Davenport SAF-T Systems draws a crowd at CES ‘24, opens pre-seed funding round

LAS VEGAS, NV (Jan. 15, 2024) – Davenport SAF-T Systems grabbed a share of the spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s premier technology showcase, as it unveiled the SAF-T VEST™, a wearable innovation designed to reduce the risk of devastating injuries in a fall.

“We can’t think of a better place to show how the SAF-T VEST will change the way we think about safe and healthy aging,” said Ryan Davenport, CEO and Co-Founder of Davenport SAF-T Systems. “We have a wearable, smart solution to address the critical problem of fall injuries—a $50B public health crisis in the U.S.”

The company shared new video of a pivotal test held last month. A prototype of the SAF-T VEST deployed a full network of airbags in a backwards fall while fitted to a life-sized mannequin. Three dual-chambered airbags inflated in less than 0.4 seconds prior to impact with the floor. The airbags are designed to protect fracture prone areas of the body from the hips to the head. Testing planned for later this year will include adult volunteers.

Investors wanted

The company opened a $500K pre-seed round of funding to support advanced prototyping, pilot studies and commercial launch. As an early-stage start-up, the company raised $100,000 through crowdfunding and investments from friends and family. The capital fueled critical engineering advances in collaboration with Kablooe Design, the company’s Minneapolis-based development partner. For more information or to receive investor materials, contact Ryan Davenport ([email protected].)

Davenport SAF-T Systems was selected to exhibit January 9^th and 10^th at CES by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Consumer Technology Association, which hosts CES. The company was one of more than 1,200 start-ups on display at the Venetian Expo.

Fall detection; full airbag system inflation

Patented technology

The SAF-T VEST (U.S. Patent #10,897,938 B2), is a lightweight garment equipped with a motion sensor that can detect a person’s fall in progress. The device inflates a network of airbags to protect the most fracture prone areas of the body, including the hips, back, upper extremities, and the head and neck. The airbags also rapidly deflate to absorb the impact. The SAF-T VEST is in development and not available for purchase.

Davenport says the company continues to explore a variety of paths forward, including joint development opportunities and licensing agreements.

“We’re committed to bringing our solution to market because too many older adults are suffering terrible, life-threatening injuries from falling.” The start-up, founded in 2017, was a semifinalist in the 2020 Most Fundable Companies survey. In 2022, the company received a Launch Minnesota Innovation Grant.

About the SAF-T VEST

Every year millions of people fall, suffering life-changing consequences ranging from hip fractures to brain injuries to death. In 2020, more than 36,000 older adults died from falls. More than 300,000 people aged 65 and older are hospitalized each year due to hip fractures. Designed by Jay A. Davenport, M.D., a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, the SAF-T VEST will help older adults maintain their independence—so critical to quality of life. By reducing the risk and severity of injury, the user remains active and avoids the physical decline associated with a fall injury. While it may be impossible to ever prevent 100% of falls from occurring, the technology to reduce the severity of injury from falls is now within reach.