Cadflow

The scale of the dental care challenge on a global level is significant, with nearly 3.5 billion people affected by oral diseases according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dental caries, or tooth decay, stands as the most prevalent non-communicable disease worldwide, emphasizing the immense demand for dental appliances like orthodontic retainers, dental splints, dentures, and crowns. In the United States alone, it's estimated that over 90% of adults have experienced dental caries, and approximately 20% of adults have untreated tooth decay, highlighting the urgent need for effective dental solutions. Access to these essential dental solutions is limited for many due to prohibitive costs, lack of skilled technicians, and infrastructural constraints, particularly in low-income communities where up to 70% of the global population lacks access to adequate dental care.

Traditionally, the design of patient-matched dental appliances has been a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, requiring specialized CAD (Computer-Aided Design) technicians. This traditional approach has not only resulted in high costs but also inefficiencies and inconsistencies in the final products. The dental industry is undergoing a transformative phase, rapidly embracing digital design and manufacturing workflows, especially in advanced markets such as North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. This shift towards digitalization is driven by the precision, efficiency, and customization benefits offered by digital technologies.

Additive manufacturing, coupled with the availability of a variety of FDA-approved biocompatible materials, is revolutionizing the production of customized dental appliances. This technology allows for cost-effective, rapid prototyping and manufacturing of patient-matched devices, significantly reducing waste and improving production efficiency. CADflow, an advanced generative AI solution, is emerging as a game-changing solution to the challenges faced in the dental industry. By leveraging AI-driven design algorithms, CADflow automates the design process for patient-matched dental appliances, eliminating the need for highly skilled CAD technicians. This automation not only reduces costs but also improves design accuracy and accelerates the production process.

The integration of additive manufacturing, CADflow, and AI technologies presents significant opportunities for innovation and growth within the dental industry. These advancements are addressing the existing challenges related to cost, accessibility, and quality of dental care. In low and middle-income countries, where dental care accessibility is a significant concern, these technologies have the potential to revolutionize clinical practice and improve patient outcomes on a global scale.

Despite these technological advancements, access to quality dental care remains a challenge in many parts of the world, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Factors such as lack of infrastructure, trained professionals, and awareness contribute to this issue. Poor oral health can have significant impacts on overall health, affecting nutrition, speech, and quality of life. Therefore, access to quality dental care and customized dental appliances is crucial in improving oral health outcomes and overall well-being. The transformative potential of additive manufacturing, CADflow, and generative AI technologies in the dental industry offers hope in addressing these challenges, bridging the gap in access to quality dental care and paving the way for a patient-matched revolution in healthcare.

CADflow is a cutting-edge generative AI platform specifically designed to revolutionize the design of dental appliances, with a particular focus on orthodontic appliances. In simple terms, CADflow is a software solution that automates the design process of dental appliances using artificial intelligence. The process begins with a 3D scan of the patient's teeth, capturing the unique structure and alignment of their dentition. CADflow's AI algorithms then analyze this data, identifying the specific requirements and dimensions for the orthodontic appliance. Using its patent-pending generative AI technology, CADflow generates a customized design for the orthodontic appliance, optimizing it for the individual patient's needs. The technology behind CADflow is built on advanced AI-driven design algorithms and 3D segmentation techniques. Our platform uses unique 3D segmentation tailored for orthodontic cases, ensuring precise and accurate design outcomes. For instance, our bracket removal solution is a patent-pending generative AI solution specifically designed for orthodontic applications, allowing for the automated and optimized design of brackets tailored to each patient's dentition.

In just two years, CADflow has validated its pioneering approach to generative AI in the design of dental appliances, boasting over 200 active customers and facilitating the design of over 2 million appliances through our platform. Orthodontic appliances represent less than 10% of the dental appliance market, and dental appliance manufacturers are rapidly adopting digital workflows and requesting more complex AI design technology from CADflow. As dental appliance manufacturers increasingly adopt digital workflows and demand more sophisticated AI design technology, CADflow is at the forefront, providing innovative solutions to meet these evolving needs.

