Flexpenser is a patented platform technology company that creates airless, precise, and low-cost solutions for dispensing liquids. Initially developed as a solution for biomedical devices and diagnostics to enable long-term storage and accurate dispensing of various liquids, it can now help any company and consumer using liquid products as it ends spillage, overdose, spoilage, and waste of time, material, packaging, and natural resources associated with these issues.
— Its unique mechanism, scalability, cost efficiency, and reliability make it applicable to thousands of applications for every liquid product and liquid process across industries at each point, from manufacturing to recycling, says Giulia Gaudenzi, co-founder and CTO.
— It solves the problem of contamination, spoilage, spillage, and overdosing of liquids for thousands of applications across industries and at home, Amin Kazemzadeh, co-founder and CEO, explains. At the lowest possible cost, it provides accuracy and prevents contamination, spoilage, and spillage of liquid products such as dairy, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, as well as liquid processes in factories and appliances such as breweries, fridges, and washing machines. It’s reducing cost and conserving resources at each point of the product life cycle, from manufacturing to recycling.
How do you differentiate from other available options on the market?
— Our solution can use a range of materials of choice, and even be mono-material, and therefore easy to recycle, says Gaudenzi. Most of the current solutions require pumps and parts, while our membrane technology is elegant in its simplicity — but is not easy to copy! We can both enable integration in existing packaging or create an all-new design that harnesses the features of Flexpenser, such as low-cost and low-weight.
— Initially developed as a solution for biomedical devices and diagnostics to enable long-term storage and accurate dispensing of various liquids, I’d say it’s a game-changer for any company and consumer using liquid products, says Kazemzadeh.
— It ends spillage, overdose, spoilage, and waste of time, material, packaging, and natural resources associated with these issues, he continues. Its mechanism, scalability, cost efficiency, and reliability make it applicable to thousands of applications for every liquid product and liquid process across industries at each point, from manufacturing to recycling. It enables much, at a fraction of today’s solutions’ cost, including accurate and controlled delivery of liquids in dispensing, filling, and refilling, integrity protection with airless delivery of liquids, prolonging the life cycle of products, conserving resources, and maintaining original product quality, and defined measurement — pressure-independent exact dosing, flexible to various viscosities and volumes. It’s also applicable to different actuation methods, including positive, negative, mechanical, manual, and centrifugal pressure, and is compatible — up-scalable and down-scalable — according to customer needs.
Who are your clients?
— Producer of goods, primarily, Gaudenzi shares. They know that our technology has superior features to existing solutions and their product can be delivered to end users like it has never been opened. We are often contacted by open innovation hubs inside big firms, our first Fortune 200 client was so impressed by the work we have done together that it referred us further to another client, a Fortune 50 company in food and beverages.
— Our customers are producers of liquid products and industrial users of liquid delivery systems in different markets, such as personal care, beverages, and pharmaceuticals, Kazemzadeh adds. The technology is scalable, fast to integrate, and can be easily adjusted to match the specific market requirements across industries.
Are you market-ready?
— We have proven to quickly prototype and adapt to multiple consumer products, and we can scale up through partnership. We have completed a product development in partnership with Boston Engineering and are currently undergoing in-house market testing, says Gaudenzi.
— We configure our platform technology according to specific customer needs — we hope our first product for specific application to in the market in 2024, says Kazemzadeh.
During the world’s largest tech fair CES the other week, Flexpenser was selected to participate as part of the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE acceleration program where Giulia Gaudenzi also took the stage.
— It was incredible, she says. I saw everything from smart toilets, sports tech, drone soccer, how our home of the future will look like, and AI-powered advanced genetic tests, to ice cream that doesn’t need to be saved in a fridge. I also saw a lot of technology we really don’t need, but it was very entertaining. Still, a low-tech — yet deep-tech — solution like Flexpenser is needed; if we are going to space soon, we’d better have one of our package with us to dispense liquid in no gravity!
According to Gaudenzi, the most challenging in the development process has been legal — to write a good contract — and focus on the target market.
— This is because our technology can be applied to any liquid dispensing case, from pharmaceuticals, and beverages. We also see the potential of our tech beyond consumer goods. We are currently writing a research proposal with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm to apply it to the energy sector.
Kazemzadeh also highlights the challenge to protecting the IPRs in working with large corporation, connected to a shift in decision making process in large multinational companies.
— Just a few years ago, we could see that most companies were merely interested in the accuracy and low cost aspect of our technology and not its environmental impact. But now we see a lot more interest towards sustainable solutions like ours. We were selected as a pioneer startup in Hello Tomorrow 2024. Our technology can significantly reduce waste of liquids, packaging, resources, and time without creating new problems. We now hope that visionary Nordic industry leaders and investors how want to transform the very old consuming market, he concludes.