United Tissue Network
United Tissue Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2009 that provides free whole-body donation and cremation services to families across four U.S. regions, funding operations by supplying human tissue and cadaver specimens to medical device companies, researchers, and training organizations worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersPhoenix, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What United Tissue Network does
United Tissue Network (UTN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2009 that operates a whole-body donation program connecting individual donors and their families with medical professionals who need human tissue and cadaver specimens for research, training, and medical device development. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona with regional offices in St. Petersburg, Florida and Providence, Rhode Island, UTN serves families across Arizona, Nevada, Florida, and Southern New England (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut). The organization has served more than 20,000 families since inception.
The core service to donor families is free of charge: UTN covers transport from the place of death, cremation, two death certificates, and return of ashes within four to six weeks anywhere in the U.S. — saving families an average of $3,200 compared to traditional cremation costs. Underlying technology includes a CLIA-certified laboratory testing workflow (Hepatitis B/C, HIV 1/2), a self-directed online registration platform with eligibility confirmation typically completed within minutes, and a worldwide tissue distribution network shipping to 20+ countries. UTN holds AATB accreditation (one of only seven tissue banks worldwide), plus state accreditations from New York, Arizona, and Oklahoma.
UTN's revenue model is a two-sided structure: donor families pay nothing, while the organization generates revenue by providing human tissue and cadaver specimens to medical device companies, surgical training programs, and research institutions. No revenue is publicly disclosed. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (online self-registration), inside sales (24/7 coordinator availability), and channel partnerships with funeral homes, hospices, and end-of-life professionals who refer families. A network of turnkey bioskills facilities across the U.S. and Canada supports medical training and education clients.
United Tissue Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- United Tissue Network
- Legal name
- United Tissue Network
- Website
- https://unitedtissue.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- United Tissue Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2009 that provides free whole-body donation and cremation services to families across four U.S. regions, funding operations by supplying human tissue and cadaver specimens to medical device companies, researchers, and training organizations worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
United Tissue Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Human Tissue Procurement and Whole-Body Donation Services
- NAICS
- Blood and Organ Banks (621991)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Human Remains & Medical Specimens Forwarding (TLACAJAE)
Keywords
Where United Tissue Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Phoenix
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
United Tissue Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Tissue and Cadaver Procurement Services: UTN recovers human tissue and cadavers from whole-body donors and provides these specimens to approved medical professionals, researchers, and training organizations. The organization supports medical device companies, surgical training programs, and educational institutions with anatomical specimens. Pricing is based on tissue type, procurement complexity, and client requirements.
- Donor Family Services (No Cost to Families): As a nonprofit 501(c)(3), UTN covers all costs for donor families including transport, cremation, death certificates, and ash return. Revenue to sustain operations comes from providing tissue specimens to medical professionals and researchers, not from donor families.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Complete whole-body donation service at $0 cost to donor families |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
United Tissue Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
United Tissue Network operates a nonprofit whole-body donation program that recovers human tissue and cadavers from registered donors and supplies these specimens to medical device companies, researchers, and surgical training organizations. Donor families receive transport, cremation, two death certificates, and return of ashes at no cost. Revenue to sustain operations is generated by providing AATB-accredited tissue specimens to qualified medical buyers domestically and across 20+ countries.
Product overview
United Tissue Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering a unified whole-body donation service that connects individuals who wish to donate their bodies to science with medical professionals and researchers. The core offering is the Whole Body Donation Program, which combines body donation with free cremation services for donor families. As an AATB-accredited tissue bank, UTN also provides Human Tissue & Cadaver Specimens to medical device companies, researchers, and training organizations for medical technology development and education. The service portfolio includes online self-service donor registration, medical professional resources, and tissue procurement with worldwide distribution capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Whole Body Donation Program Core service allowing individuals to donate their bodies to science for medical research, training, and education. UTN covers all costs including transport, cremation, death certificates, and returns ashes within 4-6 weeks anywhere in the U.S. Available to donor families across Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and Southern New England with no age or BMI restrictions and acceptance up to seven days after death.
- Human Tissue and Cadaver Specimens for Medical Buyers AATB-accredited tissue bank providing cadaver specimens to approved medical professionals for medical technology advancement, surgical training, and education. Supports neurosurgical, orthopaedic, biomechanics, sports medicine, and robotics research. All donors are tested for infectious diseases (Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2) at CLIA-certified laboratories. Worldwide distribution to 20+ countries.
