Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Kumar Kandasamy of Enabled Engineering
RAMP alum Dr. Kumar Kandasamy is the founder and CEO of Enabled Engineering, a manufacturing technology company in Blacksburg, VA. After completing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, Dr. Kandasamy completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Missouri S&T with a specialization the science and technology of friction stir welding and processing. His first job following his postdoc was in Blacksburg and he “loved the people and the place.”
Enabled Engineering develops innovative manufacturing technologies for extreme applications, such as fabricating materials in nuclear reactors and enhanced electrical and thermal conductivity materials. Dr. Kandasamy founded his company in 2019 and participated in RAMP-in-Residence in the fall of 2022.
We were delighted to interview Dr. Kandasamy to learn more about his company, and how RAMP impacted his journey from researcher to entrepreneur.
Tell us the origin story of your company. What inspired you?
I always believed that creation of new knowledge is essential to solve current problems. Also, that is my way of showing gratitude to people from whom I have learned everything that I know. Enabled Engineering is a medium for me to do both. The knowledge that we create there is used to advance the boundaries of possibilities and solve materials and manufacturing related problems.
How did you choose RAMP as your accelerator?
RAMP is a game changer for entrepreneurs in our area. We knew it would be the right choice for our company.
What has it meant for your company to have participated in RAMP?
Participating in RAMP means a lot. It gave me sense of belonging in the business community by creating so many connections in local and state level. I often reach back to those connections when I am in need of information or help to move forward.
Who are some Roanoke-Blacksburg mentors that have impacted you?
Many. We have lovely people here in this part of southwest Virginia. The whole RBTC/RAMP team have been kind and impactful to me by introducing us various business professionals. In particular, mentorship from Mike Abbott the accelerator coach, Lisa Garcia then-RAMP director, and fellow cohort team members. Amy Ankrum, Vinod Chachra, Mike Hemphill, and Hang Yu of VT from this area were very impactful in their own ways.
Describe a typical client and the reach of your product (local, national, global)?
Currently, we sell our product to strategic partners. Soon, we will see impact of our technology on the local, national, and global stage.
What is one obstacle in the founding of your company that you’re most proud of overcoming?
I’m proud of the work we’d accomplished in the simplification of a complex technology to be more effective and widen the application base.
What piece of advice would you give early-stage tech/biotech entrepreneurs?
Accept the reality and move forward. Only two things can happen, either we succeed or learn.
Tell us a fun fact about you.
In my free time I love playing racquetball!
Anything else you want us to know?
We are part of NASA’s BIG Idea Challenge winning team and we are winners of the U.S. Army’s xTechSearch 8 competition. We are a small impactful team have potential to contribute to the local economy tremendously in next few years.
RAMP is committed to connecting technology and life science entrepreneurs to the resources they need to advance their technology and further development through our three levels of business accelerators. Our flagship accelerator, RAMP-in-Residence, offers two cohorts annually, one in the fall and one in the spring.
RAMP and RBTC are part of the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (formerly Verge), established to grow the region’s innovation economy, technology and life sciences sectors, and the supporting professional communities. It aligns the strengths and programming efforts of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC) and the Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP).