Erin Keaney, PhD, COO, Nonspec, Lowell, Massachusetts, was one of 18 finalists for the 2018 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, an international business-plan competition that supports women who are starting their own businesses.
Nonspec, which Keaney cofounded in 2013, develops an affordable and adjustable prosthetic device for people with amputations in resource poor nations.
“It feels like such a validation of my choice to pursue this as something that can change and make a difference all over the world,” she says. “To me, Nonspec isn’t about prosthetics. It’s about making something that can help someone’s life.”
Six laureates were announced during an award ceremony in Singapore April 26 and earned $100,000. Keaney earned $30,000 as a finalist. The finalists were selected from 2,800 applications from over 130 countries.
