Nuts and bolts: Lenexa-forged Enduralock tech catches the eye of NASA, Shell

A Lenexa-based startup is gathering accolades faster than a SpaceX rocket’s methane-fueled full flow staged combustion cycle.

“Investors definitely see something unique that is brewing here in Kansas City, so we are excited to represent the area,” said Diana Greenberg, COO and co-founder of Enduralock.

Founded in 2014, Enduralock is one of 10 finalist tech companies selected to present at the 2019 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) iTech competition forum starting July 10 in Sunnyvale, California.

“Chief technologists from various NASA centers, other federal agencies and industry will listen to the presentations and meet with participants,” a NASA release said. “NASA judges will then choose three winners of the 2019 NASA iTech Cycle I competition.”

At the forum, CEO Harold Hess will present Enduralock’s bread-and-butter: highly vibration-resistant yet reusable/reversible fasteners for use on aeronautical craft, engineered by a small team at Enduralock’s Lenexa facility.

“We are a small operation, but we are very effective,” Greenberg said. “Harold and I have spent the last five years learning about the fastener industry, in particular aerospace, oil and gas. We’ve come along way, we’ve made a lot of great contacts, and this year we are starting to commercialize.”

Greenberg is hoping the recognition from NASA will boost investment prospects the same way it has boosted moral around the Enduralock office.

“It’s been tremendously exciting,” Greenberg said. “NASA — just the name itself — gives so much recognition to the company, and a lot of validation for our technology. We’ve always known and believe that we have this truly unique — there’s really nothing like it out there — but NASA was just a huge morale booster.”

Harold Hess, Enduralock

Enduralock’s iTech finalist status comes on the heels of another distinction: the organization was recently selected as a United States representative to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, organized Monday through Wednesday this week in The Hague, Netherlands. According to Greenberg, Enduralock was awarded the chance to pitch their tech for one of the biggest companies worldwide.

“We were actually selected in a venture challenge, and were one of a handful of individuals out of a few thousand companies that applied to meet directly with Shell Oil and other corporate sponsors of GES,” she said. “Harold had a four hour meeting with Shell representatives. My understanding is that the meeting went very well and they want to pursue additional meetings and discussions about possibly using our technology.”

“It’s been an exciting few days.”