Manual mobility tech firm appoints new CEO and announces disruptive direct-to-consumer model for innovative wheelchair product
Madison, WI – July 9, 2018 – ROWHEELS, a developer of innovative manual mobility tech, today announced the introduction of the ROWHEELS Revolution 1.0 – the world’s first production wheelchair to incorporate patented “pull-wheel” technology.
Designed and assembled in the USA, the competitively priced wheelchair will be sold direct to consumers as part of the vision of its new CEO, Gaurav Mishra, who joins ROWHEELS after leading global sales at medical technology giant Ottobock.
The brainchild of NASA engineer and wheelchair-user Salim Naser, ROWHEELS’ unique wheel design allows users to propel themselves forward using a pulling (or rowing) action rather than the traditional pushing motion.
ROWHEELS’ novel approach pulls the upper-arm away from the shoulder and is clinically proven to reduce the upper body pain suffered by up to 70% of traditional wheelchair users, caused by compression of the shoulder joint due to the pushing action. ROWHEELS also provides improved mobility, with a gearing systems that makes it easier to go up inclines and traverse challenging surfaces.
Having sold its pull-wheels to wheelchair users across the world, ROWHEELS has proven the technology to be effective, leading the company to develop a complete wheelchair of its own. In a major shift of the company’s business model, ROWHEELS Revolution will be made available to users directly via the company’s online e-commerce platform, removing the delays users currently face in receiving their wheelchair and the high margins associated with the conventional reimbursement model.
“We have proven the pull-wheel concept and are now poised to disrupt a wheelchair market that is predicted to hit $5.4bn by 2022 and yet has changed little in the last 140 years,” said Mishra. “ROWHEELS Revolution gives wheelchair users a better option at an affordable price via an ecommerce platform that challenges the inefficiencies of today’s healthcare system.”
“With our ‘Ready to roll out of the box’ model, we provide a differentiated customer experience not yet seen in the industry, including ease of ordering, premium packaging and quick delivery,” added Mishra. “I believe we can lead the adoption of this innovative disruptive model across similar assistive devices and disability medical devices: cut the cost, pass the savings to the patients, facilitate shorter waiting times and deliver a great patient experience.”
The ROWHEELS Revolution will be available in October, pre-orders can be placed on the ROWHEELS web store starting at just $999.
About ROWHEELS
Founded in 2011, ROWHEELS has developed a proprietary reverse propulsion wheel technology that can prevent wheelchair users from suffering from repetitive stress injuries of the shoulder. Rowheel’s patented wheel technology has been tested and endorsed in real-world situations and the results of clinical studies confirm that the system improves quality of life. www.rowheels.com
About Gaurav Mishra, CEO
With decades of experience leading sale and distribution of innovative medical products, Mishra comes to ROWHEELS with a proven track record of generating business growth, implementing disruptive business models and executing corporate turnarounds. He joins the company from the world’s largest prosthetics and orthotics company, Ottobock, where he was executive president and head of global sales, responsible for $1.2B in annual revenue, and also led its orthopedic business unit in the US. Prior to Otto Bock, Mishra headed international business development for Touch Bionics, the company that produced the world’s first bionic hand. Touch Bionics was recognized as one of the most successful tech start-ups in Scotland, UK, and was recently acquired by Össur, another leading company in the medical sector.
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