Startup demos, Product Development Grants and AI for innovators

Live demos of innovative physical products. The opportunity to announce the latest recipients of FORGE Product Development Grants. Hearing from experts about how real companies are (or could be) using artificial intelligence. Oh, and cozy sweaters. It must be time for the Fall Startup Showcase!

Dassault Systèmes kindly hosted us at their North America HQ in Waltham, MA. More than 150 innovators, local suppliers and manufacturers, investors and innovation ecosystem collaborators joined us at the headquarters. They made connections with each other while exploring FORGE’s partner tables and startup demos, then gathered for the “Making AI Work for Your Growth” expert panel and the grant announcement.

Read on to find out who was there, what we learned about AI and who got those grants.

2026 Fall Startup Showcase startups

We selected a diverse range of local innovative companies to demo this autumn – think rugged hand tools, plastics-replacing biomaterials, rapid bacterial detection systems, DNA manufacturing, yoga mat sanitizing tech and more.

Demoing startups included:

FORGE partners

Thank you to all our partners for making it possible to host another FORGE Startup Showcase! Many FORGE partners set up to demo alongside the startups, showing products and services ranging from electronic interconnects and intellectual property law to product design and human resources solutions.

Exhibiting partners included:

Gavin Braithwaite, CEO of Cambridge Polymer Group, said “I had a good time. Nice to mix with people from diverse backgrounds, but all pulling in the same direction!”

Wiggin(x) partner demo table — Wiggin(x)

Panel: “Making AI Work for Your Growth”

After an introduction from FORGE Program Director David Thompson and a few words from Dassault Systèmes Director of Mainstream Innovation and SOLIDWORKS for Startups Abhishek Bali, FORGE President and Executive Director Laura Teicher led a panel of intellectual property law, manufacturing and HR experts in a discussion of how supply chain members and scaling hardtech companies can harness AI in their growth.

The experts were:

Peter Russo, MBA, Founder, New Approach Development
Steve Pouliot, CPBA, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity
John Harmon, PhD, Shareholder, Wolf Greenfield

AI use cases for entrepreneurs and innovators

Russo described a project he worked on with a multibillion-dollar company to replace a fixed product development process that used to take months of research, analysis and market testing. The custom AI tool Russo’s team used produced 34 finished concepts in four days and helped them create three products ready to take to the market in a week.

Pouliot said that from a sales perspective, AI is useful for making composing emails faster and more efficiently, but that he rewrites AI-composed text into his own words.

Harmon said Wolf Greenfield has observed that AI’s best use cases involve augmenting people’s jobs, not replacing them. “I love seeing all the use cases new companies and labs are coming up with now,” he said. “They train AI with their data and get amazing outcomes you couldn’t get with hard-coded solutions.”

AI downsides and precautions in physical product innovation

Harmon pointed out that innovators are finding out that using AI that doesn’t have non-training and confidentiality requirements can get in the way of patent applications or invalidate existing patents. Using a tool like ChatGPT without data-use restrictions means anything you enter in the tool is a disclosure. He said investors are asking about AI data usage during diligence sessions because of the patent risks.

Another shortfall of artificial intelligence Harmon observed was founders assuming the technology could stand in for subject matter experts, then bringing him patent claims and descriptions riddled with errors. Pouliot said he saw something similar at Insperity: companies using AI to handle a human resources issue and only coming to Insperity for help after the fact.

Based on a survey Insperity did of more than 1,000 business leaders and employees, 75 percent of leaders said they used AI, but only 40 percent were telling their teams what to do with AI. Leaders should be providing AI policies, guardrails and guidance to their employees, Pouliot said.

Russo said innovators should remember that large language models (LLMs) are language models, not intelligence models. Studying prompt engineering and engaging with LLMs by asking them to cite sources will produce more useful output.

Harmon said, “Do not let AI supplant or replace human judgment and SMEs. Use it to augment. Set it up with guardrails and have an AI policy at your company.”

AI recommendations for hardware companies

Pouliot said, “Business owners and entrepreneurs, make sure you’re communicating with your employees. AI can be fantastic, but you need parameters.”

Russo said, “I’d immediately get a local system so you’re not sending everything through an LLM that breaks your confidentiality. Local systems could cost you two hundred to five hundred dollars a month…but it’s worth it.”
Harmon said, “I know what it’s like to be excited when you get given a new tool…I’m a tech geek. But also, sometimes those tech geeks, engineers and scientists do things that are not aligned with your business goals. That leads to those public disclosures that will get you in trouble with HR or patent lawyers. Make sure you know what tools are being used and set guidelines for your employees.”

FORGE Product Development Grants

Thompson announced the winners of a new tranche of FORGE Product Development Grants, the FORGE Product Development Grant for Startups and Existing Businesses with Underrepresented Leadership Supported by the Eastern Bank Foundation.

Natalia Urtubey, Eastern Bank Foundation Foundation Fellow, said, “The work FORGE is doing is truly incredible. When you pitched us to target underserved populations for manufacturing, it fits right in. The access piece is really critical…We’re excited to support this work and support all of you.”

HerZeta Tech, Inc. – $49,489

Led by Yuzhen Zhang, HerZeta Tech is developing technology to make microbial contamination detection faster, more accessible and more affordable. Its BactiSee platform uses smartphone-based technology to detect bacterial contamination on surfaces, with potential applications in food processing, healthcare and other industries where sanitation and safety are critical. The grant will help HerZeta advance from a laboratory prototype toward a manufacturable product, preparing for pilot production and commercialization.

LiPhera – $18,926

Led by Jocelyn Foulke, LiPhera is developing technology to improve the efficiency and economics of lithium extraction. Lithium is essential for batteries and energy storage, but recovering it from certain resources can be challenging and expensive. LiPhera aims to overcome these challenges and support more economical domestic lithium production. The grant will support the development of an integrated, bench-scale process system, helping move the technology toward larger-scale applications.

Dialysis-X – $6,585

Led by Oluwagbebemi D. Oyeniyi (‘Niyi), Dialysis-X, Inc is developing medical device technology designed to make dialysis treatment easier and more accessible for patients with kidney failure. Its approach focuses on reducing challenges associated with traditional dialysis access, with the potential to improve the patient experience and make home-based treatment more practical. The grant will support continued device design and development, helping advance the technology toward FDA readiness.

We fell for these startups and sponsors this fall

Thanks again to Dassault Systèmes for letting us use their space, Eastern Bank for its sponsorship of this tranche of Product Development Grants and to all our partners for their support. And thank you to the innovators and supply chain members who attended. The connections you make and the knowledge you share are an essential part of FORGE’s mission. We can’t wait to see you at the next Showcase in 2027!

If you’re a startup, manufacturer, innovation ecosystem organization or potential sponsor interested in learning more about or getting involved with FORGE, contact us today.