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Technical.ly
4 days ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
This founder believes Ukraine is the place to soft-launch a prosthetic knee
/ As the war rages on in Ukraine, a founder from Northern Virginia is raising money to launch her prosthetic knee technology in the country. Sarah Malinowski, 27, is the founder and CEO of Seamless Transition in Rosslyn. She's developing prosthetic knees that resemble the curvature of human ones to mimic natural movement, unlike the standard prosthetic that allows for limited motion and can cause pain. In 2023, Malinowski met with staff at the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, who asked if current wars still cause lower leg amputations. She didn't immediately know the answer, but decided to meet with refugees in Poland to learn more. After an old friend got her across the border to Ukraine, where she spoke with hospitalized warfighters, she quickly learned the necessity of what she was building. 'It was a weird, unfortunate, right time-right place,' Malinowski told 'But if this is a way that we can help them, then I'm all for it.' Although she registered the product in the US with the Food and Drug Administration, Malinowski, who started Seamless Transition in 2022, is planning a soft launch in Ukraine later this year. To make it happen, she's raising $250,000 starting in June. For latest edition of How I Got Here, Malinowski outlined her inspiration for Seamless Transition, reasons for soft-launching in a war-plagued country and advice to fellow founders. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How did your career begin? I have my undergrad in mechanical engineering, and while I was doing that bachelor's in Minnesota, I was working at a prosthetic clinic. That's what inspired me to do this prosthetic: All these people came in and kept telling me all the ways that it didn't work, even though they were wearing the top-line things. As the engineering student, I was like, 'This can be fixed. This is the 21st century.' I worked in industry for about a year, and then I want[ed] to do what I've been so passionate about doing. I started my master's degree at George Washington University in biomedical engineering, and dedicated the thesis to the design of this prosthetic. What was your first job in tech? During my undergrad, I did internships at a foundry in Minnesota, in the small town of Le Sueur, and we did aluminum castings. It was really cool to see the manufacturing side, which definitely helps me now when we're talking about manufacturing this device. I know hands-on what goes into creating these types of products. How did your company start? The inspiration came from when I was an undergrad, meeting these people. I've always maintained that passion. Then, when I came to GW, I was actually doing interviews. I didn't even know that customer discovery [was] a thing you do in business. I just thought, 'Let me interview some veterans.' One of them told me, 'Hey, you should check out the Office of Innovation Entrepreneurship, you should talk to one of the mentors. You should get involved.' I started meeting with Bob Smith, who's now the head of that department, and he helped me all the way through the idea phase. I got about an entire year to get the idea and concept really molded before I jumped in and started doing the design and research on my master's thesis. I went through their pitch competition, their new venture competition, where I won $27,000 — that was a great start. Where are you now with Seamless Transition? We have the initial prototype completed. We have the MVP, which is great. What we're working on doing is a soft launch in Ukraine. We have all of the computer testing data. We are FDA-registered as a Class II device, 510(k)-exempt. It doesn't have any claims on it yet because we haven't done any clinical trials on it. In Ukraine, we're unable to do anything that would be FDA-approved, as far as we wouldn't be able to submit it for approval because it's not in America. But we would like to do small-scope testing in Ukraine [to confirm] all of the numbers that are true on the computer are true in real life, donate those 10 [devices] to those people for their time, and then continue a sale with that hospital that helped us — giving them a discounted price, that kind of thing. The goal would then be to have contract manufacturing in Ukraine. That way, we're not having to pay for the tariffs and the shipping, and keeping it as low-cost as possible for the Ukrainians. Why Ukraine? The initial people that I talked to and met back in my undergrad, when I was first meeting all these amputees, 90% of them were veterans. That really kind of hit a soft spot with me, with both my grandparents serving, a lot of great uncles serving. It hit a soft point where they would come to me and they're crying and saying that they can't go on a walk with their daughters in the woods. