As an Industrial Design student at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Courteney DiDomenico knew she would leave with the skills to pursue any number of career paths. Entrepreneurship wasn’t on her radar.
After graduating in 2019, DiDomenico landed a job at an orthopedic medical device manufacturer. She started out as an industrial design engineer before becoming manager of product design. The promotion was nice, but something wasn’t quite right.
“One of the reasons I picked industrial design was because I didn’t want to be in a cubicle all day,” she said. “And then I ended up in a job where I was in a cubicle all day. I wondered, ‘What am I doing?'”
Soon after exiting the company in January 2023, DiDomenico founded Atúlo Products along with three partners. The firm, based in Newton, Massachusetts, develops and manufactures its own products while also offering product sourcing, manufacturing and other services to clients.
Professor Becomes a Mentor
DiDomenico, who grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, fell in love with Wentworth the first time she visited. The only question was what she would study. As someone with a creative bent, she thought industrial design might be a good fit. During a subsequent tour of the campus, a conversation with Industrial Design Professor Simon Williamson confirmed her suspicion.
Williamson went on to become a major figure in her Wentworth education.
“He’s the heart and soul of the Industrial Design program,” DiDomenico said. “I remember he’d roll into the studio around 4 a.m., and we’d calibrate the new machines in the shop together, which was a really cool opportunity for me. I still meet up with him now when I’m on campus.”
The willingness of Prof. Williamson and other professors to work alongside students in the studio at all hours of the day (and night) showed DiDomenico what a strong work ethic is all about. Meanwhile, her co-ops — one at a small manufacturing and design studio and another at a startup that helps people bring their ideas market — gave her real-world manufacturing experience. The lessons she learned have served her well in her current role as Atúlo’s chief product officer.
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