MELBOURNE, Fla. – Nestled along U.S. 1, just south of downtown Melbourne, is a growing ecosystem of innovators and entrepreneurs.
The area used to house an indoor skatepark, but now is home to Groundswell Startups, a nonprofit incubator, coworking space and prototyping lab.
Groundswell Innovation Director Ryan Bailey tells News 6, “This is the place to build a company. It’s really low cost in terms of living. And then we have so many engineers.”
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Groundswell’s team of seasoned startup founders guide entrepreneurs step-by-step through the process of building a company around a product idea.
“These are the things that you should be doing to ensure that you’re going to be successful when you’re pushing this product to market,” Bailey said.
Founded in 2016, Groundswell has a track record of success. They have helped more than 500 startups, created over 200 jobs, manufactured over 1,000 prototypes and one of their members, Tomahawk Robotics, was recently acquired for a total purchase price of $120 million.
Medical technology startup, Kalogon, appears to be on a similar upward trajectory.
Kalogon Co-founder Aaron Jones tells News 6, “We have a coded product that’s reimbursable through Medicare. We have a major contract with one of the world’s largest wheelchair manufacturers, and we also have an Air Force contract.”
Kalogon’s flagship product is the Orbiter Smart Cushion, designed to prevent pressure injuries to people with limited mobility.
“We learned that more people die from pressure injuries in the US every year than from any cancer except for lung cancer. And it’s the number one preventable cause of death for people who use wheelchairs.” Jones explains.
Jones tells News 6 that Kalogon started their company out of a living room in Cocoa, Florida back in 2020, then moved to a small office at Groundswell Startups in 2021, and now have an office and a production facility on the premises. Jones says access to the Groundswell space has been the key to their success.
“Yeah, it’s really important for us. We do all our manufacturing right here in Florida, near downtown Melbourne. And it’s important for us that we’ve got our manufacturing space right here and it’s not in another country or somewhere else where it’s harder to keep innovating and keep working on the products there.”
Innovative product design is the calling card of fellow startup Catania Product Development.
Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Short tells News 6, “there’s a lot more to having a great product than just having a cool idea. We specialize in designs that are artistic and functional, but also manufacturable and at the right price point so that they can sell it and make a profit. Because at the end of the day, the business is there to be profitable.”
Short says Catania has worked with several profitable companies, but pet product company, “SwiftPaws,” is one of their more famous customers because CEO Meghan Wolfgram appeared on Season 13 of Shark Tank in 2021.
“Some of the feedback she received on the show was that the cost for the home system was a little bit too much. And so, she came to us, and we were one of the several people she worked with to bring the cost down.” Short explains. “Our engineering team worked to reduce the number of components by over half. So, it was easier to manufacture, and she was able to sell it at her desired price point in time for the holidays.”
Catania Product Development and SwiftPaws are both Groundswell Startups members. Their collaboration illustrates the thriving community of innovators being developed just south of Downtown Melbourne.
Ryan Bailey remarks, “Hey, Melbourne is really innovative, and you should be looking here if you’re looking to place a technology investment.”
On Friday, Sept. 20, Groundswell is a holding a media day for folks looking to enhance their media presence and connect with industry experts. Activities include podcasts highlighting businesses, branding workshops, digital marketing sessions, and professional headshots. It runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is open to the public.
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