“You have to be a certain kind of crazy to be a founder, especially in physical products.” 

Most people want to build something. 

Kenny Perkins actually did. 

After nearly dying in a car accident his senior year, Kenny clawed his way into the design world; starting at Fossil, shifting to helmets, and eventually co-founding Osmo, the first kids’ helmet to meet the e-bike safety standard. 

In this episode of Why Design, Kenny shares the journey from rebuilding a Mustang with his dad at 15 to building Impact Lab, a startup studio funding its own consumer brand, Osmo, by designing life-saving protection for others. 

Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 👇 

💥 How a near-death experience reshaped his entire outlook on work 

🚲 The overlooked safety gap for kids in the e-bike revolution 

🛠️ Why physical product founders need grit, guts, and patience 

📐 How Osmo designed with parents and kids, not just for them 

📈 The smart way Kenny self-funded a startup without outside capital 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “I saw a dad wearing a helmet I designed… and two kids wearing ones I also designed but not for e-bikes. That stuck with me.” 

💬 “We didn’t just design for families. We designed with them.” 

💬 “This changed my relationship with work entirely.” 

Resources & Links 

🌍 Connect with Kenny Perkins on LinkedIn:  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjperkinsdesign/ 

🛡️ Explore Osmo Helmets: https://www.ozmohelmets.com/ 

🏢 Learn more about impctLAB https://www.impctlab.com/ 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube → http://www.youtube.com/@whydesignpod 

📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/whydesignxkodu/ 

🎵 TikTok → @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Amazon → www.whydesign.club 

👉 Keep the conversation going. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

📲 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. 

👥 If this resonated, share it with a friend or colleague navigating their own founder or design journey. 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams hire top talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. 

🔗 Learn more → teamkodu.com