The target population for CADflow's generative AI platform includes a diverse range of individuals in need of dental appliances, particularly orthodontic appliances, who are currently underserved due to various factors such as cost, accessibility, and the lack of specialized expertise in dental design. This encompasses civilians, veterans, armed services members, individuals in rural dental care environments with access to 3D printing technology, and in the U.S. specifically, recovering addicts who often face dental issues due to drug use.

In the U.S., the drug epidemic has led to a significant number of recovering addicts experiencing severe dental problems, including the loss of all their teeth, which eventually necessitates the need for dentures. These individuals often face challenges in accessing affordable and high-quality dental care, further exacerbating their already difficult recovery process. CADflow's generative AI platform addresses these challenges by automating and optimizing the design process of dental appliances, significantly reducing costs, and improving the efficiency and accuracy of the design process. By leveraging AI-driven design algorithms and 3D segmentation techniques, CADflow eliminates the need for highly skilled CAD technicians, making it possible to produce high-quality, customized dental appliances at a fraction of the traditional cost.

Moreover, CADflow's innovative approach to dental appliance design has the potential to improve clinical outcomes and reduce complications by ensuring precise and accurate fit and alignment of the appliances, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness and comfort for the patients. This is particularly beneficial for orthodontic patients who require customized and well-fitted appliances for effective treatment.

Furthermore, CADflow's solution increases equitable access to dental care by providing expert-quality appliance design to any environment with 3D printing capabilities. This is especially impactful for individuals in rural and underserved areas who may not have access to specialized dental services and can benefit from the cost-effective and customized solutions offered by CADflow's platform.

In addition to the U.S. population, CADflow's platform also targets individuals in rural countries where access to quality dental care is limited or nonexistent. In many rural areas, there is a severe shortage of dental professionals and facilities, making it difficult for people to receive timely and appropriate treatment. CADflow's generative AI platform addresses these challenges by providing a scalable and accessible solution that can be implemented in remote locations with access to 3D printing technology.

Our team is deeply connected to and representative of the communities we aim to serve through our innovative dental appliance design solution. Ryan Goy, our CTO and co-founder, brings a unique and invaluable perspective to CADflow's mission. Ryan is not only an experienced technologist but also an avid volunteer in Los Angeles' low-income and homeless communities. He serves on the board of a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating poverty in Los Angeles. Through his extensive involvement and firsthand experience, Ryan has gained a deep understanding of the specific dental needs of underserved populations, including those without health insurance, individuals living in poverty, the homeless, drug addicts, and recovering addicts.

Ryan's close connection to these communities has been instrumental in guiding the design and implementation of CADflow's generative AI platform. His insights and experiences have directly influenced our approach to developing a solution that is not only technologically advanced but also socially impactful. Ryan's commitment to bringing excellent dental care to these vulnerable populations for a fraction of the traditional cost or even for free through our social impact collaborations is at the core of CADflow's mission.

In addition to Ryan's leadership and community involvement, our team is dedicated to incorporating community input, ideas, and agendas into the design and implementation of our solution. We believe in a collaborative and community-centered approach, ensuring that the needs and priorities of the target populations are at the forefront of our development process. By actively engaging with community members, healthcare professionals, and nonprofit organizations, we continuously refine and adapt our platform to better meet the unique challenges and requirements of the communities we serve.

Our team's proximity to and deep understanding of the communities we aim to serve sets us apart and positions us as the right people to design and deliver this transformative solution. We are committed to making a meaningful impact by improving access to high-quality, affordable dental care for a diverse range of individuals, including civilians, veterans, armed services members, recovering addicts in the U.S., and those in rural dental care environments globally with access to 3D printing technology.

In just a few years since CADflow's inception, we have made significant strides in validating our pioneering approach to Generative AI in the design of dental appliances. We are proud to have served over 200 active customers and facilitated the design of over 2 million dental appliances through our innovative Generative AI platform. Our platform has been instrumental in automating and optimizing the design process of dental appliances, particularly orthodontic appliances, addressing a critical need in the dental industry.

