JACKSON, MI – Lean Rocket Lab exists to remove common barriers for manufacturers and technology businesses on their road to success. The addition of Matthew Rudd as Entrepreneur in Residence will certainly enhance Lean Rocket Lab’s ability to do just that.
“We’re extremely excited about the addition of Matt to the lab,” said Ken Seneff, Lean Rocket Lab’s Chief Operating Officer. “He has a ton of experience in manufacturing across a variety of industries that are relevant in this market. He’s worked in startups, private equity and public companies. He knows high-tech manufacturing and he’s been a part of all phases of the business.”
Rudd will support entrepreneurs by helping them with business model canvasing, customer validation, discovery and connecting them with the statewide network of early stage capital funds and incubator resources. Rudd will also be helping entrepreneurs work with other service providers both inside and outside the Lab, including; patent and trademark research, manufacturability, design and prototyping services.
“I am excited to be with Lean Rocket Lab and in Jackson, which features and is surrounded by a diverse number of manufacturing and technology companies,” Rudd said. “Lean Rocket Lab’s goal is to help manufacturing-tech focused entrepreneurs cross the commercialization chasm that currently exists. That is my goal as well.”
Rudd has more than three decades of global manufacturing experience in the medical device and aerospace sectors and has managed global organizations with commercial, operational and P&L responsibilities. At Spartan Innovations, he worked with Michigan State University faculty to determine product/market fit and product viability for technologies under development at the university and worked closely with startups hatched through tech transfer at Michigan State University.
“Matt gained valuable experience as an entrepreneur in residence by way of Spartan Innovation and came highly recommended by the team at MSU,” said Brandon Marken, Lean Rocket Lab’s Chief Executive Officer. “His experience there combined with his extensive manufacturing background prepared him extremely well for this role. Matt has only been here a short time and we’ve already seen him help some of the startups in the lab move forward.”
Rudd previously held positions as vice president of advanced manufacturing for Global Medical Device Manufacture and president/owner of a startup called Apex Precision Solutions, a contract manufacturer of precision components servicing the aerospace and medical device industries. Prior to that, he served for 25 years as the senior vice president of the implant division for Global Medical Device Manufacture, where he led five global manufacturing sites with more than 950 employees.
Funding for his current position came from the Lean Rocket Lab’s receipt of the Business Incubator Grant from Michigan Strategic Fund. The grant, in partnership with the Enterprise Group of Jackson, supports an ‘entrepreneur-in-residence’ placement program and integrated ecosystem services.