# S6E26 Katie Karmelek | How You Can Accelerate Med Device Development with Chamfr

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2025-06-27
- Length: 48m
- Episode: 26
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr

## Summary

Katie Karmelek, co-founder of Chamfr, explains how her online marketplace accelerates medical device development by connecting engineers with in-stock and custom components. She details her transition from R&D roles at Boston Scientific and Vention Medical to entrepreneurship, highlighting the challenge of sourcing specialized parts without long lead times. Karmelek shares how Chamfr’s platform reduces prototyping cycles from months to days, enabling faster iteration and faster time-to-market for life-saving devices.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=0) Introduction: Katie Karmelek and Chamfr
- [2:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=122) Katie's Engineering Background and Family Influence
- [3:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=221) Early Career at NMT Medical, Boston Scientific, and Vention Medical
- [6:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=364) The Origin and Mission of Chamfr
- [12:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=720) The Problem with Prototyping: Tooling Costs and Lead Times
- [15:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=944) Challenges of Building the Marketplace and Supplier Relationships
- [17:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=1034) Case Study: Physician Entrepreneur's 6-Month Timeline
- [21:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=1272) Personal Impact: Son's Hospitalization and Medical Devices
- [25:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=1530) Transition from Engineering to Marketing and Product Management
- [38:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=2319) Curating the Catalog: Data, Surveys, and AI Search
- [42:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=2549) Early Sales Strategy: Beta Testers and Lunch and Learns
- [44:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-06-27-s6e26-katie-karmelek-how-you-can-accelerate-med-device-development-with-chamfr#t=2694) Accelerating Engineering: Decision Making and Additive Manufacturing

## Topics

- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Chamfr (product)
- Boston Scientific (company)
- Vention Medical (company)
- Nordson Medical (company)
- NMT Medical (company)
- TDC Medical (company)
- Poba Medical (company)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- Northeastern University (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#381: MedTech Advice from an Accidental Entrepreneur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2024-09-05-381-medtech-advice-from-an-accidental-entrepreneur) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [005 - “Compassionate Product Development” with Cameron Jones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-03-005-compassionate-product-development-with-cameron-jones) (Let's Combinate)
- [Accelerating the Pace of Innovation and Hardware Manufacturing with Nick Pinkston (Part 1 of 3)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-10-18-accelerating-the-pace-of-innovation-and-hardware-manufacturing-with-nick-pinksto) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [That SCOOPshow - Season 6, Productronica 2021 - Håvard Korsvoll, CTO at Circular Components](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2021-11-11-that-scoopshow-season-6-productronica-2021-havard-korsvoll-cto-at-circular-compo) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [The Power of Proto Boards!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-01-17-the-power-of-proto-boards) (Oxide and Friends)

## Citing this page

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