Orthodontic appliances represent less than 10% of the dental appliance market, and we have observed a growing demand from dental appliance manufacturers for more complex AI design technology. In response to this demand, CADflow has successfully developed and launched our first AI orthodontic bracket removal solution. This solution showcases the capabilities of our Generative AI platform in automating the design of orthodontic brackets tailored to each patient's dentition, demonstrating the potential of our technology to revolutionize the dental appliance design process.

In addition to our technological advancements, CADflow has also achieved significant milestones in our startup journey. We were accepted into UCI’s Wayfinder Startup Incubator, a prestigious incubator program that supports early-stage startups in Southern California. Through this program, we have gained valuable mentorship, resources, and support to further develop and grow our business. Furthermore, we successfully raised $400K from customer investors, demonstrating the confidence and support from our customer base in our innovative solution.

Additionally, CADflow was awarded $100K by Amazon through the AWS Activate startup accelerator, providing us with the necessary resources and infrastructure to scale our platform and reach a broader customer base. These achievements highlight our team's dedication, expertise, and the potential of our Generative AI platform to disrupt and innovate the dental appliance design industry.

CADflow faces several challenges in growing our innovative Generative AI platform and expanding our impact, and we believe Solve can help us overcome these barriers in several key areas:

1. Regulatory Approval for New Products: One of the significant barriers we face is obtaining regulatory approval for our new dental appliance designs. Solve can assist us in navigating the regulatory landscape, providing guidance and support to ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and standards, thereby accelerating the approval process and enabling us to bring our innovative dental solutions to market more efficiently.

2. Introduction to Manufacturing Industries Outside of Dental: While our platform is currently focused on the dental appliance market, we see immense potential in expanding our technology to other medical product sectors. Solve's extensive network and industry connections can facilitate introductions to manufacturing industries outside of dental, enabling us to explore new market opportunities and diversify our product offerings.

3. Capital to Scale Development, Especially for Nonprofit Use Cases/Partnerships: Funding is crucial for scaling our platform and reaching more beneficiaries, particularly in the nonprofit sector where there is a significant need for affordable and high-quality dental care solutions. Solve can provide access to potential investors, grant opportunities, and funding resources, allowing us to accelerate our development and establish meaningful partnerships with nonprofits to expand access to our technology to underserved communities.

4. Connection to Other Nonprofits Who Could Use This Technology: Building partnerships with nonprofits is essential for us to reach and serve the communities we aim to help. Solve's network and platform can connect us with other nonprofits and organizations working in healthcare and community development, creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the integration of our technology into existing healthcare and social impact initiatives.

CADflow's innovative approach to dental appliance design leverages the power of Generative AI to address the significant bottleneck in the current digital design and manufacturing workflows in dentistry. While the dental industry has rapidly adopted 100% digital workflows, starting with a 3D scan of the patient's anatomy and ending with a 3D printed patient-matched appliance, the need for trained human dental CAD technicians to digitally design millions of individual patient-matched dental appliances remains a major barrier to scaling these benefits at a low cost.

Our Generative AI platform revolutionizes the design process by automating the creation of customized dental appliance designs, including orthodontic retainers, dental splints, dentures, and crowns. By eliminating the need for highly skilled CAD technicians, CADflow's platform significantly reduces costs, improves clinical outcomes, reduces complications, and increases equitable access to high-quality dental care. Our platform uses unique 3D segmentation techniques tailored for orthodontic cases, ensuring precise and accurate design outcomes that meet the specific needs and requirements of each patient.

In just two years since our inception, CADflow has validated our pioneering approach to Generative AI in the design of dental appliances with over 200 active customers and facilitated the design of over 2 million appliances. Our success demonstrates the scalability and effectiveness of our Generative AI platform in meeting the growing demand for complex AI design technology from dental appliance manufacturers.

