Welcome to the TVP Family

by The Ventilator Project | Apr 24, 2020 | Newsletter | 0 comments

We’ve been working at a pace that makes every day feel like a week.

It probably comes as no surprise that we’re already experiencing the type of growing pains that startups usually take many months to experience. This comes with the territory. With the mission and timeline we’re undertaking, it is necessary to move at a hyperspeed velocity and the sheer momentum we’ve gathered has started to materialize into results with every leap forward.

Right now, The Ventilator Project is reaching a pivotal moment: our team is poised to have a testable product within the next 7 days. This is more than just a milestone – it’s a transition into a new phase of progress.

AIRA, our ventilator, is truly coming to life.

WHAT’S GOING ON

Since we started our mission almost a month ago, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have increased from 240,000 to 2,800,000, and the death toll has increased from 10,000 to 194,000. The U.S. has not only surpassed all countries in number of cases, but now accounts for nearly 25% of total COVID-19 deaths. While one-third of states plan to lift their stay-at-home orders in the next week and testing is becoming more accessible, we can expect these numbers to only skyrocket.

WHAT WE’RE DOING

Our prototype development may be the core of this project, but we haven’t ignored the organizational- and human- needs that are essential to running a successful company. This week, we implemented a set of tactical strategies with an emphasis around communication within the organization.

This new project management structure has increased and streamlined communication amongst team members and departments, allowing us to simultaneously maintain our pace and ensure we have a foundation for future growth as a business entity.

THE RESULTS

It is becoming clear that pressure brings performance: the weeklong sprint to have a completed model for EUA testing has propelled our prototype development to its final stages. We’ve also made major strides in overcoming manufacturing and supply chain bottlenecks, nearing the completion of our sourcing process.

In addition to the tremendous amount of hard work from our various teams, our marketing team launched a complete website redesign. Our new website will act as a robust resource that can be used to stay up to date with our fundraising progress, press mentions, team updates, and more.

FUNDRAISING UPDATES

Since our last newsletter, we’ve seen a 20% increase in donations and the volume of various inquiries, traffic, and media coverage has skyrocketed. Awareness has started to spread beyond our immediate network, thanks to your efforts and those of our other partners.

Let’s keep this rolling!

The real question is: what happens when you mix a group of devoted engineers, a diverse array of driven business professionals, 20 hour work days, 7 day work weeks, and copious amounts of caffeine?

You see progress – tangible, measurable, inspiring progress.

Well – that just about covers it.

Before we get back to work, we’ll leave you with a note from The Ventilator Project’s Co-Founder, Tyler Mantel:

“The Ventilator Project has been incredibly fortunate to receive a great amount of help. I was recently asked, ‘How do we have so many people working so hard on this project?’

The easy answer is that The Ventilator Project is doing something that truly matters. The full answer, however, is a bit more nuanced.

It’s a symbiotic relationship. We care deeply about the people we work with as well as the work that supports our mission. When people care enough, they naturally go to the ends of the earth for each other, and everybody’s life gets a little better.

Caring isn’t always about leaving no stone unturned. Even simple things like keeping track of someone’s keys on a hectic day or reviewing a friend’s resume is often enough to make a real difference in the culture of the company. For some people, it’s in every aspect of their being.

This is a defining trait of the The Ventilator Project family.”

Wait – one last thing.

We put this together for your viewing pleasure, a little flashback to Week One, where some 3 a.m., exhaustion-induced research into bellows and beekeepers resulted in a 11 hour-long drive through pouring rain and the missing piece needed to create our very first ventilator prototype.

You can delve deeper by reading the full story here on our blog.

Warmest Regards,

The Ventilator Project Team

DONATE TO THE CAUSE

While our team makes huge strides every day, we still have a long way to go to reach our immediate goal of raising $200,000.

Your contributions make this project possible.
Together, we can save lives.