Our Mission
What Our Nonprofit Stands For
Capillary Foundation was founded in honor of Ardelle Glaze, who invented the drawn blazed strand (DBS)Ⓡ method for pacemaker leads and held many patents for his other inventions in the wire industry. Our organization is proud to continue his legacy of improving lives through medical innovation.
We stand for the unceasing, passionate desire to understand and improve devices in the medical industry. This was a desire Ardelle embodied throughout his life. Through our financial assistance, researchers and developers with that same innovative spirit can develop medical devices to positively impact the lives of patients around the world.
Ardelle Glaze
Our History
Ardelle Glaze, formerly a research scientist, founded Fort Wayne Metals in 1946. Research and innovation were the primary focus of this venture from the beginning. Ardelle never grew comfortable enough with the familiar to pass up an opportunity to discover something new.
In addition to the DBSⓇ method for pacemaker leads, Fort Wayne Metals also developed DFTⓇ wire, 35N LTⓇ wire, SLTⓇ wire, and 4TiTUDEⓇ wire. These innovative wire types have had a remarkable impact on the medical device industry, improving the lives of countless patients.
Though Ardelle has passed on, he continues to be our inspiration and example in how to improve medical devices and treat all people with kindness and respect. His purpose with Fort Wayne Metals was to turn knowledge into solutions. At Capillary Foundation, we aim to foster that same mission by helping turn the knowledge in the minds of passionate innovators into life-saving solutions.
Why Work With Capillary Foundation?
Collectively, the family behind Fort Wayne Metals and Capillary Foundation has over 50 years of experience in the medical industry. We have devoted our lives to improving and saving the lives of others who benefit from our innovations, and we want to help other inventors have the same opportunity.
We have chosen not to limit our funding to specific types of medical device development, so whatever invention you are developing to benefit the medical industry, there is a good chance we will help you make it a reality.
We intend to be generous, reliable, and accessible to those who wish for the same progress in the healthcare industry as we do. Just as lifeblood flows from large arteries to billions of capillaries, Capillary Foundation aims to send funding to those who will steward it well and bring about the next generation of medical innovations.
