In this episode, we unpack how a college capstone project turned into a scalable system for custom-fit 3D-printed bracing, moving from “hours in CAD” to minutes with automated design templates. We get into the origin story, the technology moat, go-to-market evolution, fundraising, and the founder mindset required to stay in the game.

Highlights covered

• How PROTECT3D started with a custom brace for a Duke teammate
• Why “one-size-fits-none” is the real problem in bracing
• The core workflow: iPhone scan → automated digital design → 3D print
• How they reduced design time from 5+ hours to under 5 minutes
• Material/printing approaches and why they use multiple technologies
• Scaling from sports to insurance-reimbursable clinical products
• Expansion into military / defense applications via non-dilutive funding
• Founder lessons: failing fast, surviving COVID-era building, and grit
• Kevin’s advice to younger founders: keep going, the grind is the game

Custom-fit should be the norm, and PROTECT3D is building the rails to make that possible at scale. If you’re a founder working at the intersection of software + real-world manufacturing, this one is packed with practical lessons and a lot of heart.

Timestamps:
00:04:29 — Kevin’s background: Greensboro → Duke mechanical engineering + football

00:05:43 — The spark: 3D-printing a custom brace for an injured teammate

00:06:37 — “One-size-fits-none”: why off-the-shelf bracing fails most bodies

00:10:23 — Turning it into a real company through Duke I&E + early traction

00:12:21 — Early funding: friends & family + NC IDEA Micro Grant path

00:16:45 — The modern 3-step process: app scan → digital fabrication → 3D print

00:17:11 — From traveling to scan athletes… to scanning with an iPhone app

00:23:29 — Scaling breakthrough: design time drops from 5+ hours to <5 minutes

00:24:19 — Growth: working with over half of NFL teams + other leagues

00:25:21 — Beyond sports: clinics, insurance reimbursement, nationwide footprint

00:32:44 — Fundraising + non-dilutive: ~$5.5M raised, including DoD/SBIR support

00:34:44 — Founder lessons: fail fast, market expansion timing, surviving COVID

00:36:25 — Team size: 12 FTE + ~5 contractors; vision for clinical-scale bracing

00:38:30 — New channel: “at-home” scanning + direct-to-consumer experiments

00:41:18 — Kevin’s message to young founders: keep at it, the grind doesn’t stop

Where to Find Kevin Gehsmann:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-gehsmann/
Front PROTECT3D: https://protect3d.io/

Where to Find Scot Wingo:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/
Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
X: https://x.com/scotwingo

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This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors:

Platinum:
NC IDEA: https://ncidea.org

Gold Sponsors:
- Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs
- EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com
- Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com

Silver Sponsors:
- Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co
- Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html

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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:

• Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

This episode is a big one. There’s a lot of noise right now around AI, venture, and whether SaaS is fundamentally broken. Public markets are re-rating software companies. Seed rounds are shifting. Pricing models are changing. And founders are asking the same question:

“Are we toast?”

Joe Mancini from Front Porch is in a unique position to answer that. His firm sits inside dozens of funds and startups across the Southeast and beyond. He sees what’s working, and what’s not, in real time. So we dug into the thesis behind their “SaaS is Dead” piece, what it actually means, and what founders should be doing right now.

Highlights covered

• Why SaaS is being re-rated in public markets
• Whether this is permanent or cyclical
• AI-native vs. AI-immigrant companies
• The collapse (and split) of the traditional “seed” round
• Why vertical SaaS may explode in this era
• How founders should think about churn in the AI era
• Internal resistance to AI adoption (and why it’s dangerous)
• What venture firms are actually looking for right now

The next decade belongs to founders who deeply understand their vertical, obsess over customer value, and move fast enough to build moats before the standards settle.

Timestamps:
07:00 – From sports radio to venture capital

10:30 – The hybrid fund model explained

16:50 – Why they wrote “Yes, SaaS Is Dead”

18:00 – The SaaS public market re-rating

21:00 – The split in seed investing

23:30 – AI-native vs AI-immigrant companies

27:00 – The 3-layer cycle of every tech revolution

30:00 – The 2x2: where opportunity lives now

33:00 – Why vertical beats horizontal right now

38:00 – Internal AI adoption is non-optional

39:30 – The shift from seat pricing to performance pricing

51:00 – What actually counts as a moat in AI

Where to Find Joe Mancini:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpmancini/
Front Porch Venture Partners: https://www.frontporchvp.com/

Where to Find Scot Wingo:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/
Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
X: https://x.com/scotwingo

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This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors:

Platinum:
NC IDEA: https://ncidea.org

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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:

• Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/

We started the Tweener List in 2015 with the idea of local founders paying it forward to help amplify and support our local startup ecosystem. Based on the popularity of that list and a grassroots effort to innovate a new way to help fund and support local founders, in 2022 we started the Tweener Fund.

That’s good, but it’s not enough. We’re always asking the community of founders we support - what else can we do to help you grow your companies, raise capital, provide more resources, enhance the community, etc. So, in the last two years we launched numerous community facing resources, including Tweener Talks.

What’s Next? 👉 NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA! In this episode, Scot and Robbie hit the highlights of our newest adventure:

• Expanding geography from Triangle to NC (strategy and everything else stays consistent)
• Increasing our investment $/Q - that means more companies will be supported
• Bigger pool of potential investors (LPs)
• We'll be expanding our events, content and more
• Stay tuned for future news!

Timestamps:
00:32 – Big Announcement: Becoming the North Carolina Tweener Fund (Powered by NC IDEA)
00:53 – The Origin Story: Tweener List (2015)
01:28 – Launch of the Tweener Fund (2022)
01:35 – Expansion into Founder Content (Tweener Times, Tweener Talks, Community Hub)
03:52 – Robby’s NC IDEA Grant Story (2009)
04:36 – Why the NC IDEA Partnership Makes Sense
05:08 – Expanding Beyond the Triangle to All of North Carolina
06:07 – What Qualifies as a North Carolina
06:53 – Increasing Investments Per Quarter
07:22 – What’s NOT Changing (Commitment + Triangle HQ)
08:32 – Breaking Down NC Regions
09:40 – PitchBook Data: Where NC Startups Are Located
10:23 – Geographic Diversification Strategy Going Forward
11:21 – How to Get Involved (Investors + Sponsors)
12:26 – Thank You + Official Welcome to the NC Tweener Fund Era

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This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors:

Platinum:
NC IDEA: https://ncidea.org

Gold Sponsors:
- Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs
- EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com
- Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com

Silver Sponsors:
- Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co
- Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html

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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:

• Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/