{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":29830,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:29830","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products","generated_at":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","updated_at":"2026-06-04T05:02:09Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:29830","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:participant.assistive.products"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":true,"privacy_mode":"promote","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-04T05:02:09Z","as_of":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-04T05:02:09Z","as_of":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2025-04-23T20:15:46Z","as_of":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2025-04-23T20:15:46Z","as_of":"2026-06-05T02:19:16Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":29830,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:29830","slug":"participant.assistive.products","name":"Participant Assistive Products","tagline":"Wheelchairs for kids across the world. A feel good investment offering 1.5 X on a loan.\r\n","story":"Able bodied children access education and engage in rich social opportunities. For the 8 million children with mobility disabilities, these basic human rights are often denied. Without a proper wheelchair these children miss out on their childhood and experience preventable secondary medical complications. Increasingly, hearts – and funding – have moved to the needs of these children. This is marvelous and underreported good news. Unfortunately, reasonable quality wheelchairs are absurdly expensive.Product1 solves problems with affordability, durability, and ease of provision for lower income countries, a rapidly growing $69M market, and offers an affordable product for US customers, a $100M market. This cross subsidy marketing strategy affords healthy margins, brand awareness, and product feedback from the US market; and, allows economies of scale and massive social impact through discounted sales to lower income country markets.A Social Impact and\u0026nbsp;Business OpportunityNow is a pivotal time when a scalable, commercial solution is needed to fulfill requests by governments, non-profits, and parents - both in the USA and abroad.Lessons learned from the global fight against HIV/AIDS, like pooling procurement from smaller nations, are being used to serve kids with disabilities. The World Health Organization, the UK, the USA, and the Norway governments have joined forces. Together they are pushing for governments to do their job and serve these kids.What Makes This Wheelchair SpecialAfter seeing our prototype, over 120 experts, users, and parents have agreed that\u0026nbsp;Product1 solves big problems for users and caregivers.A Different Kind of CompanyParticipant will be a lasting company that serves basic needs for decades - we're not selling out to a big company.\u0026nbsp;Our mission is to increase the participation of people with disabilities by making affordable, user-centered products. As a Public Benefit\u0026nbsp;Corp (B-Corp Pending), our starting point puts users’ needs and massive-scale impact at the center of our vision. American users are fed up with outrageous prices, delays, and broken chairs. We're out to change that.Our designers are watching the near horizon for the distributed manufacturing revolution. Currently, designs are being simultaneously developed for conventional methods and for localization with 3D printing. (Revenue for repayment of this debt investment will come\u0026nbsp; from conventional manufacturing, not from industrial 3D printing.) When 3D printed parts are commercially viable, new opportunities will open for production near to users and\u0026nbsp;employment for people with disabilities.","location":"San Francisco, CA","website":"https://www.participant.life","total_amount_raised":211362,"total_investors":176,"is_funded":false,"is_active":false,"quality_score":3,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products","https://www.participant.life"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/29830/xxl_cropped_NEW_VIDEO_COVER_3.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/29830/large_cropped_Instagram_profile_picture-03.png","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/29830/standard_cropped_NEW_VIDEO_COVER_3.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/29830/standard_cropped_NEW_VIDEO_COVER_3.jpg","profile_video_url":"https://wefunder.wistia.com/medias/56vppcgulc"},"links":{"company_url":"https://www.participant.life","twitter_url":"http://twitter.com/participantap","facebook_url":"https://www.facebook.com/participantap/","instagram_url":"https://www.instagram.com/participant_ap/"},"highlights":[],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"Delighted customers - Letters of Intent to buy 2,500 wheelchairs/year, $750,000 revenue."},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"Price advantage - our price $800 vs USA market price $2,300. And, our product is better."},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"Strategic manufacturing partnership - with Nissin Japan, the second largest wheelchair company in Japan"},{"index":4,"claim_id":"claim-fact-4","value":"Product1 fills a gap - in the market and there are few competitors in this middle-market niche"},{"index":5,"claim_id":"claim-fact-5","value":"Field trials demonstrate effectiveness - two complete and 17 booked"},{"index":6,"claim_id":"claim-fact-6","value":"Strong team - 150 designs, 2 successful exits, and 100 yrs. of experience"},{"index":7,"claim_id":"claim-fact-7","value":"A lasting company - our intent is a solution on the scale of the need that stays on track, guided by our Benefit Corporation status"},{"index":8,"claim_id":"claim-fact-8","value":"Three successful crowdfunding campaigns and $224,000 raised from other investors"}],"team":[{"id":324648,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:324648","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:184110","role":"founder","name":"Keoke King","title":"CEO, President, Co-Founder","bio":"Sold 70,000 wheelchairs to 45 countries.