Wentworth Under 30: Leaving the Cubicle to Build a Global Brand

Wentworth Under 30: They are entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders—and they are just getting started. In this new ongoing series, we highlight exceptional alumni under the age of 30 who are redefining what is possible in their fields. Representing every school at the university, these graduates prove that age is no barrier to making a global impact.
 

As an Industrial Design student at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Courteney DiDomenico knew she would leave with the skills to pursue any number of career paths. Entrepreneurship wasn't on her radar.  

After graduating in 2019, DiDomenico landed a job at an orthopedic medical device manufacturer. She started out as an industrial design engineer before becoming manager of product design. The promotion was nice, but something wasn't quite right.  

"One of the reasons I picked industrial design was because I didn't want to be in a cubicle all day," she said. "And then I ended up in a job where I was in a cubicle all day. I wondered, 'What am I doing?'"  

Soon after exiting the company in January 2023, DiDomenico founded Atúlo Products along with three partners. The firm, based in Newton, Massachusetts, develops and manufactures its own products while also offering product sourcing, manufacturing and other services to clients.  
 

Professor Becomes a Mentor 
 

DiDomenico, who grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, fell in love with Wentworth the first time she visited. The only question was what she would study. As someone with a creative bent, she thought industrial design might be a good fit. During a subsequent tour of the campus, a conversation with Industrial Design Professor Simon Williamson confirmed her suspicion.  

Williamson went on to become a major figure in her Wentworth education.  

"He's the heart and soul of the Industrial Design program," DiDomenico said. "I remember he'd roll into the studio around 4 a.m., and we'd calibrate the new machines in the shop together, which was a really cool opportunity for me. I still meet up with him now when I'm on campus."  

The willingness of Prof. Williamson and other professors to work alongside students in the studio at all hours of the day (and night) showed DiDomenico what a strong work ethic is all about. Meanwhile, her co-ops — one at a small manufacturing and design studio and another at a startup that helps people bring their ideas market — gave her real-world manufacturing experience. The lessons she learned have served her well in her current role as Atúlo's chief product officer.  

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Wearing Many Hats 
 

Atúlo has three product lines: orthopedic medical devices, location tracking electronics and skin tone bandages. In addition to the four co-founders, the firm typically has about five to seven employees working between their marketing and warehouse teams. Their manufacturing partners span a handful of countries across Southern and Eastern Asia and the Caribbean.  

As Atúlo got up and running, DiDomenico and her partners started hearing from friends and colleagues who needed help getting their own products to the market. They decided to launch a new branch of the company to meet this demand.  

"For outside customers, we offer sourcing, manufacturing, design, engineering, full-scale production, third-party logistics, warehousing and even marketing," she said. "If you have a product you want to bring to market or a product already in market but want better pricing, we can do it all." 

Like most founders of small startups, DiDomenico wears many hats. She spends a lot of time on project management, but everything from design and sourcing to compliance and logistics also falls under her purview.  

The days are long. She arrives at the office each workday at 6:45 a.m., gets home around 6:45 p.m. and then spends most of the night on calls with overseas manufacturing partners. The lifestyle isn't for everyone, but she wouldn't have it any other way.  

"At the end of the day, you can do anything you want to do as long as you're in love with the idea of making it happen," she said.  

'The Answer Is Never No' 
 

DiDomenico keeps active with the Wentworth community as co-chair of the Industry Professional Advisory Committee (IPAC) for Industrial Design, vice chair of the Wentworth Alumni Association Board and a member of the Dean's Advisory Council. With IPAC, she helped create a mentorship program to strengthen connections between current Wentworth students and design professionals.  

Looking ahead, DiDomenico would like to continue growing Atúlo, but she sees the value in remaining small and agile. Equally important, she said, is the company staying open to new possibilities.  

"We don't want to put ourselves into a box," she said. "We always say, 'The answer is never no.' Anytime somebody asks us if we can do something, the answer is, 'Yes, we can.' And if we don't already do it, we're going to figure out how to do it and do it well."  

When asked what advice she would share with someone planning to start a company, DiDomenico recommended doing something you love with people you love.  

"After all," she concluded, "you're not going to want to put 90 hours a week into something that feels like work with people you don't like."  

Find more alumni news and information at alumni.wit.edu.