About ForgeNova Labs

TECHNOLOGY FORGED FROM
SERVICE, EXPERIENCE & PURPOSE.

ForgeNova Labs is a woman-owned, veteran-led technology company building practical software for the skilled trades, education, and career development — real tools, built by real people who saw a real need.

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Our Story

Built by people who saw a real need

ForgeNova Labs was founded by Cathy and Todd — partners in life and in work, who built the company on service, discipline, and a simple belief: the right tools change what people are able to achieve.

Cathy is the owner and operator of ForgeNova Labs. A United States Marine Corps veteran, she leads the company with the discipline, accountability, and resilience the Corps is known for — and a deep conviction that people deserve real opportunities to build better futures.

Todd serves as an advisor to the company. A United States Air Force veteran and disabled veteran, he brings a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems and years spent in healthcare IT — a background in technology and solving real-world operational problems that helps guide how ForgeNova approaches what it builds.

The idea started close to home. Todd watched his son, Eli, work through welding in college and saw how hard it was for students to document their practice, get meaningful feedback, prepare for certification goals, and show how far they'd come. The tools simply didn't match the talent.

That gap became ArcForge — and ForgeNova Labs was built to keep solving problems like it.

"We didn't start with a technology looking for a problem. We started with a problem worth solving."

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Why We Built ForgeNova Labs

The same gap, from every angle

Welding runs on skill, sweat, and time — but the tools around the people learning it haven't kept up. Look closely, and the same need shows up everywhere.

What we saw

A craft taught with outdated tools

  • Students need better ways to learn, document their practice, and watch their improvement add up over time.
  • Instructors need better tools to review student work and give feedback that sticks.
  • Schools need clearer visibility into student progress and readiness.
  • Employers need real evidence of a welder's skills and growth.
  • The skilled trades deserve practical, modern technology built for how they actually work.
Our answer

Tools worthy of the work

ForgeNova Labs exists to build practical software that helps people learn real skills, document their progress, and move toward better career opportunities.

We bring veteran discipline, woman-owned leadership, and real technical experience to a field the technology industry has mostly overlooked — and we build it alongside the students, instructors, and professionals who live it every day.

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What We're Building

ARCFORGE

Our first product — a welding student and welder-development platform that turns practice into documented progress.

What ArcForge helps with

From first bead to career-ready record

  • AI-assisted visual weld feedback
  • Guided weld-photo capture
  • Digital weld logging
  • Instructor feedback and assignment tracking
  • Certification preparation and readiness
  • Skills and competency tracking
  • A Welding Skills Passport
  • Employer-ready portfolios and career documentation
What ArcForge is — and isn't

An educational and development platform

ArcForge was not built just because AI is popular. It was built because welding students and welders need better feedback, progress tracking, certification preparation, instructor support, and career documentation — and those needs are real.

ArcForge supports learning and growth. It does not replace instructors, inspectors, schools, testing facilities, or certification bodies. Every AI insight is a starting point for human review — never a verdict, never a pass/fail, and never code compliance from a photo.

Educational by design. ArcForge prepares and documents — it does not certify welders, inspect welds for code compliance, or stand in for qualified instruction, formal testing, or certification bodies. Human review and real instruction always come first.
Explore ArcForge
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What We Believe

The values we build on

Not wall art — the standards behind every decision we make.

VAL.01

Practical Innovation

Technology only matters if it helps someone do real work better. We build for usefulness, not hype.

VAL.02

Respect for Skilled Trades

The trades build the world. We make tools worthy of the people in them.

VAL.03

Veteran Accountability

We do what we say. Discipline, ownership, and follow-through are how we were trained.

VAL.04

Woman-Owned Leadership

Cathy leads the company's ownership, direction, and mission from the front.

VAL.05

Student-First Design

If it doesn't help the person learning, it doesn't ship. Their progress is the point.

VAL.06

Instructor-Supported Learning

The instructor's judgment is always the final word. Our tools support it — never override it.

VAL.07

Privacy & Trust

People's work and progress belong to them. We protect both, by default.

VAL.08

Real-World Usefulness

We measure success by whether it helps in the shop, the classroom, and the career.

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Who Runs It

Woman-owned. Veteran-led.

ForgeNova Labs is owned and operated by Cathy, and advised by Todd. Two service backgrounds, one mission.

Owner & Operator USMC Veteran Woman-Owned

Cathy

A United States Marine Corps veteran, Cathy owns and operates ForgeNova Labs. She sets the company's direction and standards — bringing Marine Corps discipline, leadership, and accountability to everything it builds, along with a genuine belief in helping people build better futures. Her leadership is the center of the company's identity and mission.

Advisor USAF Veteran Disabled Veteran

Todd

A United States Air Force veteran and disabled veteran, Todd advises ForgeNova Labs. With a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems and years in healthcare IT, he brings the technology experience and real-world problem-solving that helped spark ArcForge — and helps guide how the company builds.

Together, their backgrounds give ForgeNova Labs a rare combination: leadership and mission, technical depth, and a personal connection to skilled-trade education.

Looking Ahead

We're just getting started.

ForgeNova Labs is starting with ArcForge, but our focus is bigger: practical tools for people who are learning, working, building, and improving. Students, instructors, schools, welders, employers, and industry partners — we'd love for you to follow the journey, or reach out and connect.

Connect With Us