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/324648/square_cropped_Keoke_headshot.jpg?1559796921","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/keokeking","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/keokeking/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/keokeking"]},{"id":479526,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:479526","role":"founder","name":"Dave Calver","title":"CCO, Co-Founder","bio":"Trained wheelchair seating, a sub-specialty in Occupational Therapy, in 33 countries to 650 clinicians.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/479526/square_cropped_CC_Dave.jpg?1559797276","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/davecalver/","related_urls":[]},{"id":479527,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:479527","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:250702","role":"founder","name":"Wayne Hanson","title":"Product Developer, Co-Founder","bio":"Founded and successfully exited three US wheelchair companies. An inventor who laid the foundation for the current pediatric wheelchair industry.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/479527/square_cropped_CC_wayne_h.jpg?1570742731","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/waynehanson","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-hanson-17871536/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/waynehanson"]},{"id":479528,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:479528","role":"founder","name":"Ryota Yamada","title":"Product Developer, Co-Founder","bio":"Designed over 130 wheelchairs (lost count) for the USA, Japan, and Europe markets including 3 which are rapidly rising stars in lower income countries.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/479528/square_cropped_Ryota_Yamada.jpg?1570742722","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryota-yamada/","related_urls":[]},{"id":469916,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:469916","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:236148","role":"employee","name":"Bruno Feldmann","title":"Technical Supervisor ","bio":"Video guru with 13 years of experience in production and social media marketing. 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It really helps a lot. This organization and conference is one of the rising stars in our industry.https://www.linkedin.com/posts/participantap_idpd2025-zeroprojectawards2026-zeroproject-activity-7401896623095824384-0IF9?utm_source=share\u0026utm_medium=member_desktop\u0026rcm=ACoAACKR144Bw2qafjrw51mf3M7O7tf0XvqhAak","published_at":"2025-12-05T19:51:40Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/227828","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/227828"},{"id":209841,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:209841","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"EU Sales Breakthrough","preview":"Greetings all. Here's a YouTube video update. Thank you!","published_at":"2025-10-22T22:14:09Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/209841","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/209841"},{"id":177328,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:177328","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"November 2024 Update","preview":"Hello all,Our team has grown and there are new initiatives in Zambia. I share from the world's #1 wheelchair expo about growth with distributors. And, you'll see clips from the product launch in India.Watch on YouTube here.Take care,Keoke","published_at":"2024-11-08T22:09:58Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/177328","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/177328"},{"id":166888,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:166888","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"SAFE note offer, Successful Clinical Trial, SAFE Note, Clinical Trial, Big New Customers","preview":"Don't miss this update. Cub did great in the clinical trial done by Mobility India in Bangalore. We are now offering a SAFE note for accredited investors on great terms. And, we have some new big customers who are buying container loads.Full video of Artem in UkraineDisability Impact Fund, Sorenson ImpactThanks for making this all possible!Questions? Please email me: keoke at participant.life","published_at":"2023-09-04T22:10:59Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/166888","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/166888"},{"id":163734,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:163734","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"May '23 sales update ... Repayments!","preview":"May '23 sales update ... Repayments!","published_at":"2023-05-10T17:57:01Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/163734","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/163734"},{"id":159070,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:159070","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Great Reviews from 3 Brilliant Trade Shows","preview":"We showed Cub at Rehacare in Germany, which is the world's biggest trade show for wheelchairs and rehabilitation products. Also, visited a small expo hosted by UNICEF in Amman Jordan. And, we went to the big HCR trade show in Tokyo! Cub is getting really great reviews and many distributors have now paid for samples to be shipped home for their local evaluations. Today I heard, \"We opened the box and we were blown away!