A Proposal for Fundamentals Optimized

Fundamentals Optimized is a science-led skincare brand launching a range of home-use devices. The first product covered by this proposal is a home-use red light therapy face mask for cosmetic skin rejuvenation, targeted at the United States market. The founding team comes from an IT background and holds a detailed technical requirements specification (V2: Face) for the device.

For this brand the science is the value. The specific wavelength combination and light output are the critical part of the product, and the central sourcing challenge is finding a manufacturer that genuinely understands and can build to that configuration, rather than a generic supplier whose devices are either underpowered and ineffective or overpowered and unsafe.

Fundamentals Optimized has already identified two candidate manufacturers independently and intends to hold commercial and contract discussions with manufacturers directly. On that basis, the company has asked C2W to identify and technically screen manufacturers capable of meeting the V2 requirements, deliver a vetted shortlist that Fundamentals Optimized can then approach directly, and provide quality inspection at third-party facilities as the project moves toward production.

This proposal covers the first paid engagement in that work: Supplier Identification and Technical Screening for the face mask. Quality inspection is addressed as a defined next stage in Section 5, and the optional forward production model is set out in Section 6.

Ahead of engagement our team has reviewed the V2: Face requirements. The specification is well written and demanding, and it is what a proper technical screen has to be built around. The following are the points that will separate a genuinely capable manufacturer from one that only looks the part, and they define the criteria our screening will apply.

The specification calls for three wavelengths in the primary treatment mode: red at 633 nm, near-infrared at 830 nm, and deep near-infrared at 1072 nm. The 1072 nm requirement is the scarce capability. Most red light face masks on the market run 630 or 660 nm with 850 nm and do not offer a genuine 1072 nm emitter. The specification also fixes a combined irradiance target of 30 mW/cm2 at the skin plane within a 27 to 33 range, requires per-wavelength irradiance to be disclosed separately, and requires output stability within plus or minus 10 percent across the session and battery charge. A manufacturer that cannot state measured irradiance per wavelength and chip counts per wavelength is not a real candidate.

The mask must deliver even coverage across the defined facial zones, hold at least 90 percent of the treatment area within 70 to 130 percent of the average irradiance, keep every skin-contact location below 40 degrees C with automatic thermal shutdown before 41 degrees C, and provide validated eye protection tested under IEC 62471. These are design and validation capabilities, not marketing claims, and they will be part of the screen.

The architecture requires an external rechargeable battery and controller with no cells inside the mask, USB-C charging, and no simultaneous charging and treatment. The specification requires an IEC 62471 photobiological safety report for the finished mask, IEC 62133-2 battery evidence, UN 38.3 battery transport documentation, skin-contact material safety documentation, RoHS compliance, and a frozen bill of materials with no substitution without written approval. Existing test evidence, or a credible route to it, is a core screening criterion.

In short: the value we add here is the technical interrogation. For a founding team without an engineering background, the risk is paying for confident claims that do not hold up. Our screen is designed to make each manufacturer prove the configuration on paper before the client spends time or money engaging them.

Fundamentals Optimized has asked for quality inspection at third-party facilities. Inspection cannot be priced firmly yet, because no manufacturer has been selected and no production exists to inspect. It is therefore set out here as a defined next stage, triggered once a manufacturer is chosen and an order is placed. Two inspection routes are available, and can be used together:

We will quote inspection firmly once the manufacturer and order details are confirmed. The figures above are indicative and for planning only.

The fee covers all research, supplier engagement, technical screening, quotation gathering, reporting, and the shortlist. The following are excluded and would be scoped and agreed separately where required:

We will use our full supplier network and best efforts to identify manufacturers that meet the V2 requirements. As with any sourcing project we cannot guarantee that a manufacturer meeting every specification at the target price will exist. In particular, the 1072 nm deep near-infrared requirement combined with full certification evidence at a first run of 150 to 200 units may carry a higher unit cost than the current USD 100 estimate. Where compromises or trade-offs arise, we will present the options clearly for your decision.

Screening relies on manufacturer-disclosed data and existing test reports. Independent laboratory verification of irradiance and photobiological safety is a separate step and can be arranged if you want it.

The 4-week estimate runs from confirmation and payment and assumes reasonable manufacturer responsiveness. Based on the current date, a completed shortlist by the end of July is not achievable; late August is realistic. The end-of-August inspection target assumes production, which is a later stage and will move accordingly.

If requirements change materially during the engagement, for example additional product configurations or a substantially expanded search, we will adjust cost and timeline and agree any change with you before proceeding.

All project information is handled under the NDA already in place. Manufacturers engaged during screening are put under appropriate confidentiality terms before receiving project-specific detail.