Alumna Ashley Moy named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for 2020

It started at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015 as a novel idea for treating broken bones by Ashley S. Moy and two fellow engineering students. Less than five years later, their idea has developed into a revolutionary breathable, waterproof alternative to standard plaster or fiberglass casts that fuels the team's company, Cast21.

For their efforts and accomplishments, Forbes recently named Moy, 2016 Bioengineering graduate and Cast21 co-founder and CEO, and Jason Troutner, 2016 Mechanical Science graduate and Cast21 co-founder and CTO, to its 2020 list of 30 Under 30 in the Healthcare category.

Back when May and Troutner were students at Illinois, the team said they were working on ideas for an interdisciplinary senior design project, and the option of creating a better cast came after they initially pondered the question, "What are all the problems in the world?" As they narrowed their focus for their senior design courses, they started talking about the drawbacks of the "modern cast" and how they might be able to use the engineering principles of the Chinese fingertrap weave to produce a better version. Eventually their discussions led to the open lattice structure that is now the hallmark of Cast21's innovative products.

The team initially displayed their idea in public with a prototype at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society in late 2015 as part of the Department of Bioengineering's booth. Since then, they formed and grew the company in Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, received numerous accolades and awards, received venture capital investments, and moved to a Chicago location.

SEE THE FORBES 30 UNDER 30 LIST ...

CAST21 WEBSITE ...