Last August, Ian Monat became a crime statistic when the catalytic converter beneath his Toyota 4Runner — easily accessible because of the SUV’s high ground clearance — was stolen. As Monat and his insurance company prepared to shell out nearly $2,000 for a new catalytic converter, the Arizona State University grad contemplated inventing an anti-theft device for the expensive part. When he walked into the dealership to have his catalytic converter replaced, Monat spotted Eric Menkhus, director of ASU’s Technology Ventures Services Group (TVSG) and clinical professor in the College of Law. The two had previously met when Monat worked in a technology clinic as an MBA student at the school. Ironically, Menkhus was waiting to have the same missing part replaced on his SUV. The chance meeting served as the catalyst to commercialize The Catlock (http://www.cat-lock.com/), a product launched by Monat Technologies, LLC.

Menkhus provided the structure to help Monat put his idea onto paper and into production. Monat and business partner Steve Meislahn — an ASU-educated mechanical engineer whom he met through the ASU Sun Devil Entrepreneurship Network — tapped the expertise of ASU law, business, engineering, and other students enrolled in the TVSG during the 2008-09 school year, as well as local attorneys and a business consultant, to refine and commercialize the anti-theft device. The two brought their product to market in 10 months. “We were able to get the market research and financial analysis done, as well as put a five-year budget in place and initial patent searches performed,” Monat says. “Without the TVSG, our business plan could not have been achieved.” Monat and Meislahn devised nearly two dozen iterations of The Catlock before settling on a simple, user-friendly design, for which a patent is pending. The Catlock isn’t the first product on the market that deters catalytic converter theft, but its adjustable design allows it to be permanently attached to the catalytic converter of trucks and SUVs. Constructed from carbon steel, the product is cheaper, lighter, and easier to install than competitors, Monat says, and it features a steel cable that is virtually saw-proof and impenetrable without a special tool. “We wanted to build a better mousetrap,” he says.

Go to: ASU News

Posted June 17th, 2009 under Tech Transfer

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