Tyrell, Inc. Company Background

Established in Houston, Texas, in September 2002, Tyrell, Inc., is the leading pioneer in the exciting new category of home-based medical devices. The company was formed to develop and launch Zeno?, a product set to revolutionize over-the-counter treatment of acne pimples. Utilizing proprietary ClearPoint? technology, this electronic medical device applies sustained heat therapy to destroy the bacteria that causes common acne, dramatically reducing the healing time of pimples.

Tyrell, Inc. was founded by Robert Conrad, a man surrounded by a family of doctors and nurses and a history rich in medical discovery. The creation of Tyrell, Inc. and the groundbreaking Zeno is a result of his sincere passion to provide a simple and effective solution for at-home acne treatment.

After he read an article on heat shock response, and after the unfortunate appearance of a large pimple before an important board meeting, Robert and his brother, Dr. Charles Conrad, applied for a patent and the Tyrell, Inc. team got to work designing a Zeno prototype in 2002. In only two weeks of initial lab research, the team discovered that the technology behind Zeno wiped out 90 percent of acne-causing bacteria in a single two-and-a-half-minute treatment.

Recognizing that they had created a breakthrough device, the company presented their product to the Houston Technology Center (HTC) in late 2003, an important first step in officially launching Zeno. Once accepted into the HTC, Tyrell, Inc. was introduced to the Houston Angel Network (HAN), a group of investors focused on funding the development of privately held companies.

The HAN relationship produced an introduction to Walter V. (Wally) Klemp, now president and CEO of Tyrell, Inc. Klemp, an established entrepreneur, has founded three companies, one of which became number one on the Inc. 500 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Klemp was so impressed with Zeno that he signed on to provide valuable leadership in a variety of areas including capital funding, intellectual property protection and product development.

Tyrell, Inc.’s association with HTC also led to an introduction to the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), a program administered by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership to help small businesses apply technical expertise derived from the U.S. space program. As a small business, Tyrell, Inc. was entitled to 40 hours of free NASA engineering expertise and advice through SATOP.

That resulted in the involvement of a thermal engineer from The Boeing Company who helped redesign the heating element at the tip of Zeno. The changes implemented with the help of the thermal engineer improved the efficiency and dramatically reduced the cost of the heating element, creating a more marketable price for Zeno.

Three short years later, Tyrell, Inc. launched Zeno through medical offices and medically-supervised spas and salons. Interest in Zeno quickly grew, and in Zeno’s first year on the market, the product was honored with many awards including: Allure Magazine’s 2005 “Best of Beauty Award,” Marie Claire Magazine’s “10 Best Gadgets for Girls,” and Popular Science Magazine’s 2005 “Best of What’s New Awards.”

As Zeno’s popularity has grown, so has its availability. Today, Zeno is available through various retail outlets in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Zeno Press Kit

For all media inquiries, please contact Allison M. Allison at Richards/Gravelle, 214-891-5212 or allison_allison@richards.com.