Gyre9 facility tour and the latest FORGE Product Development Grant winners – more examples of Connecticut’s advanced manufacturing power

Apr. 8, 2025 – A custom Cybertruck and a Volkswagen Buzz sit on the lawn out front. Shelves of innovative products line the entry hallway. It’s easy to tell interesting things are happening at product development company Gyre9’s Southbury, CT facility, even before you set foot on the factory floor.

Gyre9 took us behind the scenes in its more than 50,000 square feet of research, design, engineering and manufacturing space. Ed Glichrest, Gyre9’s president, participated in a panel discussion with Floe, a rooftop ice and snow management startup, and shared insights about their successful collaboration. FORGE announced the latest winners of the FORGE Product Development Funding Program grants supported by the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund (MIF).

Gyre9 is a product development company specializing in research, design, engineering and manufacturing. It is one of the few companies in the U.S. to design and manufacture electric vehicle supply equipment. FORGE invited innovators, suppliers, ecosystem collaborators and Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer, Paul Lavoie, to tour Gyre9 and celebrate Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem.

Gyre9 and Floe – a successful FORGE connection

FORGE Program Director Trinell Ball introduced Ed Gilchrest, the owner and president of Gyre9, and Hector Castillo, CTO and co-founder of Floe, a Connecticut-based startup that develops a smart, cost-effective and environmentally friendly ice dam management solution. Floe has been involved with FORGE for years and has won both a FORGE Audience Choice Award and FORGE’s largest Product Development Grant to date, $30,000 supported by the MIF.

“If you can invent it in Connecticut, you can make it here,” Ball said. “This is an example of that.”

Castillo told the story of creating a scalable design for Floe’s deicing system from a “janky” initial prototype. He said FORGE helped Floe with manufacturing design readiness and education, then connected the company to Gyre9 when it was seeking a contract manufacturer.

“It’s been great to bring our product development journey to someone like Gyre9 who can really help us progress,” Castillo said. “I learned so much from speaking with Ed and folks from the product and manufacturing teams.”

Gilchrest said FORGE’s Product Development Grants have enabled more innovative companies to work with Gyre9.

Gilchrest said, “As people have learned about FORGE, the quality of the companies coming to us has advanced. Many companies come to us in that Valley of Death moment — we can’t work for free, and this funding comes in at just the right time.”

Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant winner announcements

FORGE Executive Director Laura Teicher introduced Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie, thanking him and the MIF for their support.

Lavoie said that Connecticut is a leader in domestic advanced manufacturing.

Lavoie continued, “That’s why the work FORGE does is so important…We started having discussions with FORGE about how to properly support innovation in the state. A big part of my job is understanding and minimizing barriers to manufacturing  and supporting continued growth. We have funding available to put into the market to make sure we’re supporting hardtech innovators and manufacturers.”

Lavoie announced the winners of FORGE’s Product Development Grants and the CT-based suppliers with which these winning startups will be working.

First place FORGE Product Development Grant winner

AtlasXomics, a startup offering a comprehensive spatial epigenome solution at the single-cell level, won first place and a $70,350 grant.

Colin Ng, AtlasXomics Vice President of Business Development, said, “Drugs being developed to help with cancer and neurodegenerative diseases don’t always work very well…This product we’re working on helps accelerate research on these diseases.”

AtlasXomics began working with CPS Fluidics after a FORGE introduction. CPS Fluidics is a contract manufacturer specializing in designing, developing and manufacturing custom fluidic products.

CPS Fluidics owner David Ellis said, “We focus on problems where solutions don’t exist and tackle the engineering to help make it happen. AtlasXomics came in with a great idea. They just needed someone to realize it for them.”

Second place FORGE Product Development Grant winner

The second-place winner, earning a $50,000 grant, was SedMed, whose toilet lift assist device enhances safety for elderly and disabled individuals and reduces injuries to healthcare workers. SedMed previously won first place in the pitch contest at FORGE’s Connecticut launch.

SedMed Project Engineer II Matan Cutler demonstrated how the device assists users in getting onto and off the toilet.

Cutler said, “Getting older is the best-case scenario, and we will all need help with ADLs like toileting. Our device helps with toileting not just for the elderly, but also the people who assist and care for them.”

After a FORGE introduction, SedMed began working with Synectic Product Development, a full-service product development company focused on product design, prototype development and manufacturing.

Synectic president Adam Lehman said, “We sat with SedMed, talked about the scope, and are figuring out how to debulk their product and make it easier to ship and assemble.”

Read more about FORGE’s work with SedMed here.

Teicher thanked the MIF, Gyre9, the startups, the manufacturers and the audience for their participation, and Ball for organizing the event.

Teicher said, “FORGE will be deploying scaled PDGs in the coming year, thanks to the Manufacturing Innovation Fund! Identify a high-impact product development milestone and articulate how the funding would help you achieve it. Then, obtain quotes from Connecticut-based manufacturers. FORGE can help you with all of this. Interested Connecticut manufacturers and suppliers should connect with FORGE to join our network!”

For more information about FORGE Product Development Grants for CT startups, visit the page for FORGE Connecticut.

Gyre9 facility tour

Gilchrest led the guests on a tour of Gyre9’s facilities, through areas dedicated to different clients as well as to Gyre9’s electric vehicle supply equipment. Penny, the four-month-old puppy who serves as Gyre9’s company mascot, followed along.

Gilchrest demonstrated a variety of products Gyre9 has developed, from plastic baseball-bat-shaped drink containers to elite hydroformed bicycle frames.

The tour group lingered in the hallway leading to the exit before leaving Gyre9, exploring the shelf of yet more innovative products Gyre9 had worked on. The sheer variety of products showed just how flexible Gyre9’s R&D, engineering and manufacturing services are.

Want to become part of the FORGE supplier network? Looking for a right-fit connection to a manufacturer who can take your prototype or production to the next level? Reach out to FORGE. We are here to support you.