We’re built on a culture of collaboration.
We’re builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers who genuinely love to put our heads together on big, complex challenges. Our years of experience have allowed us to hone an open and collaborative work process that respects individual expertise and allows for healthy debate. And while we take our work seriously, we never take ourselves too seriously.
Our relationships work as well as our products.
We consider clients an extension of our team. Because over the years we’ve learned that deep collaboration leads to the strongest outcomes, and yields many fun moments along the way. Whether it’s a focused project for a tech startup, or a flagship product for a Fortune 500, we help guide teams towards smart, cost-conscious, inspired solutions.
We have the power of a well-sized lineup.
With 30+ experts on our team, we're built to take on bold, complex work without the red tape. We stay ambitious, collaborative, and close-knit, so great ideas don't get lost in the shuffle. Our size keeps us focused, and our relationships keep us strong.
Darin Smedberg
CEO
Darin leads with a builder’s mindset and a sharp eye for what makes great products, and great teams, actually work. With a background in mechanical engineering and years of hands-on experience in product development, he’s as comfortable shaping strategy as he is jumping in to help debug a tough prototype. Darin has led teams to deliver solutions targeting health and wellness, fitness tech, smart materials, food & beverage, and more, all driven by a focus on creating experiences that feel seamless and meaningful. Darin holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Chico. He’s traveled 26.5306% of the world!
Steve Lowe
VP, Director of Electrical Engineering
Steve is a founding force behind Igor and a trusted leader known for his immeasurable expertise in electrical engineering and complex firmware systems. Serving as Vice President and Officer of Igor, he guides teams though tough technical challenges with calm precision and a drive for quality. His experience spans robotics, RADARs, wireless systems, and nearly all facets of consumer products. Prior to co-founding Igor Institute, Steve worked at Lockheed Martin and Synapse Product Development. Steve brings both vision and hands-on know-how, always focused on building products that work beautifully and smartly. He holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Master’s Electrical and Systems Engineering from Cornell University. Steve will probably solder wires to a PCB in exchange for coffee.
Gordon Gray
Partner, VP Business Development
Gordon brings over 15 years of experience bridging product development and technology commercialization. A natural relationship-builder, he helps clients unlock business growth and navigate bold, innovative ideas. His work spans industries— from medical devices and digital wearables to alternative energy and connected consumer tech— all driven by deep technical insight and strategic clarity. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College.
Jerry Hansen
Chairman of the Board, CFO and Executive Consultant
Jerry Hansen was the Founder and CEO of CIRTEC Medical Systems. He has extensive Board of Directors experience in private and public medical device and pharmaceutical companies with International experience in Europe including Board membership on a TSE listed $1B company. Before co-founding Circle Medical Devices which sold to private equity in 2012, Jerry's engineering and business experience included time at Raychem Corp from 1967 to 1977, CEO at Humphrey Instruments/Allergan from 1977 to 1987, CEO and Founder of InSite Vision from 1987 to 1989, and then Board Member of Santen (Japan) from 1989 to 2002. Jerry graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and currently serves as Chairman of the Board and CFO of Igor Institute.
Narissa Chang
Director of Mechanical Engineering
With 20 years of experience, Narissa leads with a deep understanding of what it takes to bring high-performing products to life. Before joining Igor Institute, Narissa led ME for Nike Smart Systems. She holds a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Studio Art from Dartmouth College, and yes, she is as cool as she sounds.
Kathy Fedirchuk
Director of Program Management
Kathy brings structure to complexity, leading our clients’ programs from vision to delivery. She sees each project as a puzzle to solve, digging into the tough problems and working side-by-side with teams to get it done. Kathy refined her talents through past roles in consulting, supply chain, manufacturing, and more. Kathy holds a dual BSc degree in Kinesiology and Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba and an MSc in Sport Engineering from Sheffield Hallam University.
Daniel Beer
Director of Firmware Development
Daniel is a firmware engineer with over 15 years of product development experience. His expertise covers embedded Linux, low-power microcontrollers, VXL and OpenCV libraries, FPGAs, and high-performance parallel SIMD/GPU code. Daniel is the principal author of MSPDebug, Dhara NAND, and the popular Quirc QR-code library. He holds a BSc and PgDipSc in Computer Science from the University of Otago.
The Institute is everywhere.
Alongside our full-time team, we tap into a global network of top-tier senior engineers. When the challenge calls, the right minds show up.
Do what you love. With people you like.
If you’ve got equal parts brains and heart, check out open positions at Igor.
