Josh Caputo, Founder & CEO, Humotech

In an interview with Invest:, Josh Caputo, founder, president and CEO of Humotech, pointed to tariff challenges and slowed federal R&D as key pressures, prompting global expansion and diversified funding. “We’ve always maintained some diversity in funding sources, but this environment has pushed us to think more globally and seek out new customer types and revenue streams,” Caputo said.

What recent changes have had the biggest impact on Humotech?

Two key issues stand out for us: tariffs and supply chains, and federal funding for R&D.

On the supply side, it’s the usual small-business challenge: things suddenly become more expensive and we need to respond quickly to keep the business moving. It’s not an existential threat, but it does create an added layer of complexity. We’re agile enough to shift our manufacturing sources, but it’s extra work. Platforms like jiga have been helpful for us — they make it easier to compare sourcing options and timelines across countries. That’s made the impact of tariffs more manageable.

Federal funding has been a different kind of challenge. We haven’t seen direct funding cuts, but there’s been a noticeable slowdown in spending from institutions we work with — organizations like the University of Pittsburgh that rely heavily on federal dollars. So, even if a project isn’t canceled, the uncertainty causes delays in purchasing and decision-making. It’s had a ripple effect.

We’ve always maintained some diversity in funding sources, but this environment has pushed us to think more globally and seek out new customer types and revenue streams. It’s been a tough year, but one we’re navigating. Things are looking promising for 2026, at least based on what we’re hearing.

What recent milestones have helped Humotech gain momentum?

A few things stand out. First, we’ve started selling more internationally — into Canada and Europe — and we’ve formalized a relationship with a distributor, Bio-Connect, in The Netherlands. That has helped expand our footprint across Europe and exposed us to new healthcare models, which has been insightful. The way healthcare is structured in other countries is quite different from the United States, and that’s sparked some new ideas for how we can approach clinical adoption.

We’re also seeing increasing visibility of our work in the research community. We just celebrated our 10-year anniversary, and receiving the Goel Award for Translational Research in Biomechanics felt especially meaningful. It came from the American Society of Biomechanics, which is the same community I engaged with as a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. It’s a recognition of the long, steady work we’ve done to build credibility and trust. That kind of milestone helps fuel the next decade.

How do industry conferences shape your partnerships?

These events are vital to innovation. When ASB 2025 was held in Pittsburgh, it was a great opportunity to bring people into our city — many for the first time. Pittsburgh isn’t typically a destination for these types of conferences, so hosting one here gave us a chance to show off the city, the facilities, and the community.

It was amazing to hear people say, “Wow, I didn’t realize Pittsburgh was this beautiful.” The reception on the rooftop of the convention center with views of downtown and the sunset — it made an impression. More of that would be great for the region. Personally, I try to show up, engage, and remind people what makes Pittsburgh special.

On the industry side, it’s an opportunity to deepen relationships with researchers, clinicians, and partners. We often end up in conversations that spark future collaborations, and being based here gives us a home-field advantage when people come to visit.

What barriers do you face in bringing lab innovations to clinical use?

It’s hard — everywhere, not just in Pittsburgh. But we do have some big advantages here: a world-class technical university in CMU, a world-class medical school at Pitt, and major health systems like UPMC and AHN. That’s a special combination.

The challenge is bridging those silos, encouraging cross-functional, cross-departmental, and cross-institutional collaboration. It’s not always easy to walk down the hall, let alone across town, and build meaningful partnerships. There’s also a lack of dedicated funding to support those kinds of collaborative efforts.

We’ve spent over a decade building relationships, especially with the U.S. Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs. Those partnerships have been essential to our success. They bring scale, stability, and resources, and we’ve been able to co-develop solutions that really matter.

It’s not a formula, it’s just hard work. It means sending another email after the last one didn’t get a reply, showing up again, building trust. It takes time. Healthcare innovation doesn’t move fast, so you need persistence.

What’s your pitch to investors and why should they be picking you as their safe bet?

Our main focus is helping people with lower-limb loss. We’ve developed a platform that enables rapid data collection and personalization of prosthetic devices.

Traditionally, prosthetic selection has relied on clinician intuition, but that approach is under increasing pressure from payors. There’s a push toward value-based healthcare, where outcomes and evidence drive decisions, not just professional opinion. Our technology supports that shift.

We’ve completed a federally funded clinical trial, tested our approach with hundreds of patients, and proven the platform’s safety, validity, and efficacy. Now we’re deploying in real-world clinical settings, focusing on cost-effectiveness, workflow improvements, and usability.

We’re refreshing the product to make it more lightweight and user-friendly, with plans for an initial commercial release next year and a full release the year after. We’re actively looking for investors and product development partners, particularly those with experience in medical device design, manufacturing, and scaling.

The global prosthetics and orthotics market is larger than people realize — around $15 billion, with 850,000 lower-limb amputations each year and 300,000 prosthetics delivered. There’s a big gap we can help close.

How is Humotech navigating workforce and talent needs?

We’re part of a wave of robotics, automation, and AI being applied to workforce shortages, especially in prosthetics, where skilled clinicians are stretched thin. There’s a generational shift happening, and younger clinicians expect to use data and technology in their practice. Our timing is good — we’re ready, and the market is calling for it.

Internally, we haven’t faced major hiring challenges yet. We’re small and fairly niche, so the people who want to work in this space often find us. Most of our team has come through professional networks or direct outreach.

We’ve used a lot of fractional talent — consultants, part-timers, 1099s — to get specialized skills without ballooning the full-time team. That’s been effective. Pittsburgh has a great community of those kinds of professionals.

Where we’ve at times felt strain is on the manufacturing side. Our production needs come in waves, so it’s not steady enough to support a full-time team of technicians. That’s made it tricky to scale. Shared prototyping spaces, like the Tech Forge from Innovation Works, have been hugely helpful. You can access equipment and expertise without carrying the overhead.

What support does Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem need most right now?

Founders here often have to travel to raise capital — go to New York, Boston, or the West Coast — then bring it back. That’s fine, but it’s costly and time-consuming.

What I’d love in Pittsburgh are more local investment institutions focused specifically on healthcare technology, especially translational-stage work, where research is being turned into clinical products. That’s where the gap is. Early-stage and late-stage funding are more accessible. The middle is tough.

I’m just one voice among many making this point. It’s a common challenge in our space. We need more targeted support at that critical stage between lab validation and market entry. That’s where a lot of promising tech gets stuck.