Episode
Natrx: The Company Growing Coral Reefs Out of Concrete
- Podcast
- NC Tweener Talks
- Published
- Jul 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2566
- Processing state
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- https://share.transistor.fm/s/7ccb1234
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Summary
Tad Schwendler, COO of Natrx, joins Scot Wingo to talk about manufacturing concrete structures that work with nature instead of against it. Natrx, a North Carolina company and Tweener Fund portfolio company, has developed a patented dry-forming process that injects moisture into dry material to create rough, complex structures capable of slowing water, encouraging natural sediment buildup, and even supporting live coral growth. Tad walks through the company's founding story, which traces back to coastal engineers doing oyster reef restoration at LSU and a chance meeting with NC State-connected software co-founders, and shares how his own background in corporate development and M&A led him into a hands-on operating role at a manufacturing startup. The conversation covers the physical scale of what Natrx builds, from three-foot units weighing just under a ton to twelve-thousand-pound structures bound for a coral restoration project in Hawaii, along with the company's growth: more than 85 physical deployments, over 100,000 units placed, and roughly 80 percent revenue growth year over year. It's a hands-on, visual episode and the first in a new series on North Carolina's under-the-radar physical manufacturing companies. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open and sponsor thanks 01:30 Welcome and series intro: NC's under-known manufacturing companies 03:12 Introducing Tad Schwindler, COO of Natrx 04:00 Formal welcome to the show 04:42 Tad's background: Atlanta, Duke, the Triangle 05:56 What does a COO actually do at Natrx? 07:58 Duke, Tulane, and a lifelong pull toward marine science 09:31 The founding story of Natrx 09:43 Two coastal engineers, oyster reefs, and LSU 11:13 Founded in 2018, commercializing by 2021 11:33 Nick's background: mechanical engineering meets software 12:52…