\"","published_at":"2022-10-28T19:40:46Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/159070","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/159070"},{"id":150471,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150471","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"June 2022 Update","preview":"We are so happy to say Cub is finally in mass production ... really!!More about the Remarkable Accelerator and others in our cohort.https://remarkable.org.au/","published_at":"2022-06-02T23:33:02Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/150471","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150471"},{"id":150466,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:150466","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"We are shipping wheelchairs!","preview":"Questions?\u0026nbsp; Ask here on Wefunder or email me: keoke at participant.life","published_at":"2021-11-16T23:04:47Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/150466","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/150466"},{"id":146328,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:146328","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"We're Back!","preview":"\u0026nbsp;Product brochures","published_at":"2021-06-30T00:52:12Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/146328","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/146328"},{"id":142408,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:142408","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"2020 Q4 Update","preview":"https://atscale2030.org/investment-case","published_at":"2021-03-03T01:21:31Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/142408","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/142408"},{"id":138791,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:138791","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"2020 Q3 Update","preview":"Our partners on the project to introduce Cub in India:Mobility IndiaUniversity of Pittsburgh Human Engineering Research Laboratories","published_at":"2020-11-07T20:13:05Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/138791","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/138791"},{"id":137969,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:137969","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Update coming soon","preview":"Our 3rd quarter update is delayed for a week or two. Hopefully, we will have some good news that is worth the wait.","published_at":"2020-10-08T01:18:40Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/137969","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/137969"},{"id":135347,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:135347","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Q2 Update","preview":"Q2 Update","published_at":"2020-07-17T04:06:11Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/135347","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/135347"},{"id":132482,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:132482","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"End of quarter update","preview":"Interesting and Useful Resources:I’m disabled and need a ventilator to live. Am I expendable during this pandemic?International Disability Alliance - COVID RecommendationsInternational Disability Alliance -\u0026nbsp;COVID and the Disability MovementWHO Disability Considerations during the COVID outbreak","published_at":"2020-04-04T22:17:55Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/132482","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/132482"},{"id":130248,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:130248","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Update from Medellin","preview":"Update from Medellin","published_at":"2020-03-01T01:01:50Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/130248","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/130248"},{"id":128396,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:128396","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Last Day! 2 Additional Products Will Launch This Summer.","preview":"What if I told you that our first year revenue projections just doubled?This is the last day to invest and the business outlook has improved.Yesterday we established a license agreement to sell two new wheelchair products. One is for kids with Spina Bifida and the second is for adults who want to go out on the beach and on trails.\u0026nbsp;The unit economics are roughly the same our first wheelchair. We will use our tiered pricing strategy to undercut competitors in the USA with B2C sales. And, w...","published_at":"2020-02-02T16:27:21Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/128396","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/128396"},{"id":128321,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:128321","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Participant is testing Shark Wheel","preview":"Participant Assistive Products and Shark Wheel, another company raising on Wefunder, are working together to make our wheelchairs even more durable and high performing on rough terrain.\u0026nbsp;We\u0026nbsp;will contract Shark Wheel to create casters for our pediatric wheelchair, which is targeted to lower income countries where surfaces can be challenging. This seems to be a perfect application of the Shark Wheel technology.Yesterday, Participant co-founder, Dave Calver took his wheelchair, outfitte...","published_at":"2020-01-29T23:55:02Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/128321","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/128321"},{"id":128117,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:128117","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"You invested. It is time to vote on a new name!","preview":"Go vote!One of the perks of being an investor is a vote on a new name for Product1.