Incredible T1D Inventor
Alex Capecelatro isn’t your average inventor with type 1 diabetes: before working at top-of-the-line science research labs like NASA, he developed a prototype for a “passive thermal insulin storage bottle”—basically a cool refrigeration system for insulin—while he was still in high school. Alex went on to become the CEO of Yeti, the “Yelp for the modern age,” and today he’s a successful innovator, CEO and co-founder of Josh.ai, an artificial intelligence platform aimed at the smart home.
Alex recently talked with us about how his many adventures and ideas are also influenced (and inspired by) life with type 1 diabetes.
BT1: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I love to ski, hike, run and do pretty much anything outdoors. For a while I was big into skydiving, but sadly I haven’t jumped in a few years.
BT1: Walk us through your diabetes journey.
I was diagnosed when I was 9, in upstate New York, where I grew up. I am now 29 and it’s kind of hard remembering life before diabetes. As a kid, I remember feeling different and sometimes left out, particularly when it came to birthdays and other events involving sweets. My life changed when I started using an insulin pump at 17 and I couldn’t recommend it more.
For the majority of my adult life, diabetes has been something I simply live with. It hasn’t stopped me from jumping out of airplanes or traveling the world —this year alone, I’ll go to London, Morocco, Amsterdam, Korea and more. I am very strict about what I eat (and I don’t drink alcohol) and I try to work out on a regular basis. I haven’t yet tried continuous glucose monitoring, although I probably should at some point. As an engineer type, I try to have fun refining my insulin/activity balance.
BT1: What first sparked your interest in technology? Why did that make you decide to pursue a career in science?
To be honest, I think being a diabetic had a lot to do with it. Realizing that modern medicine is not only responsible for my ability to live a normal life, but really to live at all, was an important one. I like the idea of creating something that’s never been done before that can help people and advance society forward. In a way, diabetes has been a great gift.
I also had an incredibly supportive family, school and mentors willing to help while I was just a teen. I was also big into flatland BMX growing up and really got into websites, software and even some hardware projects as a result.
BT1: How would you describe your field of work?
My career has spanned a number of engineering disciplines, from electrical and bioengineering to materials and automotive. Today, I am focused on software and hardware development to automate everything in the home. From lights to music, locks to the TV, there’s so much we can do to make people happy and to make homes more accessible. We’re focused on voice control and artificial intelligence to make technology more inviting.
BT1: You’ve definitely had a dynamic career so far. Can you talk about some of your favorite experiences that you’ve had up until this point?
From a professional standpoint, I’ve been able to lecture to large audiences in Europe, work with amazing teams and release products in over 120 countries. I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of national labs including Sandia, the Naval Research lab and NASA.
I’ve really enjoyed the collaborative nature of solving hard problems. I get to design and build with some of my closest friends. I’ve been on various adventures as a result of my work, which are always rewarding—one of the more memorable experiences was a Zero-G flight I took part in with the X Prize Foundation.
BT1: In high school, you came up with an idea to invent a cooling agent, a type of aerogel, for insulin in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. You then talked about your work in aerogels on a podcast called The Critical Point. Can you explain what aerogel is and how diabetes played into your invention?
Aerogel has been nicknamed “frozen smoke”—it really is quite beautiful. Until 2011, aerogel had 15 world records capitalizing on its thermal and acoustic insulation properties, low density and high surface area.
Hurricane Katrina hit while I was in high school and I started reading about diabetics who lost power who were not able to keep their insulin cool, and if insulin gets too warm it goes bad. Aerogel seemed like a possible passive thermal insulator to help keep insulin from spoiling. It’s difficult to make aerogel large (or even make it at all), and it’s extremely brittle, so I worked on making large, strong aerogel to fill a capsule.
My research was very positive, but I never pursued this as a business, although I went on to work with aerogel in a number of applications, ranging from bio-sensors to 3D batteries.
BT1: Your related research has also been published in the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids. What’s the status of the aerogel product now?
This was more of a research project and the product itself was never commercialized. However, my research was part of the IP [intellectual property] that went into a company called XGel Technologies, which later became part of Aerogel Technologies. They run aerogel.org, a great resource for people interested in the space, as well as buyaerogel.com, the only resource I’m aware of where consumers can buy their own aerogel today. I spent a number of years working in various research labs exploring different applications of aerogel and similar materials before starting my own companies.
BT1: How has diabetes—perhaps by posing greater challenges that need to be solved or by affecting your life personally—influenced some other ideas you’ve developed?
I think diabetes has: (1) instilled in me a need to use technology to better mankind, and (2) given me a sense of urgency. I’ve been driven to create new products because of this feeling of wanting to give back and push the needle forward, along with an inherit sense of my own mortality.
BT1: As you mentioned on the podcast about your aerogel work, you have both research-oriented and entrepreneurial tendencies. How does it feel to have your ideas materialize (literally) and make a difference in the world?
It’s a great feeling to take a concept from idea to reality, but it’s often a long and difficult journey, and the concept often morphs many times before it’s truly useful. I’ve learned the importance of building and working with great teams, as it’s really difficult to single-handedly perform every task necessary to succeed.
The reality is, an idea isn’t ever really done. There’s always more refinement, more features and newer ways of doing things. The net result is it’s hard to sit back and feel like we’re done, but that keeps the day-to-day work exciting!
BT1: What is the most interesting aspect of the work you do? The most challenging?
I love the product side of things and focusing on delivering the core features and experience necessary to delight users. Right now the most interesting aspect of the work I do involves designing and working with a great team on a new line of hardware that we think will transform the home automation industry.
The most challenging part is quite possibly the same: trying to deliver something that’s never been done before, with time and financial budgets and steep competition. But that’s what makes it fun!
BT1: Are you looking forward to any upcoming developments in diabetes technology, in either the immediate future or further down the track?
I try not to get too excited about announcements in the diabetes community as it only gets my hopes up. We’ve seen some exciting research in the field of stem cell research and smart contact lenses acting as glucometers.
I choose to focus on making sure my numbers are in order and don’t let diabetes inhibit my ability to do what I want, whenever possible. Rather than waiting on someone to solve my problems, I prefer to take control over my own destiny. 20 years in, I would say that it’s working!
Find out more about the adventures of Alex and the Josh.ai team on Medium!
Read Tidepool – The Most Comprehensive Platform for Diabetes Management.
