Meet Internet of Things latest target: A wooden stick | ZD Net | 3rd May 2017

This year’s Edison Awards, held in the financial district of New York City, honored innovation in 15 categories. Winners ranged from industrial giants such as Catepillar to cosmetics. DIY home machines came from marketer NuSkin, and startup PicoBrew hawked conceptually Keurig-like machines for mixing custom moisturizers and brewing beer.

But one of the lowest-tech product to still include a modicum of electronics was Throat Scope, a light-up tongue depressor meant to compete with the wooden stick that has become synonymous with the “Say ‘Ahhh'” experience. Developed by an Australian mom who observed how the depressor-flashlight combo left doctors struggling to look into kids’ mouths while holding open their jaws, the Throat Scope lights up a patient’s pie hole without need for a separate light source. Beyond the market for doctors with fewer than three hands, Holland Healthcare, the company behind Throat Scope, hopes to tap into the consumer market, teaching oral inspectors about various warning signs for maladies such as tonsillitis and mouth ulcers.

Consisting of an LED-lit base and a system of transparent flat disposable “blades” that mirror the their razor counterparts as a recurring revenue model, the Throat Scope is pretty high-tech compared to the organic incumbent, but its illumination of white teeth includes no Bluetooth or other connectivity. Nonetheless, Throat Scope already has a companion app for the product that could be used to crowdsource info on the state of mouth health. Indeed, it would not be a huge leap for the Throat Scope to progress from including a light to a camera. There might even be opportunities for wide angle or 360-degree imaging to set it apart. Holland Healthcare has been picky about components, at one point delaying shipments to a large US drug chain for months because a supplier substituted the LED light.

Using Throat Scope involves far less hassle than blood glucose monitoring. Still, integrating mouth scanning functionality into some kind of toothbrush for a pre-brushing scan might make it easier to integrate it into one’s daily routine as well as create a stronger case for a connected toothbrush.

That is all far down the road for what is today a simple alternative to a stick of wood. But Throat Scope’s success so far shows how even a modicum of electronics, a solid business model, and a simple value proposition can convince a professional user base to move on from what has literally been a throwaway tool.

Read the original article HERE

Hunter Mum Makes History | Newcastle Weekly | 4th May 2017

‘Mumpreneur’ Jennifer Holland has made history. 

Her company, Holland Healthcare, became the first female-led, Australian organisation to be recognised at the prestigious Edison Awards in New York City.

As the founder and CEO, Jennifer was on hand to collect silver in the Health and Wellness Patient Care category for Throat Scope medical invention.

The oral examination device depresses the tongue to allow a clear view of the entire mouth and throat.

Scooping the award was a surreal moment; one for the Hunter mother-of-four would never forget.

“I always wanted to invent something that would have a positive impact of the world” Jennifer said. “Now I know that will become a reality”.

Jennifer said Holland Healthcare aimed to create a movement that would lead to more people using Throat Scope for the early detection of oral cancer.

“Now we have an Edison Award behind us, I know we can go out there and potentially save lives” she said.

Jennifer said that her children had also played an important role in the company’s success.

“They have been a big part of everything that we do, whether it’s testing of products, videos, marketing, and even support or advice” she said.

The lightbulb moment for Throat Scope came from her sick son’s doctors visit in 2009.

Following that ‘distressing’ experience, Jennifer set about working on what would be the world’s first all-in-one light and tongue depressor.

The device launched onto the market six year later and quickly took off.

Throat Scope is now being distributed to more than 140 countries, with doctors, speech pathologists, schools and veterinarians among those benefiting from the breakthrough product.

Read the original article HERE

Local Entrepreneur Receives Silver at Edison Innovation Awards | Hunter Headline | 7th May 2017

Holland Healthcare has become the first Australian female led company to win silver at the Edison Awards in New York City for its medical device, Throat Scope.

Local Entrepreneur, Founder, CEO and inventor, Jennifer Holland accepted silver in New York City at the prestigious Edison Awards for her innovation, Throat Scope.