\u0026nbsp;We will announce the new name on Thursday, January 23 - one day before this Wefunder campaign ends.\u0026nbsp;Go vote!And, tell a friend!! When is the next time they will have a chance to invest in something this awesome?\u0026nbsp; (That little\u0026nbsp; f SHARE\u0026nbsp; button up there makes it easy :)\u0026nbsp;","published_at":"2020-01-17T18:32:03Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/128117","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/128117"},{"id":128038,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:128038","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Good customer meeting - HUGE potential","preview":"Video blog on customer visit to Salt Lake City. One of the biggest customers agreed to do a multi-country pilot project as soon as we have product to ship. The focus will be in the Philippines where the government healthcare system is rapidly expanding services for children with disabilities.","published_at":"2020-01-14T17:03:34Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/128038","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/128038"},{"id":127872,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:127872","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"New Customers And A New Prototype","preview":"We try not to look eager when we demo the product. We need the raw feedback, not a reflection of our enthusiasm. Lately, we’ve been updating the chair based on feedback from dozens of global experts. Thanks for the ideas!\u0026nbsp;“Stop designing and build it,” is what customers and design advisors are saying now. Splendidly, you, Wefunder Crowd, are bringing the funding we need for mass production at just the right time. Last night I spoke with the factory CEO and we are on track for production ...","published_at":"2020-01-07T22:23:41Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/127872","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/127872"},{"id":127153,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:127153","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"We passed our all-or-nothing minimum!","preview":"Thank You for helping us pass $150k!! Now we have the funding for mass production. Hurray!One of our biggest customers just finished their own field trial in Argentina. Our wheelchair was a “great success” and they confirmed their intent to buy thousands of units per year.In addition, a different customer mentioned buying 10,000 per year when they saw a demonstration of our newest prototype.We have our first private health insurance company on board in East Africa. They have accepted the chai...","published_at":"2019-11-19T04:23:23Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/127153","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/127153"},{"id":127011,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:127011","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Video from the workshop","preview":"Thanks again for investing in Participant! We are blown away by your support. Of course, we need the cash, and the community support really gives us a boost!We are at $134,000 -\u0026nbsp;almost to our all-or-nothing minimum ... almost\u0026nbsp;enough to go into mass production!We just made 3 prototypes - one for testing by a big customer in Argentina, one for destructive testing, and one to show investors? Live in or\u0026nbsp;near San Francisco? Let's\u0026nbsp; have coffee and I'll\u0026nbsp;show it to you - seri...","published_at":"2019-11-08T00:09:56Z","author_name":"Keoke King","url":"/feed/127011","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/127011"}],"q_and_a":[{"id":74440,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:74440","question":"Hi love the idea and the product but I have several questions: 1. How does this chair compare to others with respect to ease of transfer (toilet/shower/bed)? 2. How well does the chair adapt to a growing child? 3. Given plans to sell internationally and produce in China, Japan, and Vietnam, how are you going to deal with the FX implications? Are you doing all business in dollars? 4. Given that you will sell in low income countries and more established places like the US, you are bound to experience different margins in each region, what’s your ideal region mix to achieve profitability? 5. A revenue share loan will inherently reduce operating cash flow, why use this funding structure? Isn’t another crowd funding or equity raise more amenable to your capital structure?","author_name":"Evan Harris","votes":1,"created_at":"2020-01-17T19:00:32Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-74440","answers":[{"id":74442,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:74442","answer":"1. Anyone who starts with a question about transfers is a genius, a user, or a therapist or all 3, like co-founder Dave. Let me know if you'd like to do a video call and see demos.\u0026nbsp;Transfer ease is different for different abilities. Our footrest folds under the seat. And, the footrests flip up. This allows\u0026nbsp;the user to put their feet on the floor, which is often helpful. This also allows the chair to be very close to the bed, chair, etc.\u0026nbsp;The hinges for the footrest are convenient to grab on to. 2. As far as we can see, our chair has more growth than any chair on the market. The medium size grows from 8\" to 15\" hips and 12 - 21\" back. This is important for all the normal reasons. And, because emergency relief organizations like UNICEF want to stockpile a supportive chair. Less adjustment means more SKUs (more variety to warehouse) which decreases efficiency by a lot.3. All business is in USD. As the foreign currency appreciates, their procurement will expand and our position should incentivize them to buy more of our units versus switching to a more expensive\u0026nbsp;competitor with better features. Our value for money is very good and there are no close competitors (today). As the foreign currency depreciates, their governments buy less and NGOs typically try to pick up the slack. This is happening in Argentina now. So, we would be selling same units, just to different buyers.4. Our 5 year\u0026nbsp;model\u0026nbsp;breaks out low, middle, and high income countries with revenue split at 50%, 20%, and 30% and gross margins at 25%, 40%, and 60%.