- Turnkey Bioskills Facilities and Training Support
Quantifiable outcome
- Average family saves $3,200 in end-of-life expenses
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use United Tissue Network
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
United Tissue Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
United Tissue Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Turnkey Partner Facilities NetworkcoreUTN has developed partner facilities in cities throughout the US and Canada, providing a continuum of quality and customer care. Skilled technicians travel to these locations to provide support for educational programming. One call provides access to bioskills facilities from San Francisco to Miami and nearly everywhere in between.
- CLIA-Certified Laboratory PartnerscoreUTN utilizes CLIA-certified laboratories for infectious disease testing of all donors (Hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2) prior to tissue placement with qualified research or training organizations.
- Validated Shipping OrganizationsminorUTN works with shipping organizations specializing in managing tissue transport with validated systems to track each shipment. Only companies validated by UTN's personal Quality Staff are used for tissue transport.
- Funeral HomescoreFuneral homes partner with UTN to offer whole-body donation as an option to families they serve. UTN provides educational materials, referral resources, and a guide for funeral professionals.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
United Tissue Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Science Care: One of the largest for-profit whole-body donation organizations in the US, offering cremation in exchange for donor tissue used in medical research and education — same core two-sided model (donor families + medical professionals) as UTN, but for-profit.
- MedCure: For-profit non-transplant anatomical donation organization providing whole-body donation for medical research, education, and device training with cremation services — directly competes with UTN for the same donor families and B2B tissue customers.
- BioGift Anatomical: Non-transplant whole-body donation organization serving medical research and education, operating on the same donor-for-tissue model as UTN across multiple US regions.
- Anatomy Gifts Registry: Whole-body donation registry providing human tissue and cadavers for medical research and education; directly comparable to UTN's tissue procurement and family-facing cremation service.
- Restore Life USA: Non-transplant anatomical donation organization offering cremation in exchange for whole-body donation for research and education — same donor-driven, B2B-tissue-funded model as UTN.
Broad incumbents
- LifeNet Health: Large nonprofit tissue bank with broader transplant-tissue and regenerative medicine portfolio; overlaps with UTN on research-grade tissue procurement and academic/medical training supply but serves a much wider product range.
- MTF Biologics: Established nonprofit tissue bank distributing musculoskeletal and other grafts for surgery and research; comparable to UTN on the orthopaedic and surgical-training B2B demand side, but operates a much broader portfolio across transplant and regenerative applications.
- AlloSource: Nonprofit tissue bank producing allografts for sports medicine, orthopaedics, and burn treatment — overlapping with UTN's downstream medical device and surgical training customers, though primarily transplant-tissue rather than non-transplant anatomical donation.
Regional players
- Genesis Donor Services: Regional non-transplant anatomical donation organization serving Midwest and other US regions UTN does not cover; comparable model (donor families + B2B tissue) but non-overlapping geography.
Emerging players
- Donor Network of Arizona: Arizona-based donor program operating in the same whole-body donation category as UTN's Arizona operations; overlaps regionally with UTN's flagship Phoenix market, though narrower in scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
United Tissue Network social profiles
Digital presenceUnited Tissue Network compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
United Tissue Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
United Tissue Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
United Tissue Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
United Tissue Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about United Tissue Network
What does United Tissue Network do?
United Tissue Network operates a nonprofit whole-body donation program that recovers human tissue and cadavers from registered donors and supplies these specimens to medical device companies, researchers, and surgical training organizations. Donor families receive transport, cremation, two death certificates, and return of ashes at no cost. Revenue to sustain operations is generated by providing AATB-accredited tissue specimens to qualified medical buyers domestically and across 20+ countries.
Is United Tissue Network a public or private company?
United Tissue Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was United Tissue Network founded?
United Tissue Network was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is United Tissue Network based?
United Tissue Network is headquartered in Phoenix, United States, in the North America region.
How does United Tissue Network make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tissue and Cadaver Procurement Services are the primary driver. The others are donor Family Services (No Cost to Families).
Who are United Tissue Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Science Care, MedCure, BioGift Anatomical, Anatomy Gifts Registry and Restore Life USA. Broad incumbents are LifeNet Health, MTF Biologics and AlloSource. Genesis Donor Services is listed as a regional player. Donor Network of Arizona is listed as an emerging player.
Does United Tissue Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for United Tissue Network.
What industry is United Tissue Network in?
United Tissue Network's product category is Human Tissue Procurement and Whole-Body Donation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAJ, Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations, with a secondary code of TLACAJAE, Human Remains & Medical Specimens Forwarding. Its NAICS code is 621991 and its SIC code is 8071.