business development expert

Business Development Specialist
Matthew Borowiak

Matthew is a chemical engineer with hands-on experience in polymer and advanced material systems. He founded and led a materials company from early development through scaled production, third-party validation, and initial commercial adoption. His experience spans technical development, manufacturing scale-up, and early-stage market development across multiple industries. Matthew holds 5 patents related to material and process innovation. 
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
November 2025 - Present
New Business Development Consultant - Iten Defense
  • Generated 800+ qualified leads across 6 new market verticals, including building security, electrical infrastructure, and commercial aviation
  • Led market evaluation for advanced UHMWPE-based ballistic material systems, identifying high-fit applications and early adopter segments
  • Conducted direct discovery engagements with engineers, consultants, and end users to translate material performance data into real-world value propositions
  • Developed call scripts and led outbound discovery calls that resulted in direct revenue and qualified pipeline handoffs to the core sales team
  • Integrated validated market opportunities into the sales funnel through technical positioning and market entry strategy, contributing to $1M+ in quoted deals within the first 3 months
  • Delivered market findings and go-to-market recommendations and call-report writing directly to C-suite executives, earning expanded autonomy such as independent trade-show representation and faster approval for market engagement

March 2018 - November 2025
Founder & CEO - Workers First
Pittsburgh, PA
  • Founded Workers First and developed Polyreact - a PFAS-free, acid-neutralizing polymer film targeting a $5B+ Gore-Tex replacement market for chemical suits and firefighting gear - scaling from concept to post-revenue with four signed manufacturer contracts
  • Raised $1,050,000 through private equity and banking relationships; secured $256,000 NSF Phase I SBIR grant for manufacturing process development
  • Achieved post-revenue status with signed development contracts with 4 major PPE manufacturers; established distributor listings and vendor relationships with Fortune 500 organizations
  • Scaled manufacturing to metric-ton production capability with a full supply chain; products third-party validated by Underwriters Laboratories and KTA-Tator
  • Obtained 3 granted U.S. patents, 1 additional full patent filed, and 1 international patent application (5 patents total)
  • Received formal acquisition interest from a major occupational safety brand
  • Won approximately $50,000 through business plan competitions; completed AlphaLab Gear accelerator program; supported by Ben Franklin Technology Partners

May 2017 - December 2017
Market & Product Development Co-op — Barton International
North River, NY    
  • Served as sole market-facing co-op for Barton International's engineered materials product line, identifying new product opportunities across six verticals and building a pipeline with $3M+ in identified sales potential
  • Researched and authored six market reports covering size, scope, target applications, and customer needs across new verticals, directly informing the creation of a new company subdivision to pursue the identified opportunities
  • Conducted 200+ outreach calls to 50+ companies, shortlisting 8 high-potential prospects
  • Organized product testing at 7 companies with revenues ranging from $10M to $4B; identified sales potential exceeding $3M
  • Published 3 technical product brochures; built relationships with both external customers and internal C-suite leadership​