The awards, named after inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison, are internationally renowned awards for innovation. Throat Scope won the award in the Health and Wellness Patient Care.

“I always wanted to invent something that would have a positive impact on the world. Now I know that will become a reality. We are going to create a movement that will lead to people using Throat Scope for early detection of oral cancer,” Jennifer said.

“Now we have an Edison Award behind us, I know we can go out there and potentially save lives.”

The Edison Awards attracts thousands of nominations. More than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from marketing professionals, scientists and engineers, join past winners to review the nominations. They vote to award the gold, silver and bronze medals.

This award comes with a lot of “firsts”. While only a couple of Australian companies have been honoured with an Edison Award since their inception in 1987, Holland Healthcare is the first Australian female led company to be recognised. It is also the first Australian medical device to win, with the other awardees operating in the digital space.

“When I had the epiphany at the doctor’s surgery with my son and walked into the $2 shop to create my first prototype eight years ago, I never imagined this is where it would all lead,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer remained in New York after the awards to drum up awareness at a number of trade shows.

“Another dream of our team at Holland Healthcare is to take an Australian product into the US. Throat Scope can now be that product. We import so much product, we want to reverse that trend,” Jennifer said.

The Edison Awards honour excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation. Award winners are described as having ‘game changing’ products or services.

Lighted Tongue Depressor Debuts | McKnights | May 16th 2017

Throat Scope, which is being billed as the world’s first lighted tongue depressor, has been released from Holland Healthcare.

Providers attach the depressor to the handle to automatically activate the light and see the throat. The illumination of the throat and mouth creates an easier and faster exam, the company said.

In addition to investigating mouth sores, it also can help in oral cancer screening.

Read original article HERE

Scoping New Markets | The Newcastle Herald | 22nd May 2017

You are the first Australian female to win a silver gong at the US-based Edison awards – honouring excellence in product development – for Throat Scope. What does the win mean to you?

It was an honour to win an Edison Award in New York. The award attracts some of the biggest companies in the world, like 3M and Phillips. To be recognised at this level was an amazing achievement for us.

 You invented Throat Scope in 2009 after taking your child to the doctor’s and he was in pain during a mouth examination. How has the potential for the use of your product grown since then? 

I designed Throat Scope to replace the penlight and wooden tongue depressor. Doctors, dentists, paediatricians, speech pathologists and paramedics now use Throat Scope. Throat Scope makes it possible to check for sore throats, sore teeth, and mouth ulcers at home. We also want to shine light on the importance of monthly self Oral Health Checks. We’re on a mission to educate the world on the early signs of Oral Cancer. Self-examination will save lives.

 Your first brush with success was going on Channel 10’s Shark Tank program and landing a financial backer in tech start up multimillionaire Steve Baxter. Is he still invested in your company?

Steve has played a large part in the Throat Scope journey. His advice is invaluable. He is still an investor in Throat Scope.

 Since your appearance on Shark Tank, what have been the biggest coups for your company? 

In 17 months, we’ve secured 12 distributors across 146 countries. Team Medical Supplies is one of our largest deals to date, marketing and distributing Throat Scope in Australia. We’ve set up a new warehouse in Ohio in the USA, so we can ship direct to the US. We have three new US distributors and that number is growing.

How has the focus of your business changed since its inception and are there any new markets you envisage for Throat Scope?

Throat Scope provides medical professionals with an Easy, Fast and Accurate view of the mouth, throat, teeth, gums and soft tissue. Now we want to educate everyone about the benefits of at-home, monthly oral health self-checks. If a mole changes colour or shape we know to see a doctor. The early signs of oral cancer are also simple to detect but nobody knows what to look for. Throat Scope is partnering worldwide with Oral Cancer Foundations to educate everyone on the early signs.

What does an average day entail for you?