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is too much.' [My family's] originally from Poland, so I went to Poland [and] thought I would interview a bunch of the refugees. When I touched the ground there, I was at the airport, and one of my friends calls me and he's like, 'Hey, I was actually in Ukraine for the past six months teaching them medical skills. Why don't I help you? I have a great family. You can see [if] they can help you get into all these hospitals.' The next day, I was on a bus, and I walked across the border into Ukraine. That is where I met the family that has been so nice, and met other people at hospitals. What else does your day-to-day in this job encompass? It's the beginning process of raising money [for this soft launch]. I feel like this is the point of a startup that no one likes to talk about. So it's me, and I have a COO named Ash Asher. We have so many things to do all the time. I am trying to get our slide decks ready for the raise, and want to make sure that we have all of our verbiage correct. I'm just going through all the stacks, making sure it makes sense in English and Ukrainian, making sure that the hospitals understand what we're asking from them and what they're receiving from us — and being very clear on those things. It's a lot of jumping from hat to hat and switching what my role is for the day, but always maintaining connections with people. That's something almost every day — having quick touchpoints with certain people, just making sure they know that I haven't forgotten about them, that it's going to take me a little bit longer than it would if I had a team of 20 people to get this raise started. What advice do you have for fellow founders, specifically in medical technology? Meet people. Meet other people who are in the same space that can either sit with you and cry about the same things, because it's all very hard, or people who might inspire you or give you some contacts. There are hard days and there are really great days. Sometimes it'll be at noon, and you feel like you're on top of the world, and at 5 p.m., an email comes through, and now you're staying up until midnight trying to fix it. So it's a lot of high highs and low lows, but it's all worth it. What else is coming up with Seamless Transition? We've also applied for the SBIR with NIH. With that, our partners, if we get it, would be George Washington University along with the Walter Reed facility. That would be huge for us here in America. We're trying to get to market in Ukraine, but we're trying to solidify all those testing and regulation requirements here in the US through that. Having those partnerships with Walter Reed and GW would be crucial for that.
Technical.ly
24-04-2025
- Technical.ly
Working in libraries gave this leader a roadmap for tackling digital inequity
This is How I Got Here, a series where we chart the career journeys of technologists. Want to tell your story? Get in touch. Tackling digital equity is a daunting task, and Lo Smith isn't shy to acknowledge the severity of the problem. The Better Waverly resident, who leads the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition (BDEC), argued that while the region has improved digital access, there is still a lot of work to be done. 'Digital equity work is a little bit like working in climate change,' Smith told 'We are sprinting, and unfortunately, the problem is bigger than us.' Their job is a part of that sprint, through which the organization's executive director connects other leaders in digital equity, hosts events to forge partnerships, and helps people design training and apply for grants. For this edition of the How I Got Here series, Smith discussed fighting digital redlining after the pandemic and how their past roles with library systems influenced their work in digital equity, and offered advice for people interested in a similar career path. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. When did you get interested in digital equity? I'm from South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley. Back when I was growing up there, I would not call it an opportunity-rich region. I had a computer because my parents were college professors, and they had the free dial-up internet that college affiliates got. We used computers at school, but they were very classwork-y. None of us could type fast. It was kind of a disaster. If you find out you're weirdly good at something, do that, follow it. Lo Smith From there, I had complicated teenage years. It's really hard when you don't know you're queer and trans, and you're living somewhere between an urban city and a rural setting with strong Appalachian culture. Ended up not doing well in high school. At the very end, I turned it all around, headed off to college and came down to Baltimore. I always wanted to be a teacher. Digital inclusion is the thing that I found because it linked together my desire to be a teacher with my desire to help. When did libraries come into play? I got hired as a part-time librarian at Baltimore County the summer after I graduated — bananas. I helped our branch redesign the way we did [a digital skills training program].