\u0026nbsp; This will create good profitability, which we will distribute to equity investors in dividends and plow back. There are many good new product development and market development opportunities.5. Two issues drove this decision. First, we don't plan an exit and we refuse to mislead investors. As many of the investors are our friends, with limited resources, owning equity that doesn't liquidate is a bit like a donation with no tax deduction. Rev. Share is better for them. Second,\u0026nbsp; the failure mode for\u0026nbsp;several B-Corp type companies has been being steered off mission or into an acquisition by investors with big position in the cap table.\u0026nbsp; We will offer equity, but only after track record justifies a $10m valuation.And, yes, we would consider those terms now.Astute questions. Thank you.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-17T19:44:50Z"}]},{"id":157293,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:157293","question":"Is it possible to get a written update? The speakers on my computer went out just as Covid hit and I'm not ready to take my computer in for repairs just yet.","author_name":"Mary Rowell","votes":0,"created_at":"2021-07-10T19:35:00Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-157293","answers":[{"id":207841,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:207841","answer":"Mary, could you email me? keoke @ participant . life","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-06-10T00:19:43Z"}]},{"id":117809,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:117809","question":"Hi, since when will the payment start happening? Also will you be mailing check or directly depositing in account? In either of these, you need address or account number. Regards, Anand","author_name":"Anand Swaroop Rastogi","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-12-07T03:32:30Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-117809","answers":[{"id":207842,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:207842","answer":"The first payment was done a couple days ago. Do you see it in your Wefunder cash?","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2022-06-10T00:20:16Z"}]},{"id":107769,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:107769","question":"where is your phone number ? address ?","author_name":"Catherine Murray","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-09-25T04:58:00Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-107769","answers":[{"id":107939,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:107939","answer":"Hi Catherine. You can reach us by emailing: hello at participant dot life I look forward to talking with you. ~Keoke","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-09-26T02:26:47Z"}]},{"id":76947,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:76947","question":"I thought you would have the funding round open for longer; just saw today that this round closed. When will you next seek equity investment?","author_name":"Sulexan Chery","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-02-05T12:55:18Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-76947","answers":[{"id":76975,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:76975","answer":"Hi Sulexan. We would like some revenue before seeking equity investors and sales will open in May. Would you drop me an email so that we can discuss? Thanks, keoke at participant dot life","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2020-02-05T15:43:33Z"}]},{"id":74093,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:74093","question":"Hey Keoke- I'm glad to see that Participant plans have been moving along. What kinds of Letters of Intent do you have ?","author_name":"Melanie Hopson","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-14T03:55:15Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-74093","answers":[{"id":74260,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:74260","answer":"Thanks Mel. Astute question. Our first Letter of Intent was with Joni and Friends. They have been closely involved in the design process. They’ve just finished their own field test in Argentina and their top executives are introducing Product1 as ‘our new chair’ with rave reviews from their staff and therapists. Since their test, they’ve renewed their commitment to buy. The second is with Walkabout Foundation in London and I demoed for them in August. There are a couple of Wow moments in the demo when I’ve come to expect a gasp. They loved it and will do a field trial in Kenya in March. We have worked with Walkabout for 10 years. We’ve also had commitments to buy from Northern Europe, UAE, Turkey (500 units), and Switzerland. At my last demo, the customer mentioned buying up to 10,000 chairs per year and gave a LOI for 250 in 2020. We were just awarded provisional approval to the CLASP catalog, which is the biggest global distributor for these products. This week LDS committed to a pilot in several countries as soon as we have product to ship.