Most nights I have one or two calls to the US. I start my morning about 4:30am to get some work in before the children wake and also to coincide with US hours. I jump on the treadmill to run for 20 minutes and read emails. When the children wake, I’m in mum mode, getting breakfast, making lunches, dressing them, last minute homework, bags packed and then school drop off for three of my four children. With my fourth child in tow I head into the office for the day and leave about 2:55pm to do school pick up. I’m with the children in the afternoon, taxiing everyone to after school sports and dance. Then its homework, dinner, bath, books, bed and back to work for another couple of hours. My life is crazy but somehow it works. I love Sunday; I switch off and spend quality time with my family.

What are your current business goals?

The goal for Throat Scope and Holland Healthcare is to invent and develop revolutionary medical devices for the healthcare and home market. In 5 years our business will be on par with some of the leading global medical device companies.

What other medical devices are you working on?

We’ll soon be launching the Throat Scope App for parents and healthcare professionals. We’re also working on two new medical devices due out in 2018.

What drives you?

My motivation and drive come from my children. I want them to understand the importance of hard work, persistence and above all I want them to believe in themselves and have the confidence and courage to follow their dreams.

What is the biggest challenge to your business?

Challenges are part of growing, building and learning in business. A challenge for us now is the US company set up; finding the right staff, setting up the warehouse and office to run efficiently, and the intercompany transactions between home and the US.

What is the best part?

Definitely donating Throat Scope to doctors overseas who complete aid work in third world countries. I hope to one day go over and experience this first hand.

You have four young children and a hubby who is away a lot for work. What are your survival tools?

Becoming a mother during my start-up journey gave me all the skills, patience and perseverance I needed to succeed as an entrepreneur. Let’s face it; negotiating with a sick toddler at 3:00am is tough. If you survive that you can do anything.

Becoming a mother during my start-up journey gave me all the skills, patience and perseverance I needed to succeed as an entrepreneur.– Jennifer Holland

Throat Scope Makes Oral Inspections Simple and More Efficient | Trend Hunter | May 30th 2017

Throat Scope is a simple yet effective device that seeks to make the process of detecting abnormal oral issues much easier.

The device works in the same way that the simple wooden tongue depressors that dentists usually use do, but has an additional function – a light source. The LED light is able to light up the patient or child’s mouth and throat, enabling dentists and parents to better detect any abnormalities that may exist. Throat Scope can be used for a variety of purposes, including examining sore throats, checking for tonsillitis, looking for new teeth, examining mouth sores, for oral cancer screenings, and more.

Throat Scope can be used both by oral health professionals and people at home, making it a device that is both effective and accessible.

Read original article HERE

Throat Scope: Lighting Throats Around the World | Oh! Canada CDHA | Spring 2017

Sitting at the Academy of Dental Management Consultants in Las Vegas a few years ago listening to the keynote speaker, I was struck by the simplicity of his words. Bill Rancic (Donald Trump’s first apprentice) defined the difference between successful and unsuccessful people in business. Many people have great ideas but never execute them. They find 100 ways to get to the starting line but never cross over. His words resonated with everyone in the audience: “Successful people DO IT!”

Case in point: imagine yourself eight months pregnant trying to restrain your 15-month-old toddler who is struggling with a sore throat while the doctor attempts in vain to place a wooden tongue depressor inside your child’s mouth and hold a bright light in the other hand. The child, now frantic and obviously in discomfort, is clinging close to mom. How does a traumatic experience at the doctor’s office give rise to an innovative idea that has gained global recognition? Meet Australian Jennifer Holland, a stay-at-home mom of four children and a former financial accountant. Her real-life experience in 2009 with her first child plunged her into action. It was an unpleasant experience, one that would affect all her children. “I thought surely there must be something else,” she says. But there wasn’t. The only option was a patented tongue depressor with a fibre optic cable running through the tongue blade, making it a very expensive and impractical alternative to the wooden tongue depressor.