By addressing the design bottleneck and enabling cost-effective, high-quality, and customized dental appliance production, CADflow's platform has the potential to catalyze broader positive impacts across the dental industry and beyond. Our platform can transform clinical practice by streamlining the design and manufacturing process, improve patient outcomes by ensuring precise and accurate fit and alignment of dental appliances, lower costs by reducing the need for specialized labor, and reduce waste by optimizing material utilization.

Furthermore, CADflow's technology can change the market landscape by expanding the application of Generative AI and additive manufacturing beyond dentistry to other medical product sectors. By automating and optimizing the design process of medical appliances, our platform can facilitate the development of personalized healthcare solutions and accelerate the adoption of digital design and manufacturing workflows in the broader medical industry.

Our theory of change for CADflow's Generative AI platform is grounded in addressing the key bottleneck in the dental appliance design process through automation, which we believe will lead to immediate outputs and long-term outcomes for our target population.

Activities:

• Develop and refine our Generative AI platform to automate the design process of dental appliances.
• Collaborate with dental professionals, manufacturers, and nonprofits to validate and implement our technology.
• Provide training and support to dental professionals and organizations to integrate our platform into their workflows.

Immediate Outputs:

• Efficient and cost-effective design of customized dental appliances.
• Reduction in the need for specialized CAD technicians.
• Increased adoption of digital design and manufacturing workflows in the dental industry.

Long-term Outcomes:

• Improved access to high-quality, affordable dental care for a diverse range of individuals, including civilians, veterans, armed services members, recovering addicts in the U.S., and those in rural dental care environments globally with access to 3D printing technology.
• Enhanced patient outcomes and satisfaction through precise and accurate fit and alignment of dental appliances.
• Reduction in healthcare costs and waste by optimizing material utilization and streamlining the design and manufacturing process.
• Catalyzing broader positive impacts across the dental industry and the broader medical sector by expanding the application of Generative AI and additive manufacturing to other medical product sectors.

Evidence to Support the Theory of Change:

• In just two years since our inception, CADflow has validated our pioneering approach to Generative AI in the design of dental appliances with over 200 active customers and facilitated the design of over 2 million appliances.
• Our platform has been accepted into UCI’s Wayfinder Startup Incubator, raised $400K from customer investors, and awarded $100K by Amazon via the AWS Activate startup accelerator, demonstrating the confidence and support from our customer base and the broader startup ecosystem.
• The dental industry's rapid adoption of 100% digital design and manufacturing workflows, coupled with the growing demand from dental appliance manufacturers for more complex AI design technology from CADflow, highlights the market demand and potential impact of our technology.

Impact Goals:

1. Improve Access to High-Quality, Affordable Dental Care: To enable individuals, including civilians, veterans, armed services members, recovering addicts in the U.S., and those in rural dental care environments globally with access to 3D printing technology, to have affordable access to high-quality dental appliances designed through our platform.

2. Enhance Patient Outcomes and Satisfaction: To ensure precise and accurate fit and alignment of dental appliances, leading to improved patient outcomes, satisfaction, and overall oral health.

3. Reduce Healthcare Costs and Waste: To optimize material utilization, streamline the design and manufacturing process, and reduce healthcare costs and waste within the dental industry.

4. Catalyze Broader Positive Impacts Across the Dental Industry and the Broader Medical Sector: To expand the application of Generative AI and additive manufacturing to other medical product sectors, fostering innovation and promoting sustainable industrialization.

How We Are Measuring Our Progress:

1. Improving Access to High-Quality, Affordable Dental Care:

   • Number of Customized Dental Appliances Designed: We are tracking the number of dental appliances designed and manufactured through our platform to measure the increase in access to affordable and high-quality dental care and measure them against equity indexes.

2. Enhancing Patient Outcomes and Satisfaction:

   • Patient Outcome Surveys: We are conducting surveys and collecting feedback from patients to measure the improvement in their oral health and satisfaction with the dental appliances designed through our platform.

