Raleigh Dewan

What inspired the creation of SteadiSpoon™, and how did your experiences on film sets contribute to its development?  Can you provide an update on the development and beta-testing of the SteadiSpoon™? What are the next steps for bringing this product to market? 

My grandmother, Grand June, was a true southern belle who cooked extravagant feasts that brought our entire family together—until she developed Parkinson’s. She experienced hand tremors so severe she couldn’t cook, she couldn’t feed herself, and she was even too embarrassed to eat with us. Naturally, I wanted to help. 

I grew up on my eldest brother’s film sets and loved the action scenes that used steadi-cam technology to keep the camera steady while capturing the dynamics. I thought if it’s good enough for Hollywood, it’s good enough for grandma. 

I began with motorized prototypes but switched to an affordable entirely mechanical design for a better consumer experience (no charging, dishwasher safe). After testing 10 prototypes with 300+ Beta Testers, we achieved 95% efficacy of leading motorized devices at half the price. We’re also adding attachments like a fork, knife, toothbrush, and pen to help users tackle more tasks confidently. 

We are working with a design firm and our Texas-based manufacturer to prepare for commercial production. Once we have finalized our design for manufacturing, it is off to the races to fulfill our pre-orders and help the millions of Americans

Can you tell us about Dignity Innovations? 

In developing SteadiSpoon™, I realized there is a massive unmet demand for low-cost, scalable solutions that help people with chronic conditions. As more of our population retires and requires assistive technologies to complete their activities of daily living (eating, dressing, walking, etc.), this need will only continue to grow. 

The mission of Dignity Innovations is to fulfill this growing need with a host of assistive devices and software solutions. We have a growing portfolio of products that help people regain and maintain their dignity despite their chronic conditions. Currently, we have two devices in trials targeted at helping stroke patients regain independence with daily their activities. In line with our mission, we donate a portion of our proceeds to relevant foundations and non-profits, like MakeGood, that support our patients with the incredible work they do in the community. 

  Tell us about the non-profit MakeGood. 

My good friend and certified healthcare architect, Noam Platt, began creating custom assistive devices for children and people with disabilities, special needs, and chronic conditions in his free time with his non-profit, MakeGood. After meeting Noam and helping on a few projects, he asked me to join, and I was delighted to. 

We’ve delivered over 1500 custom devices to patients, impacted tens of thousands of lives, and all at no cost to families. From toddler mobility trainers and wheelchair attachments to an award-winning mobile bathroom chair aid that can disassemble and be taken on and used on airplanes, we work with families directly to understand their needs and create the perfect solution. 

Some of our clients loved their experience with MakeGood so much that they wanted to help. We taught them accessible design using CAD software and 3D printing, so they could design for their needs and those of others in their community. We’re proud to empower the disabled/special needs community by delivering devices and providing training in skilled, high-demand, and rewarding work. 

Currently, I’m expanding our network with health systems and school districts while securing a larger facility to handle nearly 2,000 daily requests. 

As a serial entrepreneur with multiple projects, how do you prioritize your time and energy to ensure each venture receives the attention it needs? 

I feel like I never have enough time and energy! For me, the biggest things for improving my productivity and management are scalable systems, good partners, and leverage points. With my different activities, I focus on how to build systems that I can plug partners and team members into to ensure I have time to work on high-priority tasks. 

Having great partners is the key to any business, but especially when managing multiple projects. I’ve been fortunate to work with experienced partners who share my values. Clarifying expectations, roles, and communication styles has been key to achieving strong outcomes. With limited time, I am focused on the most leveraged activities I can do for the different projects to ensure I can drive impact. 

How do you define “excellence” in business?  

For me, excellence in business revolves around the impact my business makes on my customers, my team members, and our community. I truly believe that business remains our best tool to cultivate change in our communities. With the right vision, business model, and team, you can generate a profitable impact that is significantly easier to scale and maintain than a purely philanthropic endeavor.   

How has receiving the Future Texas Business Legend Award and being part of the organization impacted your entrepreneurial journey and leadership skills? 

Becoming part of the TBHF was a true inflection point for my journey. Gaining access to this incredible network of mentors and peers who have helped me drive my ventures forward, develop as a leader, and remain rooted in a true vision of excellence and impact going hand in hand has been invaluable to me.