One month later, she came up with the idea for Throat Scope®, the world’s first all-in-one illuminated tongue depressor with a disposable blade for oral cavity examination. This product marked the beginning of Holland’s journey into business. It was a long, arduous road. Holland’s family poured their life savings initially into the design, trademark, patent, and development of Throat Scope®. There was a lot at stake particularly with such a young family at home. Then in 2015, Jennifer found herself in the Shark Tank, winning the endorsement of Australian Shark Steve Baxter. His endorsement and exposure accelerated the business, facilitating its introduction into the consumer market. Fast forward to today, and this medical device is now available in over 146 countries. “Successful people DO IT!”

Written by Jo-Anne Jones

Read the extended original article HERE

The Speech Bubble SLP – Using Throat Scope in Oral Mech Exams

SLP’s New Best Friend for Oral Mech Exams

Have you heard of these things called Throat Scope?  No? Well then my friend prepared to be wowed!  Yes, wowed by something that you use to look in someone’s mouth.  As SLPs, we tend to appreciate these innovations more than others, that is why Throat Scope is something I just couldn’t wait to share. It is an absolute game changer for oral mech exams.

How many times have you done oral mech exams? 20, 50, 100, maybe more?!  Then you know the drill: pop in the tongue depressor, hope that the battery in you light you have been using hasn’t died, and if it still works, take a look around.  Not a big deal, but it is a necessary step in the screening and eval process.

Well, this step just got a whole lot cooler!  Throat Scope is a light up, clear tongue depressor that allows you a much better view of oral cavity without testing your ability to juggle a flashlight and depressor while not shining the light in your student’s eyes as well.

Here is the Throat Scope. It kind of looks like a speechie light saber. You can use your SLP Jedi powers and do a killer oral mech exam.

You should be doing an oral mech each time you do screenings and evaluations!

Yup, each time. You wouldn’t believe how many students I have had that ended up having an physical reason for their speech that would have gone (or had already gone) overlooked!  If I hadn’t taken the few minutes to do a quick look around I would have missed tongue ties, submucousal clefts, huge adenoids, crazy high arches palates, etc. These issues and more had contributing factors that needed outside attention in order for those kids to make progress.

How it works

You just pop on a new blade aka clear tongue depressor, and it automatically lights up. I liked not having to hold down a button while using it. This also means that you don’t have to worry about not turning it off and running down the battery (like I have done with all mini lights and secret message decoder lights from Super Duper).

The light is nice and bright so you can really see everything. This is such a step up from trying to mange the old wooden tongue depressors and flashlight combo. A total upgrade. Another win for Throat Scope, they don’t break the bank!  You can get the light and 100 replacement blades, because you are only using one per kid of course (they’re recyclable), for $45! That is pretty darn good if you ask me.  Yes, they might be a bit more than the wooden tongue depressors but think of 1) how many oral exam you really do in a year and 2) how much more efficient these are.

Read the original article byMaureen Wilson at The Speech Bubble SLP HERE.

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Shark Tank Stars Who Made It Big! | NEWS.com.au | 6th August 2017

When she appeared on Season One, Jennifer Holland’s illuminated tongue depressor Throat Scope was still in prototype phase. After a tough pitch, Mr Baxter agreed to pay $76,000 for 30 per cent of the company, plus a 5 per cent royalty until the money was paid back.

Today, Ms Holland sells more than 1.7 million blades annually through 22 distribution partners in 155 countries. Throat Scope has also branched out into the digital realm, with a soon-to-be-released app which will enable people to receive a diagnosis over the internet.

“Our first major big-box retailer is CVS in the US, we’re about to roll out in 5000 pharmacies on the 18th of August,” she told news.com.au. “We’ve also partnered with the US Oral Cancer Foundation to run a global campaign called Check Your Mouth, which will educate people about the early signs of oral cancer.”

She has also signed her first distribution deals with universities and hospitals in the US. “They’re using Throat Scope as a training tool, from dental to speech pathology, it’s been a very exciting time,” she said.

