Windpact

We met some fantastic participants at the InventEd 2024 fireside chat! Thank you for asking Shawn Springs such great questions! And thank you for contributing to the innovative and inventive futures of the next generation of students!

InventEd Network The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center

For , we’re highlighting Black inventors and entrepreneurs who have innovated across industries, from sports to theater engineering.

A former professional NFL athlete, Shawn Springs aspired to develop a product that prioritized athletes’ safety. He created Windpact, an innovative software and technology startup to focus on developing protective products. They created a specialized air-like cushioning called Crash Cloud™, a patented technology that disperses air to soften impact and reduce the risk of serious injuries like fractures and concussions.

Learn more about Springs’ achievements as an athlete turned entrepreneur — and how Windpact has evolved and diversified their services for other industries — in this interview for United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Journeys of Innovation series: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/field-stories/coolest-award-i-have

We had a great time working with FXQ Magazine on this feature of Shawn Springs & Windpact! Thank you for your thorough due diligence and professionalism! Check out their new magazine!

“A Force of Change"⁣
Written by Lindsay Berra
Photography by

While in the , Shawn Springs wondered why the helmet his father wore in 1981 looked the same 30 years later.

He wanted change so he founded Windpact with the determination to update the technology used in football helmets and beyond.

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“A Force of Change"⁣
Written by Lindsay Berra
Photography by
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⏩ Receive the first issue of FXQ Magazine for FREE at http://FXQmag.com⁣⁣⁣
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Thank you to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for taking the time to really learn about and understand the story behind Windpact.

And thank you for highlighting the visionary that is our CEO Shawn Springs.

“We talk about it often in sports—the importance of being a role model, how you affect your community, doing the right thing,” Springs says. “That’s why I’m so excited to [show] that it doesn’t matter the color of your skin, your background, what you’ve done before. If you have a wonderful, beautiful idea that you can share with the rest of the world—maybe get it patented—to make the world a better place, that’s what’s important. And when you think about sports … how cool would it be to be a role model and an inventor to where kids could say, ‘You know what? I can do both.'"

https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/field-stories/coolest-award-i-have

The coolest award I have