New U-M Startup is Out of this World

10/24/2025

Most people have goals around bettering themselves or elevating their careers. Mark Moldwin’s goal is more specific: he wants to see a magnetometer — a device that measures magnetic fields and their properties — on every vehicle in the solar system.

While Moldwin, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan, was working on magnetometers more than a decade ago, one of his postdoctoral students suggested he reach out to Lauro Ojeda, a research scientist in mechanical engineering at U-M. Ojeda had published a paper on his magnetometer and sensor work and the student thought he might be a good match for Moldwin’s work. As it turns out, the student was right.

Since connecting, Moldwin and Ojeda have collaborated to develop a more radiation-tolerant magnetometer that eliminates the need for a boom — an arm used to mount instruments away from a spacecraft — thus reducing cost. This innovation opens opportunities for space applications and is changing the future of the satellite industry. 

“After publishing and presenting our magnetometer work for years, we were approached by a company to purchase our magnetometer,” Moldwin said. “Once we connected with Innovation Partnerships it became clear that our best step forward would be to commercialize the technology ourselves.”

Through their work with Innovation Partnerships, Moldwin and Ojeda took the first step towards startup launch. For them, this meant applying for and receiving funding from the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub.

MTRAC funding supports research projects with high commercialization potential, providing resources to de-risk technology and advance toward market readiness. Awardees also gain access to industry partners, coaching from the MTRAC (Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization) team, and guidance from an advisory board of industry and venture capital experts.

“Participating in the MTRAC program allowed us the opportunity to de-risk and further our technology, which proved to be invaluable as we continued on our commercialization journey,” Ojeda said. “This also deepened our relationship with Innovation Partnerships who then approached us with the opportunity to participate in the first cohort of the Accelerate Blue Foundry.” 

The Accelerate Blue Foundry, an Innovation Partnerships program, is designed to accelerate the launch from lab to startup by pairing innovators with interested entrepreneurs. Moldwin and Ojeda opted to join, and it was through this program that they were introduced to entrepreneur Parker Boundy.

The team’s positive experience with the Foundry culminated in a pitch to external investors. The outcome of their pitch was the official launch of their startup, General Orbit Company. Because their company stemmed from participating in the Foundry, they received an investment from the Accelerate Blue Fund.

“Had it not been for the Foundry, I’m not confident I would have been connected with Mark and Lauro to launch General Orbit,” Boundy said. “Our experience with the Foundry proved invaluable – it has allowed us to find additional funding opportunities and create solid momentum for our startup.” 

Since launch, General Orbit Company won the PitchMI Detroit competition, where they were awarded $375,000. With the additional funds, they’re focused on staffing, finalizing customers and looking ahead to participating in the final round of the PitchMI competition, where they will have the opportunity to win a $1 million prize.

“The future is bright for General Orbit Company and we couldn’t be prouder of how well they are doing,” said Dave Repp, director of ventures and managing director of the Accelerate Blue Fund at Innovation Partnerships. “General Orbit Company is a prime example of how commercialization at a university should work. They accessed the resources available to them, including our new Foundry program, and now not even the sky is the limit for them.”

With these achievements, Moldwin’s vision of magnetometers on every vehicle in the solar system moves one step closer to reality.