3. Reducing Healthcare Costs and Waste:

   • Cost Savings Analysis: We are conducting cost savings analysis to measure the reduction in healthcare costs achieved through our platform by optimizing material utilization and streamlining the design and manufacturing process.
   • Waste Reduction Metrics: We are tracking and measuring the reduction in waste generated in the design and manufacturing process of dental appliances through our platform.

4. Catalyzing Broader Positive Impacts Across the Dental Industry and the Broader Medical Sector:

   • Expansion into Other Medical Product Sectors: We are exploring and measuring our progress towards expanding the application of Generative AI and additive manufacturing to other medical product sectors through partnerships, collaborations, and new product development.
   • Industry Adoption and Impact Metrics: We are tracking and measuring the adoption of our technology by dental appliance manufacturers and the broader medical industry to assess the impact and transformational changes catalyzed by our platform.

5. Achieve Sustainable Growth and Customer Satisfaction:

   • Customer Retention Rate: We are measuring the percentage of customers who continue to use our platform over a specific period to assess customer loyalty and satisfaction.
   • Customer Month-to-Month Growth: We are tracking the monthly growth rate of new and active customers using our platform to monitor our market expansion and customer acquisition efforts.
   • Total Volume Per Month: We are monitoring the total volume of dental appliances designed and manufactured through our platform each month to track our production capacity and market demand.
   • Monthly Reject Rate Per Client: We are calculating the monthly reject rate per client to assess the quality and accuracy of the dental appliance designs produced through our platform and identify areas for improvement.

CADflow's core technology is our proprietary Generative AI platform, which leverages advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning techniques to automate and optimize the design process of customized dental appliances. Our platform utilizes cutting-edge 3D segmentation and AI-driven design algorithms to generate precise and accurate dental appliance designs tailored to each patient's unique dentition and oral anatomy. Our Key technologies include:

1. Generative AI Algorithms: Our platform employs advanced generative AI algorithms that can automatically generate multiple design variations of dental appliances based on the patient's 3D scan and specific requirements. This enables rapid and efficient design iterations and optimization to achieve the desired fit, comfort, and functionality of the dental appliances.

2. 3D Segmentation Technology: We utilize sophisticated 3D segmentation technology to accurately and precisely segment and analyze the patient's dental anatomy from the 3D scan, allowing for the creation of customized dental appliance designs that perfectly match the patient's dentition and oral anatomy.

3. Cloud-Based Software Platform: Our platform is cloud-based, providing scalable and flexible design capabilities that can be accessed and utilized by dental professionals, manufacturers, and organizations globally. This enables seamless collaboration, communication, and integration of our technology into existing dental workflows and manufacturing processes.

4. Integration with 3D Printing Technology: Our platform is compatible with 3D printing technology, enabling the direct translation of the AI-generated dental appliance designs into physical dental appliances through additive manufacturing processes. This ensures precision, accuracy, and consistency in the production of customized dental appliances.

5. User-Friendly Interface and Workflow Integration: Our platform features a user-friendly interface and seamless workflow integration capabilities, allowing dental professionals to easily upload 3D scans, customize design parameters, review and approve design variations, and integrate the finalized designs into their manufacturing processes.

CADflow's Generative AI platform has undergone rigorous validation to ensure its effectiveness, accuracy, and reliability in designing customized dental appliances. We have collaborated with dental professionals, orthodontists, and dental labs to conduct clinical trials and validations of our AI-generated dental appliance designs. The feedback and results from these collaborations have been overwhelmingly positive, confirming the accuracy, fit, and functionality of the dental appliances designed through our platform. Additionally, we have conducted comparative studies between our AI-generated designs and traditional manually designed dental appliances, consistently demonstrating the superior quality, accuracy, and fit of our AI-generated dental appliances, leading to improved patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

We have also received positive feedback, testimonials, and reviews from our customers, including dental professionals, dental labs, and patients, who have utilized our platform to design and manufacture customized dental appliances. The feedback and testimonials highlight the ease of use, efficiency, accuracy, and quality of our AI-driven design platform and the dental appliances produced. In just two years since our inception, CADflow has facilitated the design of over 2 million dental appliances through our Generative AI platform, serving over 200 active customers. The rapid growth, scalability, and adoption of our technology by dental professionals and manufacturers validate the effectiveness, efficiency, and demand for our AI-driven design platform.

