OrthoWorx Awarded $1 Million Don Wood Foundation Grant to Expand Talent Development Across Northern Indiana

OrthoWorx is proud to announce it has been awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the Don Wood Foundation, which will support the expansion of regional talent development initiatives and career exploration experiences for students across Northern Indiana. The multi-year investment will expand access to hands-on, immersive career discovery experiences for thousands of students across the region.

With this transformational funding, OrthoWorx, in partnership with Indianapolis-based immersive experience company iXplore, will develop an immersive MedTech startup storefront in Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana’s JA BizTown® facility located in Fort Wayne, a simulated, interactive town where students take on real-world roles and responsibilities in a professional economy. The storefront, named Momenta MedTech, will introduce students to the world of orthopedic innovation by giving them hands-on experience in running a medical technology company.

“We’re thrilled to welcome OrthoWorx to JA BizTown and to provide students with a first-of-its-kind experience in the MedTech space,” said Karen Cooper, VP of Experiential Learning Centers at Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana. “Partnerships like this helps us bring the world of work to life and prepare students to think like entrepreneurs, engineers, and future leaders in our economy.”

JA BizTown combines in class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated city, where students explore business ownership, financial literacy, civic engagement, and careers. OrthoWorx’s addition of a MedTech-focused business will expose thousands of young learners to the high-tech, high impact world of orthopedic innovation, right in the heart of the Orthopedic Capital of the World®.

In addition to the JA BizTown storefront, the Don Wood Foundation grant will also fund the development of two additional virtual reality job shadowing modules through OrthoWorx’s continued partnership with iXplore. The new modules, focused on Design Engineering and Quality Analysis, will complement the existing lineup of immersive experiences in CNC Machining, Polishing, and Entrepreneurship, which have already reached thousands of students this year at events across Northern Indiana.

“The Don Wood Foundation values strong partnerships with organizations like OrthoWorx and Junior Achievement that expand career exploration opportunities for students of all ages,” said Laura Macknick, President and CEO, Don Wood Foundation. “We are especially enthusiastic about programs that are hands-on and emphasize leadership development, entrepreneurial thinking, and advanced manufacturing – skills that are vital to the future workforce.”

These immersive modules let students explore real orthopedic careers through interactive tasks and guided challenges that make learning active, memorable, and meaningful. With continued tech development, new curriculum resources, and additional roadshows planned throughout the region, OrthoWorx will extend its reach even further, introducing thousands more Indiana students to meaningful, purpose-driven careers in MedTech.

“This partnership with iXplore is helping us meet students where they are, on devices, in classrooms, and now in immersive simulations like JA BizTown,” said Brooke Friedberg, Talent Director at OrthoWorx. “The addition of Design Engineering and Quality Analysis expands our ability to show students the many career paths available in orthopedics, and we’re excited to bring these tools to more students across the region.”

Launching fully in the 2026-2027 school year, the Momenta MedTech storefront will include age appropriate curriculum, interactive role-play scenarios, VR simulations tailored for 5th and 6th grade learners, and touchscreen games designed to spark curiosity and reinforce learning – offering students a dynamic, full-circle experience of life inside MedTech startup.

The initiative directly supports OrthoWorx’s mission to build and retain a strong talent pipeline for the orthopedic industry by engaging students early and often in their career discovery journey.

“We believe exposure leads to ambition,” added Friedberg. “By helping students imagine themselves in high-impact careers, we’re planting the seeds for a stronger, more vibrant workforce in the years to come.”