Mary E. Squire

The day job

HeadStrait Labs

Cofounder and Co-CEO. I took a sensor-integrated device for emergency medical transport from a sketch to a pilot-ready system.

01
Concept
Proof the idea could work.
02
First build
Designed and built solo.
03
Sensors in
Electronics and validation.
04
Clinical testing
Study with UPMC.
05
Pilot-ready
Built with a team of four.

$700K+Raised

5Hardware generations

4Engineers recruited

UPMCClinical study partner

How I work

The user manual

Everything you need to know before working with me.

Public speaking: Don't love it. Very good at it anyway.See: first-place finishes and pitch stages from Pittsburgh to Zurich.
Slide decks: Great at these before AI made everyone great at them.It was me and my Canva Pro subscription against the world.
Display setup: One monitor: peak productivity.Add a second monitor and I become unstable.
Attendance: Rarely miss a day.Favorite appointment: the dentist. Genuinely.
Best environment: A machine shop, a whiteboard, and a hard problem.Bonus points if a clinician is in the room.

Off the clock

Farm kid at heart

Farm life, handmade projects, and plenty of time outdoors. I like making things with my hands, at work and at home.

Sewing project — **Sewing**Prototyping, but with fabric.

Crochet project — **Crochet**The only time I'm not multitasking.

**Archery**Patience, precision, early mornings.

Background

Where I've been

Carnegie Mellon University

M.S. Biomedical Engineering (4.0) · M.S. Engineering & Technology Innovation Management (3.9)

Michigan Critical Care Consultants

Quality / Manufacturing Engineer, 2021–2022. Doubled assembly output, cut waste 25%.

Michigan State University

B.S. Biosystems Engineering, 2021

Programs

Pathways Fellowship (CMU Robotics Institute) · Innovation Works Robotics Factory · Prototype PGH · EMPOWER Accelerator

SolidWorks · Fusion · Python · C++ · MATLAB · SQL · Git · MIG/TIG welding · Canva Pro (obviously)

On stage, reluctantly

A few wins

20261st Place, Duquesne New Venture Competition
2026U.S. Representative, Greater Zurich HealthTech Roadshow
2026Pittsburgh Business Times Startup to Watch
2025Technical.ly RealList · BNY UpPrize Finalist
20221st Place, CMU Medical Devices Pitch

Contact

Let's build something

A role, a collaboration, or a medical device problem you're stuck on. I'd love to hear from you.

Mary is
an engineer

HeadStrait Labs

Concept

First build

Sensors in

Clinical testing

Pilot-ready

The user manual

Farm kid at heart

Where I've been featured

Episode title goes here

Pittsburgh Business Times: Startups to Watch

Technical.ly RealList: Most Promising Early-Stage Startups