We monitor and maintain a low monthly reject rate per client to assess and ensure the quality, accuracy, and reliability of the dental appliance designs produced through our platform. The low reject rate per client demonstrates the effectiveness, precision, and reliability of our AI-driven design platform in generating high-quality dental appliance designs. Overall, the evidence and validation process, including clinical trials, comparative studies, customer feedback and testimonials, industry recognition and validation, scalability and market adoption, and quality assurance and control measures, confirm the effectiveness, accuracy, and reliability of CADflow's Generative AI platform in designing customized dental appliances, improving patient outcomes, and transforming the dental industry through innovation and digitalization.

Here is a research study which conducted thorough 3D analysis on 2 of our clients using our bracket removal product utilized by our clients ODL and Neo Labs:

https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/science/article/abs/pii/S0889540621003164

5 Full Time Staff

3 Part Time Staff

1 Full Time Contractor

5 Years

At CADflow, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace environment, reflecting the diverse communities we serve. Our leadership team is comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, contributing to our innovative and inclusive culture. We believe that diversity drives creativity, innovation, and success, and we are dedicated to continuously improving and expanding our diversity and inclusion efforts through inclusive hiring practices, education and training, and community engagement and outreach. We interview everyone qualified, hire inclusively, and foster a welcoming environment to attract and retain a diverse talent pool. We provide ongoing education, training, and development opportunities for our team members to enhance their cultural competency, understanding of diversity and inclusion, and skills in creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. Additionally, we actively engage with and support diverse communities, organizations, and initiatives through volunteering, sponsorship, and partnerships to build relationships, promote diversity and inclusion, and contribute to the well-being and development of diverse communities.

CADflow's business model is designed to provide value to our key customers, including dental professionals, dental labs, dental appliance manufacturers, and organizations globally, by offering innovative and efficient AI-driven design solutions for customized dental appliances. Our business model is based on a pay-per-use subscription model, catering specifically to B2B customers in the dental industry.

CADflow's plan for achieving financial sustainability revolves around our recurring and consistent revenue model, underpinned by the sale of our AI-driven design platform and services to key customers in the dental industry, including dental professionals, labs, and manufacturers. We are committed to selling our innovative platform and services through targeted marketing, sales strategies, partnerships, and collaborations to expand our customer base, increase market share, and generate revenue. Our business model is designed to generate stable and predictable revenue streams through a pay-per-use subscription model, ensuring a consistent and reliable source of income to support our operations, growth, and long-term sustainability.

We are focused on achieving and maintaining our 0% churn rate by providing exceptional value, quality, and customer service to our customers, ensuring customer retention, loyalty, and satisfaction, and maximizing lifetime customer value and revenue. We have demonstrated proven market fit and demand for our technology, evidenced by the rapid growth, scalability, and adoption of our AI-driven design platform by serving over 200 active customers and facilitating the design of over 2 million dental appliances in just two years since our inception. We will continue to focus on scaling our business, expanding our customer base, and increasing market penetration to drive revenue growth and achieve financial sustainability.

Our recurring and consistent revenue model has enabled us to generate stable and predictable revenue streams, supporting our operations, growth, and long-term sustainability. We have achieved and maintained a high customer retention rate and satisfaction, evidenced by our 0% churn rate and positive feedback, testimonials, and reviews from our customers, highlighting the value, quality, efficiency, and innovation of our AI-driven design platform and the dental appliances produced. We have successfully scaled our business, expanded our customer base, and increased market penetration, evidenced by our growth in the number of active customers, volume of dental appliances designed, and revenue generated.