[But] the county library was not for me, and I was looking for something new to do. There was a very vague job description [put] up by Enoch Pratt. It said 'technologist.' I sent my resume in, and they emailed me immediately: 'Can you interview tomorrow?' I was in this position to bring digital equity to not just Pratt but the state, to train our staff, to train the city. For the first two years [of the COVID pandemic], I worked six days a week, about 12 hours a day, between the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and then the needs of other organizations stepping up to work with us, to bring online programming to being able to get people connected to each other. When I train folks in libraries — and even digital navigators, because I've trained close to 1,000 — I always tell them you are going to see people on their worst day. No one comes to the library to ask for help as a first line of defense. They go to their neighbors, their churches. They talk to their friends, their family members. They go to the library when you are the last person they know to ask. They come to you as a digital navigator to do something on the computer when they are overwhelmed, and it has taken such an emotional toll on them that they are willing to ask a stranger for help. Bringing the compassion of libraries, and the understanding of just how hard it is to be a human being these days, to supporting people with technology is so important. What does your BDEC role involve? I joined BDEC, honestly, the worst day to be a transgender person working in equity — the 21st of January, 2025. I am the executive director, but that's also the only role right now. We previously had more staff. What I do is coalition-building and then program support and support for folks who do digital inclusion work. When I was with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, we were providing support and information nationwide. What BDEC basically does is similar, but a lot of what I try to do is bring folks together to talk to each other so they're not all talking to me. A lot of it is me trying to facilitate relationships, matchmaking, but also then offering what I have as expertise. I'm hoping to bring more training to our communities, so that when we're putting together digital inclusion programs, we can train the staff involved. What are your feelings about the state of digital equity in Baltimore? I'm feeling optimistic. But one thing I will always say is that sometimes when we're framing our work, we're saying that we're going to close the digital divide, and I'm trying to eliminate that phrase from my vocabulary. So many people saw the early stages of the COVID pandemic, 2020 to 2022, as the acute moment for digital equity work. They don't see the way that it is a perpetual experience. This is something that I bring up regularly when I talk about digital inclusion and digital equity: If I gave everybody in the city of Baltimore a laptop, does that mean we've done it? No, because half the houses are going to put that laptop on a shelf because they don't have internet, because they don't have the digital skills to use it, because they're not comfortable, because they don't know where to go when they get online. I know that we're chasing down the digital divide, but we're seeing things like AI expanding it. We're seeing that a lot of funds that used to go to equitable internet access are now moving over to things like AI access and AI training. I love that you're offering AI training to community members. However, if they can't use a computer to start with, how do you think they're going to engage with your AI? Unfortunately, I often feel like we're also always in the equity Olympics. It's hard for me sometimes doing this work because as a trans person, I am fighting a completely different fight the second that I log out of executive director mode. What advice do you have for people who want to pursue a career similar to yours? The big thing that I did is, if you find out you're weirdly good at something, do that, follow it. Even if you just did a master's degree in a completely different area, follow the thread of both the thing that you are good at and the thing that you like to do. I do this because I'm good at it. There are a lot of other things that I also love to do. I teach partner acrobatics, I'm a yoga teacher. I play roller derby. I've been a great librarian, I'd like to say. I love vintage fashion. I could run a vintage fashion store. There're so many things that I could do, but I have chosen to do this one because I think I'm good at it, and I think my community likes what I do, and it's just been the ribbon that I chose to follow through everything.
