The Resolv Origin Story: A Post by Our CEO

For years I watched tradespeople and remediators work by intuition - probing walls, cutting drywall, hoping they’d find the problem without making it worse. I’ve also done my share of DIY home improvement and shared many of the same experiences.  We built the InSite Pro because there had to be a better way: reliable in-wall imaging in a rugged, handheld scanner that actually fits a contractor’s workflow.

Our mission at Resolv is to bring transparency to the built world, and we aim to do that by being transparent with you. I want to pull back the curtain (or should I say, wall) and let you in on who we are, what we know (and had to learn) and ultimately how we got to where we are today.

The Founding Team

The Resolv founding team - consisting of myself, David Smith, Ph.D, Dave Reissfelder, and Aaron Diebold, Ph.D - didn’t come from the world of hammers and nails. We came from the world of sensing and advanced imaging.

Dave Reissfelder and I first joined forces at Reveal Imaging, where we developed the next generation of CT X-ray scanners that TSA uses to this day to automatically screen the bags that go into the belly of the plane for explosives.  After exiting Reveal, I still had a desire to solve hard problems with great people, so I founded Evolv Technology, which is how I met Dr. David Smith.  

Dr. Smith is considered a pioneer in the world of metamaterials: synthetic materials engineered to bend electromagnetic waves in ways natural materials can’t. (You might know him as the scientist who created the world’s first "invisibility cloak.").  

Through our combined and varied experiences in the security industry, we became familiar with controlling and interpreting electromagnetic waves to reveal hidden structures. Many years later, as that familiar itch started to reappear, we began exploring alternative applications for this advanced imaging technology. This investigation ultimately led to a pivotal question: how could this technology be adapted to provide clear visibility within buildings and wall structures?

From Lab Validation to Real-World Product

So, we got to work. We partnered with Duke University to begin validating a foundational technology that could "see" through solid surfaces with unprecedented clarity. Dr. Aaron Diebold, Resolv’s Principal Scientist and co-founder, led this early work in David Smith’s lab.  And after successful tests on standard drywall, we knew we were onto something. But we didn’t want to just build a cool gadget; we wanted to build a tool that solved a real problem. So we turned to the industry to better understand their daily challenges and needs, and see if a wall imager was as appealing as we thought it would be. 

We spent months in the field, interviewing pros across a variety of industries: general contractors, electricians, plumbers, HVAC installers, and remediators. Our questions in each conversation were simple: What makes you punch more holes or tear more out than you need to? Where do you lose time or money? How do you solve these problems today? 

Everybody has an “oops moment” story, but the day to day challenges of working blind are what stood out.  Electricians described hours lost removing drywall to make sure they don’t hit anything unintentionally - and wind up losing money on that job. Plumbers told us stories of exploratory demolition that ballooned repair costs. Remediators explained how invasive testing can make bad damage even worse. General contractors shared horror stories of employees accidentally cutting into electrical, plumbing, HVAC lines, including one recent story of an employee cutting into a 480VAC line because it wasn’t where the drawing said it was supposed to be (and lived to tell the tale).  Those conversations didn’t just validate a market; they taught us priorities: clarity over cleverness, speed over spectacle, and durability over delicacy.

Taking the InSite Pro to Market

In September 2025, the vision got the green light it needed. Resolv closed a $5 million seed funding round led by MetaVC Partners, Undeterred Capital, Osage University Partners  - professional investors with a track record supporting efforts coming out of Duke - and a group of construction industry veterans. This wasn't just "seed capital" - it was the signal that the industry was ready for a shift from guesswork to certainty. 

We quickly expanded our team, bringing on world-class engineers to turn the lab-validated tech into a rugged, handheld device and marketers to tell the story. In March 2026, we officially stepped out of stealth mode.

And that brings us to today: a product rapidly approaching its launch, a growing list of interested customers, and an unrelenting drive to help the folks who maintain our built world grow faster and work safer. We’re still learning, but we’re excited about this next phase and appreciate all the support it has taken to get us here.