Kevin Martin (MechEngr'16)
2026 Recent Alumni Award recipient
Kevin Martin is the founder & CTO of unspun, a certified B Corp transforming apparel manufacturing through automated and localized production. unspun develops industrial 3D weaving technology that enables on-demand manufacturing for apparel, dramatically reducing waste, excess inventory and the carbon footprint inherent in traditional global supply chains. By shifting apparel production closer to the consumer, unspun aligns speed, sustainability and scalability in a single manufacturing platform. The company’s north star is creating a 1% reduction in global human carbon emission.
Martin graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. During his undergraduate years, he founded his first company, Airworx, focused on robotic camera motion systems and early drone-based video production—an experience that first sparked his interest in entrepreneurship. Shortly after graduating, Martin joined co-founders Beth Esponnette and Walden Lam to build the next generation of local manufacturing for textiles.
One year after participating in CU Boulder’s mechanical engineering capstone program himself as an undergrad, Martin and his co-founders sponsored their own student project to build an early unspun prototype. That prototype helped unspun secure its first National Science Foundation development grant, followed by the company’s first venture investment from hardware accelerator HAX. unspun has since gone on to raise over $70 million in additional funding and is headquartered in Emeryville, California.
Martin was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021—the same year unspun was recognized by Time Magazine’s Best Inventions and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas. unspun has also been featured by leading global media and industry organizations for its impact on sustainability, advanced manufacturing, and the future of apparel.
Martin remains actively engaged with CU Boulder, where he regularly guest lectures and participates in alumni programming. He has served on the College of Engineering & Applied Science Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Board and as a Regional Network Ambassador for the college. He attributes a major factor in his entrepreneurial journey to the encouragement and support he received as an undergraduate at CU Boulder, particularly from his mentors Jacob Segil, Daria Kotys-Schwartz and Julie Steinbrenner.