Technical.ly
17-04-2025
- Science
- Technical.ly
Meet the founder who wants to solve the plastic waste problem so well, her company goes out of business
This is How I Got Here, a series where we chart the career journeys of technologists. Want to tell your story? Get in touch. As the founder of recycling startup the Reclamation Factory, Georgia Crowther's perfect world would make her company obsolete. While Crowther dreams of a future where plastic trash is completely eliminated, for now, she's working on a way to transform a community's plastic waste into new, useful products by automating, simplifying and downsizing the recycling process. 'It's a self-extinguishing mission,' Crowther told 'If things were to go my way, we wouldn't have plastic trash, and all of our plastic trash would be made into something that's useful, thus ending the Reclamation Factory.' As an engineer, Crowther said she believes the field should be grounded in ethics, not just innovation. 'I feel like engineering is missing some sort of Hippocratic Oath analog,' Crowther said. 'There should be a 'Do No Harm' kind of attitude.' Eliminating plastic waste wasn't always Crowther's dream, though. As a kid, she wanted to be an astronaut, but she always had a real affinity for nature. Her love of fixing things later drew her to robotics, where she's carved out a niche for her environmental interests. Crowther studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University and later moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 to study robotics systems development at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She's worked a wide range of jobs, from developing bikeshare technology and 3D printing with bioplastics to helping design the wheels for NASA's VIPER rover. Now, the 33-year-old Squirrel Hill resident has had some wins, like a spot on 2025 RealLIST Startups, support from CMU's Robotics Institute Pathways Fellowship, $100,000 from the Robotics Factory's Accelerate Program other local recognition, but she's still fighting an uphill battle to stop plastic pollution. In this edition of the How I Got Here series, Crowther shares how being mission-driven has shaped her career path, the unexpected lessons from launching a sustainability startup and her advice for fellow engineers and founders. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. What motivated you to become a founder? I was in the job market and was looking for something that was going to be not just a decent job but also something that I really wanted to do and would be proud of. I was working at a community shop space called Protohaven, fixing some of their old equipment and setting up a plastics recycling area there, like really small manual equipment. As I was doing that, it was very clear to me that both this process and this equipment are ripe for robotics. It kind of sucks to do manually, but it's perfect for a robot to come in to do mechanically. Building that space and doing more by-hand plastics recycling made me really excited about it, and then I pitched the idea as part of the Ascenders incubator program, and I got in. What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your career, and how did you handle it? The biggest challenges I've faced in my career are very self-imposed. I have said no to multiple job offers that I honestly thought were really cool because there were aspects of it where in order to do one thing, I'm gonna also have to do some oil and gas research or military research, things that I just can't do. In some ways, realistically, that's held back my career. I don't regret it. I think it was the right thing to do for me, but ultimately, I was stepping on my own toes. What has been the most surprising lesson you've learned from founding a startup in the sustainability space? The idea that your trash is here for a while, and that there's a lot of it. The quantities of trash that we produce are really mind-boggling. I think the average person generates five pounds of trash a day. Another thing that has been surprising to me is that right now, the United States actually imports recycled material, because even though we generate a lot of trash, we actually don't have the infrastructure to recycle most of it. If you're a manufacturer that wants to manufacture with recycled materials, sometimes you have to go to China to get those materials. Even though we're generating tons of trash a year, we don't actually recycle enough of it for ourselves, for our own domestic manufacturing. What advice would you give to other engineers or founders? If you're getting a degree in robotics, you're a smart person who's working hard, and you deserve to work on things that you care about. There's a lot of pressure, especially in the robotics job markets in the United States, to work on things that you're not stoked about, but you're a high-demand person. Be brave and work on the things you want to work on. Insist on that. Stand your ground and be proud of the work you do. There isn't a right way to do it. Don't feel weird about that as much as you can, and just feel confident that you're doing it the right way for you. What's next for you and your company? What I would love is a 40-foot shipping container that can just be dropped off at any community. People can put their trash in on one side. What happens in the container? Who cares? It's a black box. And on the other side, more or less, you're getting a park bench for your community, or you're getting supplies to build a playground, like the trash from your community is feeding into rebuilding your community in some way and you're keeping that local. That would be my dream. I think it's really plausible. We have all the hardware that exists, more or less, and what we need is to put it all together, automate it and make it make sense for communities. I don't think it's that far off in the future at all. Where we're at right now is we have a really clear idea of what people's problems are and a really clear idea of how to solve those problems. We know what types of trash are the biggest problems, and I think we're ready to just put on our blinders and focus on solving them. What the rest of 2025 is going to look like is building the things to solve those problems.
