Douglas M. Katz

Over-50 Disabled Veteran, West Point Graduate, & Inventor Creating Purposeful Products That Restore Independence, Dignity, and Ease

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I’m a West Point graduate, disabled Army veteran, and lifelong problem-solver who has spent a career translating challenges into practical solutions. Over the years, I’ve learned that innovation isn’t only about disruption—it’s about purpose, empathy, and building tools that genuinely help people do more for themselves.

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Today, I focus on simple, universally useful design—creating products that reduce strain, restore capability, and make daily tasks easier for people navigating physical limitations, caregiving responsibilities, or the changes that come with aging. I lead a veteran-powered team aged over 50 who approach innovation the way we approached service and leadership: with discipline, lived experience, and a commitment to solving real problems, not theoretical ones.

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My shift into physical product design wasn’t planned. Years of upper-extremity limitations—and the period I spent caring for my father—showed me how poorly everyday tools serve people whose bodies have changed. The market didn’t need more features; it needed smarter geometry, better mechanics, and solutions rooted in real human use. That insight led to NULU, a circular-geometry kitchen knife built to give people back control, precision, and confidence—whether they’re aging, adapting, or simply tired of fighting their tools.

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At the same time, I was exploring how simple design problems limit people outdoors. That became Golfresco, a modular table system for golf carts and UTVs that gives users stable, usable workspace wherever they go. Different product, same philosophy: find the overlooked friction points in everyday life and remove them with practical, durable design.

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Across each invention runs the same thread—small changes, rooted in real mechanics, can create exceptionally large results. Innovation should honor the people it serves. I don’t move fast and break things; I move smart and build things that create value, period.​​

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