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What started as trying to help out an injured fellow Duke football player developed into an award-winning startup dedicated to creating protective devices, each optimized for an individual athlete’s comfort, mobility and protection. Formed by three Duke Engineers on Duke’s football team, Protect3d uses 3D scanners and printers to produce anatomically precise protective devices

Kevin Gehsmann, ACE in Vietnam 2017 alum, and Aaron Wright, ACE in Vietnam 2019 alum, alongside other members of their team, plan to take their prize money and get to work on the next phase of their business’s growth. Their goal is to deliver personalized protective devices within two to three days anywhere in the country.

“ACE was definitely one of the highlights of my college experience, and what I learned is still top of mind today,” said Kevin Gehsmann, ACE in Vietnam 2017 alum. “Now that I’m working in a startup, we really try to define our WHY. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding than having a positive impact in someone else’s life. The feeling you get when you help somebody make their first jump shot on the basketball court in Vietnam is the same feeling we get when we’re able to help athletes return to the field with one of our products.”

To read more about the startup:

https://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/nfl-innovation-winners?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=From%20Duke%20to%20the%20NFL%3A%20A%20winning%20device%20to%20protect%20the%20quarterback&utm_campaign=dukedailyfeb7_20