Technical.ly
27-02-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
How women can succeed in male-dominated trades like robotics, according to one worker who's done it
This is How I Got Here, a series where we chart the career journeys of technologists. Want to tell your story? Get in touch. Katie Lynn was the first female machinist hired at her company when she was just 18 years old – but that didn't scare her. Actually, she said she thrived under the pressure. The 25-year-old from Ligonier said she's often been the only woman in the room. Starting her sophomore year, Lynn was one of the only girls at Ligonier Valley High School to participate in a vocational tech program. After graduating, she joined Composidie, Inc. as its first woman machinist, and has now worked there for the last seven years. Now, as a student studying robotics at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), Lynn is still the only woman in many of her classes. But being different from her peers hasn't deterred Lynn from working and studying in male-dominated fields, in fact, she's learned being 'non-traditional' or uncommon can be beneficial to the people she works with. 'I think the more you see women being successful in the industry, the more it's going to grow,' Lynn told One of Lynn's secrets to success is she doesn't turn down opportunities that come her way. While she was already planning to go to school, an advisor swayed her toward the WCCC program thanks to its perks. She's been able to attend WCCC on a scholarship made possible by the Build Back Better (BBB) Regional Challenge Grant, a $1 billion investment from the federal government to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities, including those grappling with decades of disinvestment. Her specific program, the Robotics AAS program at WCCC's Advanced Technology Center, works with the New Economy Collaborative of Southwestern Pennsylvania, an initiative to deploy BBB funding, to provide scholarships to individuals from historically excluded communities. Lynn also doesn't let the need for sleep get in her way. As a full-time student by day, a full-time machinist by night, a volunteer firefighter and a horse trainer in her free time, Lynn said she doesn't rely on caffeine to keep her going. Instead, her pursuit of knowledge and ability to thrive under pressure has motivated her to juggle all the different responsibilities in her life. 'This is a field where you can never really be bored,' Lynn said. 'You're always learning something, and I think that's the real beauty of it. Technology is constantly changing, so that provides new challenges every single day.' In this edition of How I Got Here series, Lynn shares the skills and opportunities that have helped her succeed in male-dominated spaces and offers insights on how others can learn from her journey. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. What skills have helped you excel in your career so far? My work ethic has definitely been a key player in this whole journey through school and everything else. If I wasn't a driven person, most people would have given up on this quite a while ago. Overall, I feel like I've really developed my ability to problem solve and to think at a higher level, instead of just looking at something and saying I don't know. I'm actually delving into troubleshooting to find the root of a problem. I've really been developing those skills throughout my journey. Those opportunities that keep presenting themselves to me keep me striving for more. I would say that the biggest thing is just the constant search for, let's see what's next. As far as accomplishments, I believe that I've defied the odds in a lot of ways. What opportunities have you taken advantage of during your career journey that you would recommend to others? In December of my first year of college, I got an email from Becky Parker, the director of the Advanced Technology Center at Westmoreland County Community College. She reached out to me about a program with Carnegie Mellon University, looking for people to train with them to teach a camp-style class about AI robotics. 'Anyone that's presented with an opportunity to further their education one way or another, I'd say take it, because education is one thing that no one can ever take away from you.' Katie Lynn, machinist I was like, what is this? Why are they emailing me about this? So, I emailed her back. CMU sounds really good on a resume, if nothing else, right? She emailed me back and was like, we want you to train with the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy and we want you to eventually teach at a camp for the college. Originally, I believe we were supposed to start out with five people for that training program. There were just two of us that ended up actually completing it. I don't know what the other person is doing with the training, but I ran a camp at CMU last summer for high school kids and it was a little bumpy at points in time, but overall it was a successful camp. