Calgary-based Orpyx Medical Technologies creates life-changing medical-grade wearable technology. The Orpyx SI Sensory Insoles help prevent diabetic foot ulcers and alert patients to high-pressure areas that may lead to tissue breakdown.
As a prime example of the entrepreneurs the city hopes to inspire, retain and attract in the economic strategy Calgary in the New Economy – those who embrace technology to solve global challenges – the Orpyx team has been ingrained in the local tech scene and innovation ecosystem for over 10 years.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm and energy around entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Dr. Breanne Everett, President and CEO, Orpyx, who set out to develop the technology that could change the lives of millions of diabetics around the world.
Everett credits Calgary’s entrepreneurial and innovative community, along with support from institutional and angel investors, for helping the company roll out and continue improvements to its technology. This includes Orpyx’s close relationship with the University of Calgary, which has helped the company hire local talent and develop partnerships to leverage research and student capabilities, with notable projects at the Human Performance Lab.
“These are synergistic programs where students are able to get real world technology and innovations to work on, and we’re able to benefit from the infrastructure, testing capabilities, and the research structure that’s in place – something only possible if you’re bridging industry and academia.”
In addition to audiovisual alerts, Orpyx’s low-profile insoles collect patient-specific data, including plantar pressure (pressure between the foot and support surfaces), temperature, step count and hours worn throughout the day. This data is fed to Orpyx’s cloud-based dashboard to help health care providers identify individual trends and make proactive, patient-specific treatment plans.
“Forecasting 20 years from now, I strongly believe you’ll see every single shoe is sensorized in some way, and we’re at the leading edge,” said Everett.
The Orpyx team expects to double in size and has created another company called Kinetyx. In the past year, Orpyx secured $7.6 million in Series A funding, which brings Orpyx’s total funding since inception of the company to $18.5 million and will help accelerate further technology development and commercialization efforts.
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