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LeapFast is a Youngstown, Ohio company founded by two engineers who want to bring advanced manufacturing out of the lab and onto the production floor.
Our story
LeapFast began when two researchers met at a technical conference. Both were working on friction stir welding problems, from different angles, and both were frustrated that their institutions kept that work separate. Over a year of traditional collaboration fell short of what they wanted to achieve.
So Zach Courtright and Kranthi Balusu built a company around working together. We believe new technology only succeeds when it fits the system around it, including its geography, its supply chain, and its assumptions, and we set out to reimagine where and how advanced technologies take root. Our goal is to build metal products in new ways and reshape the supply chains behind them, starting with aluminum and aerospace, defense, transportation, energy, and heavy industry.
Leadership
Zach Courtright, Co-Founder & CEO
Zach grew up in rural Northeast Ohio and studied engineering at the Medina County Career Center. He spent ten years at NASA as a welding engineer and later as In-Space Manufacturing Portfolio Manager, and he is a licensed pilot. He believes innovation is as much about people, empathy, and resilience as it is about technology. His philosophy: “We Can and Will.”
Kranthi Balusu, Co-Founder & CTO
Kranthi spent about ten years in research, including time as a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and at Arizona State University, leading projects for the Department of Energy, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas, and he fosters a culture of innovation where teams keep improving and work at the edge of human capability.
Where we work
Our home is 252 W Boardman St in Youngstown, OH, a region with a long manufacturing history. We are supported by neighbors and partners including the Youngstown Business Incubator, which awarded us a Digital Engineering Workforce grant, the Youngstown Innovation Hub, and MAGNET.
Credentials
Questions
252 W Boardman St, Youngstown, OH 44503. All of our friction stir work and our digital twins are developed at this facility.
Yes. LeapFast Manufacturing Inc. is a US-registered supplier, CAGE 119K1, UEI U7HMV6HJNF14, CMMC compliant.
No. You send us a drawing, we manufacture the part, and we send it back. Our processes are modular, enabling us to scale with agile machines capable of meeting customer demands.
Innovation, excellence, and sustainability, both technically and economically. People are at the heart of our work, guided by integrity and trust. See what we build.
Next step
A drawing, a STEP file, or a sketch and a size is enough. We reply within 3 business days, including when the answer is no.