Read the full article from NEWS.com.au HERE

Throat Scope Wins Silver at Edison Awards in New York | The Lakes Mail | 24th April 2017

A Lake Macquarie woman has claimed silver at the Edison Awards in New York for her Throat Scope invention.

Jennifer Holland was honoured in the Health and Wellness Patient Care category for her medical device which incorporates a tongue depressor and light source in the one easy-to-use unit.

“I always wanted to invent something that would have a positive impact on the world,” Ms Holland said.

“Now I know that will become a reality. We are going to create a movement that will lead to people using Throat Scope for early detection of Oral Cancer.

“Now we have an Edison Award behind us, I know we can go out there and potentially save lives.”

The Edison Awards honour excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centred design and innovation.

Award winners are described as having “game changing” products or services.

The awards attract thousands of nominations.

More than 3000 senior business executives and academics from marketing professionals, scientists and engineers join past winners to review the nominations.

“When I had the epiphany at the doctor’s surgery with my son and walked into the $2 shop to create my first prototype eight years ago, I never imagined this is where it would all lead.”

Ms Holland, who was in New York to accept the award, will now remain in the USA for another week, spruiking the Throat Scope at trade shows.

“Another dream of our team at Holland Healthcare is to take an Australian product into the US,” she said.

“Throat Scope can now be that product. We import so much product, we want to reverse that trend.”

Holland Healthcare is just the third Australian company to win at the Edison Awards since their inception in 1987.

It is the first win for a female-led Australian company, and the country’s first win in the health category.

Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs | Kidspot | 29th March 2017

Ear Scope Logo

Like many brilliant mum inventions, the impetus behind Jennifer Holland’s multi-million dollar invention, the Throat Scope, came about from an experience which showed her there was a need for her product.

“I took my 18-month-old son with a sore throat to the doctor. He asked me to restrain my child, while he was a holding a light in one hand and a wooden depressor in the other,” she says, something she described as an unpleasant experience. “I thought surely there must be something else,” she says.

But there wasn’t, so Jennifer devised and patented the world’s first all-in-one light and tongue depressor, Throat Scope. Now a mum of four, Jennifer’s medical device will soon be available in 140 countries in a distribution deal estimated to be worth $15 million and found in medical centres, hospitals and homes around the world.
“For me it has always been about believe, act, persist – believe in yourself and believe in your ability to achieve it,” she says.

“Don’t stop, you are going to get knock backs [but] the faster you get back up the quicker you’ll find your next opportunity.”

Read the original Mamamia article HERE

Throat Scope – International Edison Award Winner!

Throat Scope – Edison Award Winner!

The Edison Awards are globally recognised innovation awards originating in the USA that honour excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation.

Award winners are described as having game changing products and/or services. And Throat Scope is certainly changing the oral examination game. To be a recipient you must display leadership and innovation in Concept, Value, Delivery and Impact. At Throat Scope we live by these every day.

The awards are named after innovator Thomas Edison (think light bulb, motion picture camera, phonograph). He was persistent, determined and creative, traits we know our CEO and founder Jennifer Holland lives and breathes everyday.

The Edison Awards attract 100’s of nominations. Over 3,000 senior business executives and academics from marketing professionals, scientists and engineers join past Edison Award winners to review the nominations. They vote to select the Gold, Silver and Bronze finalists.

Throat Scope has received an award in the Health and Wellness – Patient Care category and are up against major healthcare companies Data Diagnostic and vBloc Neurometabolic Therapy. We like to think that Throat Scope is already a winner, being guaranteed Gold, Silver or Bronze.

We will be heading to New York City for the award ceremony on April 20.

Head to www.edisonawards.com to learn more about the Edison Awards. 

Henleys Medical Supplies Announced as First UK Distributor

2017 is turning out to be a big year for Throat Scope with the announcement of our first UK distributor, Henleys Medical Supplies. Henleys is a family owned company with operations spanning across the UK. Throat Scope is very excited to be working with such a great, customer focused medical distributor.

For more information on Henleys or to order stock directly, head to http://www.henleysmed.com/