remote support services.
We see obstacles as challenges, and meet them head-on!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.activarmor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activarmor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActivArmor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianaelizabethhall/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActivArmor
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMjVNcXTKyNkOuMoW0SRMwvSRBTZVi9x