A South Bend, Indiana start up announces the launch of a new virtual marketplace. PrototypeUS, located at Innovation Park at Notre Dame, is the brainchild of Heather Short-Davis and Christina Herceg Tembo. “PrototypeUS is a web-portal that will connect innovators from all over the world to area manufacturers in order to create working prototypes,” says Short-Davis. “We want to help bridge the gap that is often referred to as the ‘valley of death’ for an innovator.”

The duo has already begun to partner with local manufacturers. Their first alliance is with Penz Products of Mishawaka, IN. Penz Products, founded in 1956, is located in a Mishawaka industrial park that houses their 140,000-square-feet facilities. They were a natural choice for an initial partner as they are one of the most diverse manufacturers in the area. “At Penz Products, we understand that this is an ever changing market place,” says Roy Szymanski, Sales-Project Manager for the Plastics Division. “So we continually seek out new markets and new applications that will benefit from our custom services and capabilities. We think PrototypeUS just might be a means to that end.”

“What we do at PrototypeUS is pretty simple,” says Herceg Tembo. “We connect an innovator to a manufacturer. That’s it. We are very excited to be working with Penz Products and are looking for more manufacturers to partner with.” PrototypeUS is also looking for innovators. If you would like more information, you can find them on Facebook™ or contact them directly at www.prototypeUS.com.