Purdue startup to custom create engineering education equipment for School of Aeronautics and Astronautics

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – ALGETEC USA, a Purdue-affiliated engineering education startup, will create and install six virtual laboratories and two pieces of physical lab equipment in the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Founded by Genisson Coutinho, a Ph.D. student in Purdue’s School of Engineering Education, ALGETEC USA offers pedagogical curriculum support and builds preparatory virtual laboratories and physical laboratory equipment for universities’ engineering programs and faculty.

“Through ALGETEC, I decided to develop learning-friendly equipment that is fairly and reasonably priced so universities can buy our products, even if they are lacking in resources,” Coutinho said.

Alberto Mello, a visiting professor in Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, placed the order after meeting Coutinho. ALGETEC will build Truss Structure Bench and Fatigue Testing Machine as well as six virtual laboratories for installation at the university this semester.

“Recent course evaluations revealed students are unmotivated in experiments and do not see the real-world application of their work,” Mello said. “Review committees suggested web-based learning aids and new physical lab equipment. ALGETEC offered us high-quality equipment and competitive pricing.”

This order will help with the company’s transition from the Brazilian market into the U.S. by serving as a model for future orders. Using Purdue’s feedback, Coutinho said he hopes to tailor ALGETEC USA’s services to suit the needs of the educational engineering industry and universities across the nation.

“An important characteristic of our company is customization,” Coutinho said. “Although we have our own products, we are flexible and offer unique builds based on the clients’ input and teaching goals. We want mutually beneficial relationships with our clients.”

Coutinho founded ALGETEC in Brazil for the engineering education industry. However, he opened the U.S. branch to stimulate steady growth for the company and its clientele networks. With strong backing from its Brazilian headquarters, ALGETEC will adapt its business model with deliberate attention to the needs of the U.S. market, potential customers and opportunities.

“As we transition to the U.S., we are moving slowly and reflectively,” Coutinho said. “We are trying to understand this market as best as possible and ensure the move is successful. With the first order, we want to see how the students and faculty judge the equipment in comparison to our expectations.”

ALGETEC USA receives entrepreneurial support from the Purdue Foundry, a startup accelerator in Discovery Park’s Burton D. Morgan Center.

The company is researching and developing in the health science field of engineering education with the hope to expand its services into this sector. The company plans to build compatible software to fit into the equipment manufactured by biomedical engineers.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Kelsey Henry, 765-588-3342, kehenry@prf.org

Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Cynthia Sequin, 765-558-3340, casequin@prf.org

Sources: Genisson Coutinho, gcoutin@purdue.edu

Alberto Mello, mello@purdue.edu