Tozuda

Tozuda is a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of mechanical impact indicators for helmets. The indicators use a patented ball-and-spring mechanism: before activation the spring sits horizontally across a middle chamber, and any displacement within the ball-and-spring system releases a red dye that fills the chamber, giving an immediate visual signal that the helmet has absorbed a force above its design threshold. The devices contain no electronics, require no charging or pairing, and are single-use — once triggered, the indicator must be replaced.

The company positions the product against the fact that most helmets are designed for a single impact and that damage to concealed liners and suspensions is difficult to detect by conventional visual inspection. Indicators are said to react to both linear and rotational acceleration and to behave the same regardless of where on the shell they are mounted or the direction of impact. Activation set points can be tailored between roughly 10 and 700 G to match different helmet standards, including ANSI, DOT, EN, CSA, CPSC and SNELL, and the company also offers customization of colors, shapes and set points. The company states the technology has been environmentally tested for heat, cold, electrical exposure, water and fire, and that over 12,000 impacts were recorded in an IRB-approved study. Beyond helmets, Tozuda says its impact and damage indication technology can be adapted to other applications requiring a low-cost mechanical damage indicator.

Earlier public material describes Tozuda as a head impact sensor manufacturer focused on concussion awareness for athletes, construction workers and service members, with the tagline "If it's red, check your head." The company emphasizes that its indicators are not designed to detect, diagnose or prevent concussions.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Jessie Garcia conceived the product after experiencing concussions in college and finding impact-detecting mouthguards unaffordable, setting out to build a head impact sensor accessible across socio-economic backgrounds. Garcia earned a B.A. in Global Studies and Entrepreneurship from Lehigh University in 2012 and a Master's of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship in 2013, and is a patented inventor of the company's core mechanical acceleration technology.

Business model

Tozuda sells its impact indicators to helmet manufacturers and distributors, either retrofitted into existing inventory or integrated into new helmet designs with little to no tooling. It works through a partner model spanning kickoff, production and promotion, and provides sales training to partners that resell its indicators. Orders are quoted in unit volumes, with stated lead times of 45-60 days for orders of 10,000+ units.

Revenue comes from the sale of physical impact indicator units to helmet makers and distributors, including standard and customized SKUs; because indicators are single-use and must be replaced after activation, replacement units form part of the product demand.

Traction

The company markets production-scale ordering with quoted lead times for 10,000+ unit runs and supports a partner sales channel. It reports over 12,000 impacts recorded in an IRB-approved study. Earlier recognition includes being listed among Philadelphia Magazine's top ten startups to watch in 2018 and being a finalist for Philly.com's 2017 Stellar Startup Awards.