First Wave

What First Wave does

First Wave Products Group LLC, doing business as First Crush Automated Pill Crusher, is a privately held New York LLC that manufactures and sells an automated electronic pill-crushing system for healthcare and home-care settings. The flagship Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher ($799.99) uses a patented Dual Crush & Grind System with six patented elements to pulverize multiple pills into powder; Penn State University College of Engineering independent testing established the device as producing over 200% more fine powder than competing products. The grind, mix, and serve workflow runs through a proprietary two-cup CompleteRx system featuring FDA-cleared MEDSHIELD anti-static treatment to prevent cross-contamination between doses, with consumables sold in 500-cup boxes at $48.99.

The target customer base is split between institutions and individuals. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers use the device to reduce nurse wrist strain, shorten medication passes, and limit feeding tube clogging during dysphagia care; named adopters include Sharp Coronado Hospital, Van Rensselaer Manor Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing, Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley, and Retirement Nursing Center (a 150-bed facility that bought 12 units ahead of a deficiency-free survey). Individual patients and caregivers form the second segment, particularly elderly users and those managing feeding tube administration at home.

The company runs a single-channel direct-to-consumer model on a BigCommerce storefront (firstwaveproducts.com), ships within the US via UPS/FedEx/USPS and internationally on FOB ExWorks terms from Elma, NY, and uses testimonials plus Penn State–validated comparison content for marketing. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales, recurring CompleteRx cup consumables, and a small aftermarket of replacement batteries ($79.99), power cords ($64.99), and inner cup holders ($38.99) for serial numbers 100,000 and higher. The operation is small (1-10 employees), with a sole 2012 funding round of $130,000 in disclosed capital, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

First Wave

Legal name

First Wave Products Group LLC

Website

https://firstwaveproducts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Wave Products Group LLC sells the First Crush automated pill crusher and proprietary CompleteRx disposable cups directly to hospitals, nursing homes, and individual caregivers. Its patented Dual Crush & Grind system and FDA-cleared MEDSHIELD cups produce finer powder for safer medication preparation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Devices

NAICS

Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Unit-Dose & Compliance Packaging (Sachets, Strip Packs, Pill Organizers) (IMALAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dispensing & Pump Systems (Pumps, Sprayers, Misters, Droppers) (IMALAJAB)

Keywords

• Automated pill crusher
• Medical pill crushing device
• Medication preparation equipment
• Dysphagia care products
• Feeding tube medication aids

Headquarters

HQ city

Batavia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Pill Crusher Device: One-time sale of the Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher at $799.99. The device is a durable medical equipment item with 12-month warranty against manufacturing defects.
2. Consumables - CompleteRx Cups: Recurring consumable sales of CompleteRx cup sets (250 top crushing cups and 250 bottom serving cups per box). Sold in boxes of 500 cups at $48.99, representing recurring revenue from healthcare facilities and individual users.
3. Accessories and Replacement Parts: Sales of replacement parts including batteries ($79.99), power cords ($64.99), and inner cup holders ($38.99) for serial numbers 100,000 and higher. These serve as supplementary revenue streams for existing device owners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

First Wave Products Group LLC manufactures and sells the Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher, an electronic medical device priced at $799.99 that uses a six-element patented Dual Crush & Grind System to crush multiple pills into fine powder in one step. The system requires proprietary Gen2 CompleteRx Cups (FDA-cleared MEDSHIELD anti-static treatment) sold as recurring consumables at $48.99 per 500-cup box, and is supported by replacement batteries, power cords, and inner cup holders. Products are sold directly via the company's e-commerce website to hospitals, nursing homes, and home caregivers.

Product overview

First Wave Products Group LLC offers the First Crush automated pill crushing system for healthcare settings. The product portfolio centers on the Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher ($799.99) - an electronic device using a proprietary Dual Crush & Grind System with six patented elements that produces 2-3 times finer powder than manual methods. The system requires proprietary Gen2 CompleteRx Cups ($48.99/500 count) featuring FDA-cleared MEDSHIELD anti-static treatment to prevent cross-contamination. Supporting replacement parts include Inner Cup Holders ($38.99), Power Cords ($64.99), and Batteries ($79.99) for serial numbers 100,000 and higher. The complete workflow involves crushing, mixing, and serving medications from the same cup, targeting hospitals, nursing homes, and caregivers managing patients with feeding tubes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher Electronic medical device that crushes multiple pills into fine powder using a patented Dual Crush & Grind System with one-button activation. Powered by a Nickel Metal Hydride battery pack (14.4 VDC, 1500 mAh) with thermal and current overload protection, delivering 300+ crushes per charge. Sold to hospitals, nursing homes, and individual caregivers for medication preparation for patients with dysphagia or feeding tubes.
• Gen2 CompleteRx Cups (box of 500 cups) Proprietary disposable two-part cup system required for every crush cycle with the Gen2 First Crush device. Top crushing cups and bottom serving cups feature FDA-cleared MEDSHIELD anti-static treatment to prevent cross-contamination between doses, and a beveled design with rim lugs that allow safe and sanitary medication preparation from pill bottle through to patient. Sold to healthcare facilities and individual users as recurring consumable.
• Battery (for serial numbers 100,000 and higher) Replacement battery pack for Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher units with serial numbers 100,000 and higher. Supplies 14.4 VDC at 1500 mAh with integrated thermal and current overload protection.
• Power Cord (for serial numbers 100,000 and higher) Replacement external power supply cord for Gen2 First Crush Automated Pill Crusher units with serial numbers 100,000 and higher. Accepts 100–240VAC at 50/60Hz input and delivers 24VDC at 1.5A max output.
• Gen2 Inner Cup Holder - Replacement Replacement hard-plastic inner holder that secures CompleteRx cups in position during the crushing cycle. Removable for cleaning. Designed exclusively for use with the Gen2 First Crush device.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-3 times more fine powder than manual methods or competing pill crushers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Penn State University College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPenn State University's College of Engineering (established 1896, over 380 full-time faculty members) conducted independent analysis and testing of leading pill crushing systems available in the marketplace. Testing proved First Crush produces over 200% more fine powder than competition, establishing a new standard of care for the healthcare industry. This independent third-party validation serves as a key competitive differentiator.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cardinal Health: Cardinal Health distributes a wide range of medical-surgical products, including medication-preparation accessories, into the same acute and post-acute care facilities as First Wave.
• Medline Industries: Medline is a major manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies including pill crushers, serving hospitals, nursing homes, and home-health customers through a broad catalog and direct salesforce.
• Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare: Drive Medical is a diversified medical-device manufacturer selling durable medical equipment to hospitals, long-term care, and home-care channels, with catalog breadth that surrounds First Wave's niche pill-crushing offering.
• McKesson Corporation: As the largest US medical-surgical distributor, McKesson distributes competitive pill-crushing products and reaches the same hospital and skilled-nursing buyers that First Wave targets.

Direct peers

• Tidi Products (Posey / Silent Knight): Tidi Products owns the Posey brand, including the Silent Knight line of automated pill crushers, which is the closest direct head-to-head competitor to the First Crush in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
• E-pill Medication Reminders: E-pill sells a range of automated and manual pill crushers and medication-adherence products directly to patients and facilities, overlapping with First Wave's pill-crushing and consumer/caregiver value proposition.

Emerging players

• Omnicell: Omnicell provides hospital medication-management automation, including unit-dose packaging and dispensing technologies adjacent to the medication-preparation workflow that First Crush serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-wave-products-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Wave