As a Gold-Medal Olympic athlete, Alex Kopacz knows what it takes to be great and what kind of effort goes into making a product worthy of a gold medal.
And when it comes to orthotics, why would a mediocre product be acceptable for such an important health product?
Step Sciences’ Beginnings
Kopacz was in southern Germany, working on his physics major during the Canadian National Men’s Bobsled 2014/15 offseason. An area flush with steep hills and the Alps mountains, there was a lot of demand on the feet and the body.
It was no coincidence that some top orthopedic technicians also lived in the area. One of them was a master orthopaedic technician who was excited to help Kopacz with his physical ailments and challenges.
First, he set Kopacz up with weightlifting shoes, which the technician said could help him run faster. With a sensory-motor-style insole, muscle activity was enhanced. These were not the standard stiff insoles. This new model was flexible while prompting a response in the musculature of the feet, prompting activity, and improving gait. Kopacz was fascinated and was sold on the concept and theory right away.
The Long-Term Gains
Fast-forward to 2018. With Kopacz’s foot and back pain gone and his gait and muscle response improved, his vastly improved explosiveness led to a gold medal performance at Pyeongchang.
Buoyed by this success and the insole’s impact on his career, Kopacz wanted to start his own company that was relevant to his sporting experience and healthcare. Without a sensory-motor style insole in North America, Kopacz saw his opportunity.
But like the bobsled, pushing a sled or running a company yourself is hard. Kopacz needed a partner who was strong where he was weak. That’s where Matt Bellia, Kopacz’s long-time friend, came in. Bellia had experience in accounting, Sales, and HR, while Kopacz had engineering and manufacturing expertise.
Kopacz pitched the business idea to Bellia at his wedding.
The Product
Through Step Sciences’ early research and development, the pair focused on generating 3D technology through foot scans instead of using wasteful and harmful foam to create the models. 3D printing had vastly improved in 2019, and while it wasn’t at the Chat GPT level that AI is at in 2024, Kopacz and Bellia focused on how to print and automate the design process to ultra-customize orthotics for people. This led to the intersection between business development and technology.
As they focused on bringing their service to the frontline workers, Kopacz and Bellia started to test the product market fit by reaching out to smaller businesses whose employees were on their feet for a substantial portion of their workday.
Then, they expanded to the oil and gas industry and professions requiring longer work hours. These were critical markets that could positively impact the most people.
Now in its fourth year of business, Step Sciences has partnered with several large manufacturing companies, among other businesses.
TechAlliance Key to Success
Kopacz and Bellia first connected with TechAlliance in 2021. From Venture Growth Advisor Dr Marty Smith’s connections, technology background, and medical startup experience to Vice President Melissa Maloney’s vast sales knowledge and familiarity, the TechAlliance team has been instrumental to Step Sciences’ success.
As Step Sciences continues to grow and evolve, TechAlliance has been there to help with scaling and handling challenges and unexpected hiccups. They also pointed Kopacz and Bellia to the i.d.e.a. Fund™ for assistance with capital.
The Next “Step”
For Step Sciences, the future is analyzing its customer base, maintaining measured growth, and adding to its team. They will continue to build their own AI model to scale, they want to increase their overall throughput to design insoles for 300 people/day.
“As they’ve grown, Step Sciences’ strength and ability to divide and conquer at every step has ensured continued growth and evolution,” said Maloney. “Their focus on reaching their target markets has been integral to their success.”
So far, the most significant challenges to growth have been factors outside their control, such as payments, manufacturing delays, and other global elements. However, by enhancing neuromuscular connection through their work with the best specialists from Germany, Step Sciences is still determined to bring a gold medal performance to the everyday person.
The Power of the i.d.e.a. Fund™ (Inclusion, Diversity, Environment, Acceleration)
Step Sciences is a recent i.d.e.a. Fund™ recipient. Supported by a $10-million Government of Canada investment, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the i.d.e.a Fund is led by Boundless Accelerator (formerly Innovation Guelph) in partnership with five Regional Innovation Centres (RICs): WEtech Alliance, Haltech, Innovate Niagara, Innovation Factory and TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario. The program helps high-potential ventures access the tools they need to succeed by providing financial and business advisory supports to develop or redesign products, services, processes, and technologies that reduce impacts on the environment and create made-in-Canada solutions.
Approval for the i.d.e.a. Fund™ grant is not automatic. However, Step Sciences was approved due to its commitment to the environment, using scans instead of foam, dedicating its process to contributing as small a carbon footprint as possible, and accelerating the scale of its business.
Through the i.d.e.a. Fund™ grant, Kopacz and Bellia acquired better 3D printing capacity and materials, allowing them to construct a completely recyclable process. They also increased their margin because of the upgraded technologies and materials they purchased. This decreased turnaround time. In addition, Step Sciences handles its quality control and shipping by itself right from its facility in London, Ontario. Their electrical source also runs on solar power with a battery.
As 3D printing evolves, they will continue to use their database to plug and play the necessary tools and keep environmental impact to a minimum.
Learn more about Step sciences
Learn more about the i.d.e.a Fund™
Learn more about FedDev Ontario