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-15T19:46:31Z"}]},{"id":73443,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73443","question":"Do you have any IP? And / or do you have any other ways to defend against others copying you?","author_name":"Astrid Scholz","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-04T22:01:35Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-73443","answers":[{"id":73460,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73460","answer":"Yes. We filed a patent application following up on the provisional patent that we filed a year ago. We have other patents in the works. We will file a design registration on Product1 in March after the styling is done. In many of the markets where we work, IP is not a great defense. Price, quality, and brand are more useful and we'll have those. It is about taking away the profit incentive that competitors have to copy our products, and increasing the risk to switch. With the quality record that we will build, 3rd party quality and safety\u0026nbsp;testing, and references by world renowned experts, the risk that buyers take on will not be worth the 5% savings they may get from a knock-off competitor. And, Yoda is a wicked smart designer. We will out-innovate the competition.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2020-01-05T16:59:53Z"}]},{"id":73408,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73408","question":"Hi Keoke, where will the wheelchairs be manufactured?","author_name":"Brad Fulton","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-04T04:00:28Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-73408","answers":[{"id":73461,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73461","answer":"Thanks Brad. Our strategic manufacturing partner, Nissin Japan, has several partner factories in Japan, China, and Vietnam. Most likely, we will manufacture in China because most of the large volume buyers have production there so it is easier to sell to them and consolidate with their other products.\u0026nbsp;It is good that we have the options in case the\u0026nbsp;trade war becomes worse and there is a new tariff that effects our products.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2020-01-05T17:03:36Z"}]},{"id":73209,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73209","question":"Hi Keoke, is this considered a Reg CF or Reg A, the contract did mention either. Thank you for what you do and Happy New Year! Hopefully your business will see exponential growth in this new decade.","author_name":"Filipe Peerally","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-01T06:02:18Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-73209","answers":[{"id":73286,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:73286","answer":"Thanks Filipe. This is a Reg CF raise, because we wanted it to be public and our target is less than $1m. We may do a Reg A in the future when we offer stock.Thanks for the kind wishes. We are planning for rapid growth!","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2020-01-02T15:27:44Z"}]},{"id":69662,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:69662","question":"Hi Keoke, Congratulations on reaching the all-or-nothing target for the campaign. Now that you have increased the limit of the investment to 150k, does it mean that the campaign is expected to end later than the earlier estimate of year end? And subsequently, the loan repayment won't start in Q1 2020?","author_name":"Arjun Yadav","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-25T05:07:38Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-69662","answers":[{"id":69689,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:69689","answer":"Hi Arjun, Nice to hear from you again. Yes,\u0026nbsp;we are still planning to end the campaign at year end or before. And, repayments will start end of Q1 2020.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-25T16:15:39Z"}]},{"id":68151,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:68151","question":"Hi Keoke, out of curiosity, why do you say that you are restricted from forecasting when you'll finish the full payback? I would've thought you have a revenue estimate of the business for the next few years and with 5% revenue going to payback the investors, you could arrive at a conservative number to share. Happy to assist on this if at all you'd like.","author_name":"Arjun Yadav","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-07T03:00:29Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-68151","answers":[{"id":68213,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:68213","answer":"I checked with Wefunder. The effective date for the loan will be when this campaign closes. That is likely to be end of this year. And, first quarter of the loan will be first quarter of 2020. Under SEC rules, I'm not allowed to give specific projections on how the business will do. Thanks for your offer to help. We have carefully made revenue forecasts based on our knowledge of specific large B2B customers and their buying habits. Also, forecasts are based on the response we've had from individuals (B2C) here in the USA. Our forecasts show revenue increasing significantly in the second and third years with 27 million in cumulative revenue by the end of the third year of the loan. The exact time we complete payments depends on how well the campaign does. But, we can reasonably expect, based on projections, that we will complete payments by the end of the third year. But, that's a forecast and can't be guaranteed.