Workplace injuries are a major problem for blue-collar workers: More than 3% of manufacturing workers suffered a workplace injury in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based StrongArm Technologies makes wearable protective technology to help industrial workers avoid injury. Its exoskeletons, which retail for $275 to $630, align the body to reduce arm fatigue, avoid muscle strains and sprains, and prevent back injuries. Petterson, whose father was a construction worker, studied product design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he got the idea for the company. Today, StrongArm has raised $4.5 million from investors, including 3M, which helps with distribution, and customers include Con Edison and military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. Revenues should near $8 million in 2017. Says Petterson: 'I really wanted to create products that would bring people like my family members home a little bit safer.'

Sean Petterson - Forbes

StrongArm Technologies, a Brooklyn-based company, develops wearable protective exoskeletons for industrial workers to reduce injuries. The company has raised $4.5 million in funding, with 3M assisting in distribution. Customers include Con Edison and Huntington Ingalls Industries. Revenues are expected to reach nearly $8 million in 2017.