How Chamfr Co-Founder Katie Karmelek Revolutionized Medical Device Prototyping

Chamfr Co-Founder Katie Karmelek Wins Women Who Empower Innovator Award

Katie Karmelek, a mechanical engineer who co-founded the medical technology digital marketplace Chamfr, has been named a Women Who Empower Innovator Award Fellow by Northeastern University. Northeastern Global News reported that the fellowship recognizes women who demonstrate extraordinary vision, impact, and leadership, placing Karmelek into a nine-month program providing access to mentorship opportunities and workshops.

The honor marks a milestone in a career that began with hands-on prototyping challenges. Early in her career working in research and development, Karmelek faced persistent component shortages that stalled medical device projects for weeks or months. “I’d have maybe up to 10 projects going at the time, innovating, developing and prototyping medical devices for a wide range of companies,” Karmelek said, according to Northeastern Global News. “I was always having a hard time getting the parts I needed to innovate fast enough. I was even going to Home Depot to buy tubing because that’s what we could get to make a catheter prototype.”

Building an Online Marketplace for Medical Technology Components

To solve the supply chain bottlenecks she experienced firsthand, Karmelek co-founded Chamfr in 2017. Positioned as an online store for research and development engineers in the medical technology field, the platform connects device makers with critical components. The company now partners with more than 100 suppliers and serves customers across 50 countries, offering products that range from medical balloons and catheters to batteries and electrodes.

Steve Maxon, vice president of growth at Chamfr, noted that Karmelek balances technical expertise with strong communication skills. “There’s a lot of really good engineers out there, but she has a unique combination of having really strong technical skills and excellent communication and collaboration skills,” Maxon said, as reported by Northeastern Global News. Maxon highlighted her public representative roles, including moderating a catheter development conference in June in Quincy, Massachusetts, and serving as master of ceremonies at a University of Massachusetts Lowell conference.

Foundational Co-Op Experiences at Northeastern University

Karmelek credits her academic roots and cooperative education experiences at Northeastern University for shaping her path. She received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern in 2006 and completed her master’s in the same subject in 2008. Her first co-op at Aspect Medical Systems introduced her to the medical device industry. At the company—which was acquired by Covidien in 2009—she worked with the product development team on a sensor device that measured brain electrical activity to help determine anesthesia administration during surgery.

Subsequent co-ops at NMT Medical and Boston Scientific provided additional practical engineering experience. At Boston Scientific, she helped create a loop system enabling doctors to reposition and remove stents after surgical placement. “These experiences helped me discover my passion for developing medical devices that improve patients’ lives,” Karmelek said.

Mentoring the Next Generation of Biomedical Engineers

Beyond her product development engineering work at Chamfr, Karmelek serves as a board member for Northeastern University’s Galante Engineering Business Program, a graduate certificate program for engineering students sharpening their business and leadership skills. Hailey Bloch, a coordinator for the program, noted that Karmelek regularly returns to campus to share her career journey.

In December, Karmelek is scheduled to host an event at the Egan Research Center on the Boston campus to speak about her career path. “Within the Galente program, we have a lot of students who are getting their masters in bioengineering and mechanical engineering, and they are very interested in medical devices,” Bloch said. “That pairs nicely with Katie’s business and experience.”