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-07T22:15:35Z"}]},{"id":67911,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:67911","question":"Hi Keoke, I notice that the payment start date on the investor agreement is blank. What will that payment start date be? Also, do you have a revenue forecast to understand when the 1.5x payout is expected to complete?","author_name":"Arjun Yadav","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-04T21:26:41Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-67911","answers":[{"id":67932,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:67932","answer":"Hi Arjun. Great questions and I'll have to check. I believe all investor's start dates will be the same. In any case, your next question is probably the more important one. We expect revenue in March, so first payment will come after Q1 2020. I'm restricted from forecasting when we will finish the full payback. However, we have several Silicon Valley type investors. And, their comments have been that the return is reasonable and nice, when considering the risk and company stage.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-11-05T01:55:46Z"}]},{"id":66269,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66269","question":"What is your Total Addressable Market? Do you have patents for your wheelchair ? What other products are you considering? Based on your burn rate how long can you reasonably operate?","author_name":"Harold Tolchinsky","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-10-17T14:46:49Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-66269","answers":[{"id":66271,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66271","answer":"Thanks for the excellent questions.We have patent pending status\u0026nbsp;on Product1 and are preparing the non-provisional now.We need a full product line of 7 more wheelchairs, which means wheelchairs for adults with spinal cord injuries, elderly people, very active children (for example with Spina Biffida), all terrain wheelchairs, and several sports wheelchairs. Also, we have pressure relief cushions and some innovative walking aids. These products can be available in the next 4 years and more are planned after that. We will move beyond mobility devices to other products for people with disabilities. I can give more details on a call if you prefer.Our initial TAM calculation for Product1, the cushion, some of the other wheelchairs is $700 million for wealthy countries and $500 million for lower income countries. The positive response to the product in the USA, Switzerland, Canada, and New Zealand will increase the TAM, as it appears there is significantly more interest from wealthy countries. Again, more details on a call if you prefer.Assuming a worst case timeline for product development that prevents production and revenue until late next summer, we can run for 1 year with the $150k minimum. If revenue begins on schedule early 2020, we can run indefinitely at a low level, but will need an additional raise to expand the product line. As with this raise, the bulk of the funds are on time expenses (testing, tooling, regulatory fees), not ongoing like salaries.These are great investor questions. Respectfully, to risk stating the obvious, questions that are\u0026nbsp;especially fit\u0026nbsp;for an equity investment where a large TAM may lead to bigger multiple at exit. For this revenue loan, we will pay 1.5 x regardless. How New Zealand responds or what exit we find, do not change your result. Some investors feel this is attractive in the current economic climate and with this industry space, which is challenging to quantify. A better return depends on our rate of revenue growth and payback, which are promising. That said, this offer includes a 15% discount on our future A-Round equity.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2019-10-17T15:25:00Z"}]},{"id":66237,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66237","question":"Dear sir, when is the last day to invest?","author_name":"Broderick Bellow","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-10-17T01:33:29Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-66237","answers":[{"id":66274,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66274","answer":"End date is January 24.\u0026nbsp; Let me know if you have other questions. I'm happy to do a call.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2019-10-17T15:54:18Z"}]},{"id":66128,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66128","question":"Thanks Keoke, that all sounds good to me, and I appreciate your transparency. Excellent that you have that partnership with NIssin - looking online it seems as though they have a good reputation and highly rated products. Quick follow-up: Is that dramatic decrease in manufacturing cost due to the switch to 3D printing? I know little about the 3D printing space - is it relatively easy to get from the expensive prototype to the $220 printed model? And does Nissin do 3D printing? Unrelated: Are you confident that your working prototype has eliminated most of the potential design flaws? Thanks again!","author_name":"Alan Jacobson","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-10-15T10:23:55Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-66128","answers":[{"id":66149,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66149","answer":"We are happy to be transparent. You deserve to know what you are getting into.Yes, Nissin has been a leader in the Japan market for decades. We are delighted with the partnership.The cost difference\u0026nbsp;comes from standardization and high volume production. And, to an extent all competitors can benefit from this; versus the lower volumes and higher costs from yearly model changes.\u0026nbsp;The key issue is that the big competitors (Sunrise, Invacare, Ottobock) set their prices at what Medicare will pay - not based on normal\u0026nbsp;business logic. 3D printing, currently, is not a cost advantage. A strong enough 3D printed part cost $300 versus $4 but is decreasing rapidly as the tech improves. Until then, we are using conventional injection molding, with the $4 part cost. Yes, Nissin does use 3D printing for R\u0026amp;D.