Innovate Utah: NEW IDEAS, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM UTAH COMPANIES

 Foldax, a Salt Lake City medical device company that develops and markets surgical and transcatheter heart valves, has announced the first in-human use of its biopolymer Tria heart valve in surgically replacing a diseased mitral valve. The first case was performed by Dr. David Heimansohn at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis as part of a U.S. early feasibility research study.

“We are excited to be the first center in the world to implant the innovative Tria mitral valve as part of this research study. In this first-in-man procedure, we saw an immediate improvement in the functionality of this patient’s heart valve once the valve was in place,” said Heimansohn. “Since it has been designed to be a more durable artificial valve that may not require lifetime anti-coagulation therapy, it is hoped that Tria will be proven effective through this research study for patients with mitral disease, who are often much younger than patients with other valvular diseases.”

“We thank Dr. Heimansohn and his skilled team at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital for their commitment to advancing cardiovascular medicine by successfully performing the first-in-man Tria mitral valve procedure,” said Foldax CEO Frank Maguire. “This milestone continues to build upon the clinical evidence supporting Foldax’s Tria valves, which includes the ongoing Tria aortic valve study encompassing several patients who have celebrated one year with their implants and are doing well.”

The Tria valves reimagine the heart valve by incorporating a new, proprietary biopolymer — LifePolymer — with innovative valve designs intended to resist calcification, withstand stresses and strains without failure and restore patient quality of life without lifelong use of anticoagulants. Tria is also the first heart valve to be robotically produced, which is possible due to its polymer leaflets that can be consistently manufactured with precise thicknesses and are designed to achieve a valve with predictable performance that lasts a lifetime.

The Tria heart valve is considered investigational in the U.S. and is not yet available for commercial sale.

Salt Lake City-based The Active Consumer, a startup with a mission of sustainable consumerism, has launched Econus, an app that founder and CEO Scott Fletcher said is designed to help offset the unintended consequences of consumption, like air pollution from a tank of gas or waste from meals. The app lets individuals choose causes they care about and enables them to actively support those causes with small donations each time they make a transaction. “When consumers consciously choose to make better consumption decisions and actively engage in the economics of their consumption, they become more than conscious consumers — they become ‘active consumers,’” said Fletcher. “Econus enables users to actively participate in the changes they wish to see in the world.” 

Two Utah companies that cater to law enforcement, Aegix Global and Advanced Technology Compliant Solutions, have introduced a compact version of their award-winning Swift Shield. The ballistic shield is designed for rapid tactical deployment and its design was inspired by the Japanese art of origami. “Because Swift Shield Compact is so lightweight, it gives agents and officers more practical and effective protection in more tactical situations than ever,” said Chet Linton, CEO of Aegix Global. “This new version can be stowed more easily than the original version. Because of its light weight, it can be carried and used for extended periods and can easily be held above the head in scenarios where protection from above is needed, such as when climbing hills or staircases.”

Zhou Nutrition, a Salt Lake City-based supplement manufacturer, has introduced five gummy health and wellness supplements that are available only through Target.com. The gummy supplements include Hairfluence Gummies for hair health, Screen Eyes Gummies for retinal health, Collagen Peptides Gummies for skin and bones, Vitamin D3+K2 Gummies and Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies with probiotics and enzymes for digestive health. “We’re committed to making wellness easy to achieve, whether it’s getting focused for work, calm before bedtime or supported during seasonal changes. This selection at Target.com is designed to make people more confident when they choose to add Zhou to their daily routines,” said Max Willis, chief innovation and science officer at Zhou Nutrition. Zhou also introduced post-consumer resin recycled bottles to its packaging this year.

Cricut, a South Jordan-based maker of cutting machines for hobbyists, has introduced its Cricut Explorer 3 and Cricut Maker 3 machines. The new machines cut vinyl, paper and iron-on products at speeds up to eight inches per second, much faster than currently available craft machines, the company said. The machines can handle projects up to 12 feet long. “I’m very proud of what our team has accomplished,” said Ashish Arora, CEO of Cricut. “We wanted to take the experience to a whole new level and make sure our next generation of cutting machines makes it easier on everyone to create larger projects, more projects, much faster.” Both the Cricut Explore 3 and Cricut Maker 3 are compatible with Design Space software.

Lehi-based Jolt Software, a developer of operations management and food safety software, has released its Jolt Print Station solution. The application, combined with the Jolt cloud-based label printing platform, offers a variety of label types, such as expiration dates, nutrition facts and grab-and-go. The JPS uses thermal printing, which doesn’t require ink and can hold up in hostile environments like a kitchen. “Jolt has been providing a world-class food labeling system since our beginnings. When we observed the changes in today’s connected kitchen and the network challenges it created, we knew we needed to create a reliable, fast and easy-to-use label printing solution that does not rely on local network infrastructure to complete the food safety labeling task,” said Jolt CEO Josh Bird.

XANT, a Provo-based provider of sales engagement software, has released PeopleFinder, a feature within the company’s Playbooks Buyer Intelligence suite that identifies buyer behaviors and recommends additional contacts for reps to engage. PeopleFinder identifies individuals who may be part of the buying group, contacts that hold similar positions, their influence and role in an account and other relevant insights. “PeopleFinder saves reps from wasting valuable selling time looking for prospects or targeting the wrong ones,” said Chris Harrington, CEO of XANT. “A rep can log on and immediately get contacts recommended that are relevant to their most recent targeting, additional members of the buying committee or existing contracts that are up for renewal. No time is wasted; they just go straight to selling.”

Orbit, a North Salt Lake-based manufacturer of outdoor commercial and residential watering systems and components, has introduced the B-hyve XD Hose Faucet Timer. The device turns any outdoor faucet into a smart faucet that can automate and simplify the watering process. An integrated Bluetooth chip lets users pair Android and iOS devices directly with the timer, allowing them to regulate irrigation from their phones. “Water has always been the most important resource and people are more aware and careful in how they use it,” said Stuart Eyring, CEO of Orbit. “Conservation is central to our B-hyve products and with the XD Hose Faucet Timer, users have better control over their system from anywhere, achieving significant water savings while making life much easier for manual watering.”