For Timothy Balz, the co-founder and CEO of Kalogon—a startup focused on wheelchair technology—his time at SpaceX was not just a career milestone, but a stepping stone toward a different goal. “I joined SpaceX to gain the insights needed to revolutionize the wheelchair market,” Balz shared with Observer during this year’s SXSW. He previously worked as a build engineer for the thermal protection system of SpaceX’s Starship.
Balz’s dedication to innovation in mobility began in his teenage years when he established a nonprofit named Freedom Chairs to refurbish and donate powered wheelchairs. This initiative was sparked by witnessing a classmate unable to access a powered chair due to insurance issues. In response, Balz engineered a custom solution for him.
“I swapped a moped for a wheelchair on Craigslist and customized it for him,” Balz recounted. He added features like a sound system, leg support, joystick adjustments, and even a hitch for towing a recycling bin, allowing the student to engage in the school’s recycling initiatives.
Fast forward fifteen years, and both the technology and Balz, now in his early thirties, have evolved significantly. During an internship at Intel, he created the first connected wheelchair using their technology, a project that received accolades from the esteemed Stephen Hawking. In 2019, he founded Kalogon to design smart seating systems aimed at enhancing wheelchair comfort, preventing pressure injuries, and assisting seated professionals like pilots.
Kalogon’s innovative technology adjusts in real-time to the user’s body shape and movements, shifting pressure points to replicate the health benefits of standing. Their flagship products—the Orbiter Med and Orbiter for Aviation—are already being utilized in both clinical settings and commercial applications. A connected app enables healthcare providers to customize settings based on specific medical conditions, such as amputations or pelvic misalignments. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system eliminates the need for manual settings and traditional air pumps.
Balz is not merely enhancing wheelchairs; he’s transforming the possibilities for their users. Take John Miller, for instance, an early adopter who experienced severe pressure injuries after a spinal cord injury. Previously limited to just a few hours in his chair each day, Kalogon’s technology allowed him to comfortably remain seated for up to 16 hours. This newfound comfort enabled him to reconnect with his community, embark on a road trip to visit his grandchildren, garden, cycle, engage in physical therapy, and even relearn how to walk. Today, he walks with the aid of a cane.
“While we didn’t restore his ability to walk, we empowered him to re-engage with his community, rediscover his purpose, and create the time to pursue activities that ultimately aided in his recovery,” Balz explained.
Challenges in Disability Technology Investment
Despite the promising potential of this technology, Kalogon faced initial challenges in attracting investors. “I struggled to even get a meeting at first,” Balz admitted. Many believed that advancements in wheelchair technology lacked mass-market appeal, even though approximately 5.5 million Americans rely on wheelchairs.
“As people age and live longer due to medical advancements, it’s increasingly clear that disability is a fundamental aspect of life,” stated Diego Mariscal, CEO and co-founder of 2Gether-International (2GI), the largest startup accelerator for disabled entrepreneurs, during an interview with Observer at SXSW. Mariscal, who has cerebral palsy, refers to himself as the “chief disabled person” of his organization (which does not invest in Kalogon).
Balz expressed his hope that Kalogon’s achievements will help change investor perspectives. “When I can tell them, ‘You missed a 10-20x return due to your biases,’ that feels quite satisfying,” he remarked, alluding to the potential value Kalogon could command if it were to be sold today. “Now, we’re paving the way for other startups that have failed, not due to a lack of market or quality products, but because of preconceptions.”
As major companies like Apple and Meta unveil accessible technologies—such as clinically-approved hearing aids within AirPods and smart glasses by Ray-Ban—Mariscal expresses a mix of optimism and caution. He highlights the broken incentive structures present in the U.S. as a significant hurdle.
The existing health insurance framework frequently falls short in addressing the needs of disabled individuals, revealing a broader issue of representation. Mariscal emphasizes a vital principle of the disability rights movement: ‘nothing about us without us,’ underscoring the necessity of incorporating the disabled community in all decision-making processes.
Mariscal advocates for a holistic approach that merges innovation with sustained advocacy. His nonprofit accelerator supports 700 disabled entrepreneurs and is actively working to create a venture capital fund tailored for founders with disabilities. Despite the hurdles faced in diversity, equity, and inclusion, Mariscal remains hopeful about the advancements being made in this sector.
He firmly believes that the entrepreneurial mindset, exemplified by Kalogon, can stimulate meaningful change when paired with ongoing advocacy efforts. With substantial progress already achieved, Mariscal is confident that the momentum in supporting individuals with disabilities cannot be reversed.