\u0026nbsp; There is a substantial savings with 3D printing that comes from the flexibility, in models and batch size, of a production unit. This will allow rapid and affordable localization of our production. Let me know if you'd like to do a call and discuss more.It not challenging to go from the current prototype to the mass produced model.We have had over 100 experts review the design and have done several field trials. We are confident that the design will pass FDA, ISO, and delight users. As far as risk from flaws, we are concerned about refinements needed for excellent usability. For example, how slick is the process to change\u0026nbsp;folded to ready when going\u0026nbsp;in/out of a car trunk.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2019-10-15T18:28:24Z"}]},{"id":66046,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66046","question":"Hi, I'm in, and may go bigger. Definitely a win-win type of investment. Quick questions: 1. At both minimum and maximum raise levels, what will be your runway? 2. How much does it cost to produce a chair right now, and how many chairs will you need to produce and sell per year to get to break-even. 3. What is your current IP? Thanks!","author_name":"Alan Jacobson","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-10-14T11:25:08Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-66046","answers":[{"id":66068,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:66068","answer":"Thanks. Great questions!1. A minimum our runway is 12 months assuming worst case scenario as far as costs and revenue, with months of delays to market. The maximum would be at least 12 months beyond that, launch of several other products, and the next raise would likely be an equity A round.2. Today we're making expensive prototypes and with @AutotivMFG support (most recent partner) prototype cost is down to $5000. Mass production units will be around $220. With our tiered pricing, contribution margin is a little more complicated. For breakeven, in the US and wealth markets with higher margin, we'd need around 360/yr, and in lower income markets\u0026nbsp;4,800/yr. Currently, with letters of intent, we have almost half of that.3. We have a provisional patent and are preparing the non-provisional US patent and PCT.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":2,"created_at":"2019-10-14T15:27:30Z"}]},{"id":65935,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:65935","question":"What is the maximum amount I can invest in Participant on the WeFunder platform?","author_name":"Craig SCOTT","votes":0,"created_at":"2019-10-12T21:05:38Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/participant.assistive.products#question-65935","answers":[{"id":65961,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:65961","answer":"Just start the checkout process. For investors who state a high amount,\u0026nbsp; a couple screening questions will pop up. These are Left \u0026lt;--\u0026gt; Right sliders for Net Worth and Annual Income. From that data, you'll see your limit.","author_name":"Keoke King","votes":1,"created_at":"2019-10-13T17:35:49Z"}]}],"faq":[{"question":"What is the maximum amount I can invest in Participant on the WeFunder platform?","answer":"Just start the checkout process. For investors who state a high amount,\u0026nbsp; a couple screening questions will pop up. These are Left \u0026lt;--\u0026gt; Right sliders for Net Worth and Annual Income. From that data, you'll see your limit."},{"question":"Hi, I'm in, and may go bigger. Definitely a win-win type of investment. Quick questions: 1. At both minimum and maximum raise levels, what will be your runway? 2. How much does it cost to produce a chair right now, and how many chairs will you need to produce and sell per year...","answer":"Thanks. Great questions!1. A minimum our runway is 12 months assuming worst case scenario as far as costs and revenue, with months of delays to market. The maximum would be at least 12 months beyond that, launch of several other products, and the next raise would likely be an equity A round.2. Today we're making expensive prototypes and with @AutotivMFG support (most recent partner) prototype cost is down to $5000. Mass production units will be around $220. With our tiered pricing, contributi..."},{"question":"Thanks Keoke, that all sounds good to me, and I appreciate your transparency. Excellent that you have that partnership with NIssin - looking online it seems as though they have a good reputation and highly rated products. Quick follow-up: Is that dramatic decrease in manufactu...","answer":"We are happy to be transparent. You deserve to know what you are getting into.Yes, Nissin has been a leader in the Japan market for decades. We are delighted with the partnership.The cost difference\u0026nbsp;comes from standardization and high volume production. And, to an extent all competitors can benefit from this; versus the lower volumes and higher costs from yearly model changes.\u0026nbsp;The key issue is that the big competitors (Sunrise, Invacare, Ottobock) set their prices at what Medicare w..."},{"question":"Dear sir, when is the last day to invest?","answer":"End date is January 24.\u0026nbsp; Let me know if you have other questions. I'm happy to do a call."},{"question":"What is your Total Addressable Market? Do you have patents for your wheelchair ? What other products are you considering? Based on your burn rate how long can you reasonably operate?","answer":"Thanks for the excellent questions.We have patent pending status\u0026nbsp;on Product1 and are preparing the non-provisional now.We need a full product line of 7 more wheelchairs, which means wheelchairs for adults with spinal cord injuries, elderly people, very active children (for example with Spina Biffida), all terrain wheelchairs, and several sports wheelchairs. Also, we have pressure relief cushions and some innovative walking aids. These products can be available in the next 4 years and mor..."}]}}}