Kevin Gehsmann, CEO and Founder of PROTECT3D - Customized Medical Orthoses for Atheletes, Warriors and More! (Right here in NC!)
CEO & co-founder Kevin Gehsmann on turning iPhone scans into custom orthoses in minutes and the founder grit it took to get there.
Who is Kevin Gehsmann?
Kevin Gehsmann is the CEO and co-founder of PROTECT3D, a Durham, North Carolina startup building mass-customized 3D-printed medical orthoses.
A Greensboro native, Kevin studied mechanical engineering at Duke, completed Duke’s innovation & entrepreneurship certificate, and played linebacker during the Coach Cutcliffe era. Protected began when Kevin and his co-founder used 3D printing to create a custom brace for an injured Duke teammate, then turned that spark into a company now serving pro sports, clinical orthopedics, and defense applications.
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How I Know Kevin
I’ve known Kevin for about 4–5 years, watching PROTECT3D grow from an early-stage, scrappy team into a real force in custom medical devices. Over time, I got to see Kevin’s style up close. A ton of grit, very little ego, and a deep focus on the “why” behind the work. Eventually, we were excited to invest and join the cap table, and this episode is a chance to share Kevin’s story and the founder lessons they’ve earned the hard way.
Listen/Watch Our Interview:
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.
How to watch:
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📌 What’s Next
Next on Tweener Talks, we’ll continue spotlighting founders who’ve built real companies in the NC, digging into the decisions that shaped their journeys, the tradeoffs behind growth, and what they’re building next.
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