Keegan Fogarty didn’t come to the University of Iowa to start a business. But a connection with the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) early in his college journey sparked a passion that has shaped his Hawkeye experience and put him on a path to launching a company of his own.

The Princeton, Illinois, native is a senior mechanical engineering major, on track to earn a bachelor's degree in 2026 and a master's the following year. Fogarty is also building a company — General Robotics — that could redefine how small and mid-size manufacturers approach automation.

“Basically, we're developing simulation software that allows engineers to upload a 3D model of their assembly line, drop in a robot, and tell it what to do,” Fogarty said. “But the real kicker? The software will ideally write the program for the entire assembly line.”

It’s a product born from experience. Fogarty interned three summers at LCN, a small manufacturer that builds door closers. He saw firsthand how automation could help — but also how daunting it was for companies without dedicated robotics teams. “This isn’t about taking jobs,” he says. “It’s about changing jobs.”

At the University of Iowa, innovation isn’t limited by major. Through the resources and support of Iowa JPEC, students from all disciplines — including engineering — are empowered to launch and grow their own ventures. In fact, more non-business majors are encouraged to seek assistance from Iowa JPEC. 

Fogarty has been building companies nearly as long as he’s been building robots. His first startup, Solace Biotech, was launched in high school with friends. That’s how he discovered Iowa JPEC — through its Startup Incubator program.

He has since participated in multiple Iowa JPEC programs, including IdeaStorm and Innovation Challenge, using each to refine his pitch. Fogarty won $10,000 at the spring undergraduate Innovation Challenge on April 30. 

“Iowa JPEC has taught me how to build a foundation and how to start a company,” Fogarty said.

If you think business jargon might be a barrier for a mechanical engineer, Fogarty proves otherwise. “Everyone at Iowa JPEC has been helpful,” he said. “If I don’t understand something, I just ask. That’s been key.”

And the results speak for themselves. Fogarty credits Iowa JPEC with helping him think beyond the engineering — customer discovery, market fit, long-term strategy. “I just want to build stuff and hand it to people,” he said. “But Iowa JPEC taught me you have to make sure you’re building what people actually want.”

Now, with General Robotics gaining momentum, Fogarty is working on an alpha version of the software and speaking with potential users — engineers, engineering managers, and plant managers. “The engineer has to want to use it. The manager has to want to buy it,” he says. “I’m focused on both.”

The goal? Build a team, refine the product, and generate revenue before graduation.

Fogarty knows he can’t do it alone. “I’ll need help on the business side, with finances and strategy,” he said. “And I’ll need other engineers — especially people experienced in programming and AI.”

Still, this is his wheelhouse. He’s been mechanically inclined since childhood, building Lego sets with his dad and bringing robots to Show and Tell in seventh grade.

“I know other engineers have ideas too,” he says. “They just might not know what Iowa JPEC can do for them.”

If Fogarty has his way, that’s going to change — one robot, and one company, at a time.