Story by Rachel Curry
Image Courtesy Kathryn Keating
Kathryn Keating ’26 proves the two can live in harmony.
Kathryn Keating ’26 (pictured) isn’t a fan of wasting time. That’s why she pursued entrepreneurship as soon as she knew it was her calling, before even graduating from high school.
Keating, a management major at Lehigh College of Business, is founder of RenewBluSurf, a sustainable surf and beach company currently cooking up some exciting eco-friendly alternatives to traditional surfing accessories. “My mission is to help maintain a thriving coastal environment through that business,” says Keating, whose family lives on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Keating is the winner of the 2024 Eureka! Thalheimer Grand Prize, powered by Lehigh University’s Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship. She successfully made it through three stages of scrutiny, starting with a napkin sketch idea and ending with a technically and financially viable prototype.
While she’s currently keeping her upcoming product in stealth mode, Keating looks forward to utilizing her desk space at the new Lehigh Ventures Lab. She gained access to a desk in the lab by winning the Eureka! grand prize.
“Being around all the other entrepreneurs in the lab who are so motivated and inspirational, is an incredible business environment to work in,” says Keating.
Despite the academic and social struggles of being a high school student during the pandemic, Keating managed
to make the best of it. “I had all this extra time on my hands. I couldn’t play sports, so I went looking for inspiration in the environment,” she says, “which is how RenewBluSurf was first born. She adds, “With my company, I’m hoping to combine all the things I love while working towards something that can make a positive impact on the environment and life around me.”
Keating is admittedly tenacious, but she hasn’t gotten to where she is today alone. As she looks forward to the second half of her undergraduate career, she thanks mentors Chris Kauzmann, innovator in residence and adjunct faculty at Lehigh, and Brian Quispe, cofounder of OcuTrap and entrepreneur in residence at the Baker Institute, for their help in shaping her experience as an entrepreneur thus far. She anticipates growing her company into something solid that will stand the test of time. Already, she’s considering a Master’s in Technical Engineering at Lehigh so she can gain a better understanding of the product development process.
Despite all her achievements and aspirations, Keating is a big believer in the power of trial and error.
She says, “Failing, for me, is when you learn something. I think that’s the best time. There’s no point in sitting back and not doing anything to achieve those goals.”
As Keating enters her junior year, she’s witnessing how the college is supporting student entrepreneurs. “The support young entrepreneurs at Lehigh receive as they are surrounded by peers with similar interests and passions to build companies, that’s a wonderful byproduct of an education at Lehigh.”