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. Teaching, by far, is not my specialty. I never claimed to be a teacher, but we had fun. Anyone that's presented with an opportunity to further their education one way or another, I'd say take it, because education is one thing that no one can ever take away from you. What is the greatest career challenge you've had to overcome? No offense, the male ego. Being the first woman ever hired on the floor at my company definitely presented its challenges. Being 18, that was the second shop that I worked at. I worked a summer at another machine shop before I went full-time at this one. And honestly, it was hard to be heard. I had a lot of really good trainers, but there were certain ones that didn't want to show me how to do things because I might end up being better than they were, or more efficient, or my ideas of doing things were a little bit different. But, it is what it is. I've been there for seven years. My coworkers, they're like a second family at this point because we're a relatively small shop. There are between 40 and 50 of us, and we also don't have a high turnaround rate, so I've been with the same group of people for the last seven years, give or take. But it was really a lot of having to prove to myself that I wasn't just a little girl. They were really hard on me for a lot of things, like their expectations, they made it tough. But overall, I guess it made me a better machinist, a better worker and all of that. What advice would you give other women interested in the field? My biggest advice would probably be don't be afraid to take a chance and you have to have thick skin. For women in today's society, as a whole, you hear people talk about you in ways that you may not want to be perceived and you, within reason, have to be able to let that go. You can't take everything to heart, and honestly, you have to be able to accept criticism from male authority. The main thing that I've always lived by is don't be afraid to be uncommon. I've always been called non-traditional, and not that I'm a big fan of that kind of phrase, but don't be afraid to take a chance. Trust your gut. Do what you feel you're being called to do.
Technical.ly
11-02-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
This Week in Jobs: Fly high with these 29 tech career opportunities
Sunday night was a big evening for birds of all kinds. From the Eagles preventing the Chiefs from a historic three-peat to the meme-ification of a delightful Super Bowl typo (Superb Owl, anyone?) the weekend was one for the birds. But for most of us, it's back to reality now. Don't fret; we're here to soften the blow with a few new opportunities. The News Win or lose, the big game meant big economic gains for both Philadelphia and Kansas City. Here's some feel-good Philly news: a die hard Eagles fan scored a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl thanks to a good deed and the work of this tech startup. AI is powerful, but it's even more impactful when 'designed with Love.' Learn how Comcast Director of Product Management Oluseyi Akinnaso uses his passion for AI to lead development in sports entertainment technology. The Penn Center for Innovation celebrates 10 years — here's a rundown of some of its most transformative scientific breakthroughs from the past decade. It's not just DC; these 10 regions are likely to be impacted by the federal return to office mandates. From Belgaum to Baltimore, a biotech founder traces her steps to success in the latest ' How I Got Here.' Maryland Gov. Wes Moore rang in the new year with a slew of executive orders impacting the state. Learn how they could impact daily life as they go into effect. Client Spotlight Pinnacle 21 by Certara is a SaaS company with a history of supporting early-career engineers. 'Pinnacle 21 provides steps for you to go where you want in your career,' said Software Engineer Justin Jefferson. 'They challenge you, review your performance, and work with you to achieve your goals.' Learn more about this client here. The Jobs Philly + Delaware Fintech company Perpay is searching for a Site Merchandising Manager Senior Software Engineer, Fullstack Engineering Manager Risk Analyst, Strategic Analytics Susquehanna International Group needs a Helpdesk Analyst. Brooksource is hiring a Business Analyst and Data Migration Lead. Global management consulting firm Gap International wants a Data Visualization Specialist. DC + Baltimore Danfoss is keeping an eye out for a Refrigeration Technical Support Engineer- Food Retail. Brooksource could use a Test Automation Lead and Business Analyst. The Washington Post wants a . PBS could use a Technical Product Manager III. Data solutions company Enlighten is searching for a Software Engineer. Pittsburgh Carnegie Mellon University could use an Embedded Software Engineer. Four Growers is in need of a Senior Mechanical Engineer. Defense acquisition disruptor Govini is hiring a Software Development Engineer. New grads, take note! Westinghouse wants an Electrical Engineer I. The End Flock to something new. See you next time!
