The story of Dandy begins with a personal journey of frustration and a vision for a better way. Co-founder Daniel Hanover's formative years were spent in and out of dental offices, where he experienced firsthand the inefficiencies plaguing the industry. From cumbersome putty impressions to the administrative burdens of paperwork, he saw an opportunity to revolutionize the dental space. This personal experience became the seed of an idea that would grow into Dandy, a company on a mission to modernize the dental lab process and become the operating system for every dental practice in America. Together with his co-founder, Toni Oloko, whom he met at the University of Pennsylvania, they embarked on a journey to address these long-standing issues. Initially launched under the name Orthly, the company first focused on the direct-to-consumer clear aligner market. However, the founders soon realized that their true calling was to empower dentists by digitizing their entire workflow.
With a pivot to a B2B model, Dandy was officially launched to tackle the massive, yet antiquated, $200 billion dental industry. The company's vision was ambitious: to create a seamless, end-to-end digital platform that would replace outdated methods with cutting-edge technology. This meant providing dentists with state-of-the-art intraoral scanners, AI-driven software, and a fully integrated digital dental lab. By doing so, Dandy aimed to not only improve operational efficiency but also enhance patient outcomes. The company's growth has been nothing short of remarkable. In just a few years, Dandy has expanded from a small team to over a thousand employees, serving thousands of dentists across the United States. Their platform now offers a wide range of products and services, from crowns and bridges to dentures and aligners, all produced with greater speed, accuracy, and consistency. Backed by leading venture capital investors, Dandy continues to innovate, leveraging AI, 3D printing, and robotics to push the boundaries of what's possible in dentistry. With over two million people already having a Dandy product in their mouths, the company is well on its way to achieving its goal of making the business of dentistry pain-free for practitioners and their patients alike.