Dave has spent over 24 years in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry, including 2 stints at Defibtech- as an initial investor, VP of Sales, Marketing & Business Development, and Executive Committee Member. Working with truly innovative products and an outstanding team, Dave helped take Defibtech from unknown AED start-up to a major industry player. In 2007, Defibtech was named as the fastest growing medical device company in the U.S. by Deloitte & Touche, and this record of explosive growth was a key factor in the firm’s acquisition in 2012 by Nihon Kohden Corporation. Earlier, Dave spent 7 years with distribution giant W.W. Grainger and 5 years with Big 4 consultant Capgemini Ernst & Young.
Today, Dave works with leading innovators to advance lifesaving solutions to improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) survival rates. Since 2019, he’s deployed hundreds of units in the burgeoning U.S. outdoor AED cabinet market that he helped create & develop. His experiences led him to found HeartNation LLC & the SaveHeart brand, with a mission to provide 24 x 7 AED access, awareness & technology- for everyone, anytime, anywhere. All SaveHeart structures are made in the U.S.A and include best-practice AED program services & cutting-edge technology to help protect people & organizations from SCA risk.
Overall, Dave has been honored to work with & serve several leading safety, medical device & healthcare technology companies, including MidAmerica Ventures, RescueStat, Avive, eTrainETC, Defibtech, SaveStation, Diagnostic Test Group, Drifire, Grainger, and OpenMarkets.
Dave Fritzsche has been in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry for over 25 years
This includes 2 stints at AED manufacturer Defibtech- as initial investor, VP of Sales & Marketing, VP of Business Development, and Executive Committee Member. Working with truly innovative products and an outstanding team, Dave helped take Defibtech from unknown AED start-up to a major industry player. In 2007, Defibtech was named as the fastest growing medical device company in the U.S. by Deloitte & Touche and was acquired in 2012 by Nihon Kohden Corporation. In 2016, Dave helped launch the Lifeline ARM automated CPR device.
In 2006, Dave was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and an abnormal EKG
Fortunately, annual check-ups have not shown an increased thickening of his heart muscle over time. Still, his diagnosis and experience is the reason behind SaveHeart’s support of several not-for-profit organizations focused on enabling greater AED access and increased SCA awareness and prevention. This includes many local organizations founded by parents who have lost a child to SCA, as well as various heart screening organizations that help detect heart defects & abnormalities in teenagers. He considers himself lucky to work with and support such incredible people & organizations who share a mission to promote greater AED access, enhanced heart screening efforts and breakthrough monitoring technology to help eliminate unnecessary SCA deaths.
