About

The LifeSaber is a project of the Innovation Factory. Established in 2005, we have brought many important products to market including the Lil Trucker (now known as the Off Grid Survival Axe). The Lil Trucker was funded through a Kickstarter campaign which raised more than $123,000 from 1,302 satisfied backers. The patent pending LifeSaber has been more than 3 years in development and represents the collaboration of many perfectionists.

Marvin Weinberger, Inventor-in-Chief

Marvin Weinberger is a serial entrepreneur and inventor, with numerous patents. His successful products include the Trucker’s Friend and Off Grid Survival Axe (licensed to Off Grid Tools); the IceDozer (licensed to SnowJoe) as well as the Chainmail Scrubber (licensed to Lodge Manufacturing). He is the volunteer organizer of the Philly Makers Meetup a community for catalyzing innovation and collaboration among hard-product entrepreneurs. A trained violinist, Marvin was one of the founders of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. As a member of this Yiddish music group, he participated in recordings and appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion." These days, he performs primarily at local hospitals as a volunteer with Musicians on Call. Marvin is a lawyer by (original) training, violinist by avocation and an inventor/entrepreneur/community builder by passion.

Mohak Desai, Chief of Staff

Mohak is an Economics student at Temple University with previous experience in venture capital, Big 4 consulting, financial valuation, and the startup world. He received the Presidential Scholarship from his university and was accepted into the honors program. Mohak was previously a serial entrepreneur himself and is an avid outdoor enthusiast!

Edward Polkowski, Electrical Engineer

Ed, from Genzu Inc., is the lead firmware and hardware developer on the project. His past projects have been in the fields of medical devices, industrial automation, alternative energy, precision motion control, and embedded IOT devices.

Justin Dodd, Mechanical Engineer

Justin has been working as a mechanical engineer for over 15 years, with extensive experience in both the consumer and industrial markets. Justin has successfully designed, prototyped and managed production of numerous product launches including: an off-road motorcycle, landmine clearing equipment, remote controls for construction vehicles, and a host of components for the bicycle industry.

Dimitri Lewicki, Mechanical Engineer

Dimitri works as a product developer and freelance mechanical engineer. His interests include industrial automation, cleantech and consumer gadgets.

Adam Hecht, Industrial Design

A recent graduate of Jefferson University, Adam is a topflight product developer who has collaborated on many projects with Marvin and the Innovation Factory. He is the co-founder of the recently launched, Dive Design.

Edan Cohen, Videographer

Edan is the extraordinary videographer who conceived and executed the LifeSaber video. He is the founder of the Philadelphia-based Gemini Creative Agency. Gemini offers video production, digital marketing and YouTube SEO services.

Andrea Snaedal, Actress

Andrea Snaedal, the star of our video, is as Icelandic as they get. She can in fact trace her ancestry back to the founder of the country. In Iceland, she was active in the amateur theater scene for years before moving to Los Angeles. There, Andrea attended a two-year conservatory program at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she trained both for theater and film. After graduating, she spent a year acting in various projects in LA – including Silicon Beach with Max Gold, which can now be accessed on Amazon Prime. When she’s not working on a project, you will find her at the piano, on the yoga mat, or lounging on the couch with a cup of tea and a book in hand.

Dani Beau, Video Production Assistant and Technical Advisor

Dani is a survivalist and adventure guide with Icelandic Mountain Guides. A native of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, she moved to Iceland in 2016 to obtain her MSc. In Environment and Natural Resource Management at the University of Iceland. Dani is an Instructor for ICESAR, the Icelandic Search and Rescue team; and a W-EMT with a passion for wilderness medicine and improvised backcountry skills. She has a unique outlook on survival: being the only vegan to complete 2 of the Discovery Channel´s Naked and Afraid challenges: surviving a total of 61 days in the badlands of Colombia. Her favorite wilderness skills include friction fire, cordage & basket weaving, snowhouse and shelter building, primitive bone & antler tools, and wilderness first aid.