In this episode of TrepStarz, we were joined by Kristi Myers, an entrepreneur, an innovator and the inventor of a life-saving medical device called the Yankaddy. Kristi has worked in the medical field for over 20 years as a nurse anesthetist. She would often notice the sometimes unsanitary practices that surrounded the use of a medical device called the Yankauer. The Yankauer is a suctioning device used to clean up bodily fluids. Often times in the ER, when things were hectic, the Yankauer would hit the floor, get haphazardly thrown across a patient or even come into contact with other contaminated surfaces. Kristi's device acts as a "holster" for the Yankauer, thus keeping it in a clean and secure location. All inventions come with their fair share of patent work in order to protect ideas, but medical devices take the cake. Kristi spent months and months of her own time researching patents and securing her idea. Kristi talks about this process as well as her many trips to Lowe's, Home Depot and Walmart to build her prototype. We also talk with Kristi about her experience as a participant in Startup Weekend Daytona Beach and the different resources she's used along the way. Kristi shares some lessons learned and gives some great advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in and be inspired!