innovationIOWA is sharing profiles of the current members of Maple Studios, a startup studio for early-stage industrial technology companies based on the campus of Ramco Innovations in West Des Moines.
Bailey Steinfadt, founder and lead engineer of Stone Path Engineering, shares more about the company below. For recent coverage of Maple Studios, visit innovationia.com. Know a startup from around the state with an innovative idea to highlight? Email me at sarahdiehn@bpcdm.com for consideration.
Describe what your company does.
The mission of Stone Path Engineering is to enable firmware engineering teams to grow in Iowa. We do that with a range of consulting, from onetime troubleshooting to serving as a fractional CTO, and providing firmware team training and coaching.
When did you start it and why?
I started Stone Path Engineering in 2018 as purely a firmware contractor, writing code and documentation for local companies. In 2020, I put the company on pause to take an opportunity to work with a startup building out a product to help firmware engineers do better work. They’re still doing good work, but their needs and mine diverged, and I started Stone Path Engineering back in April of 2023, taking lessons from my first attempt and my experience at the startup to pivot my offerings. I can help far more companies and people by helping grow their skills than by doing the code for them.
What makes a startup studio the right place for your business right now?
Much of what I offer is a result of my experiences interacting with a number of teams from other companies as a firmware contractor and a product manager. Being at the startup studio allows me to still get some of that interaction without needing to be in a formal relationship with every company there. I’ve also benefited directly from generous feedback and help on my projects from the others at Maple Studios, especially the host company, Ramco, and their team.
What do you see as the next phase of growth for your business?
The next phase is to hire an engineer and to invest a significant portion of the next year in the training programs we offer and open-source the materials as they mature. Not every company will be able to afford in-depth team training, and while we think that’s the best way to learn, we also want to offer what we can to the community at large.