Sometimes it’s easy to forget that some of the biggest household names in the 3D printing industry began as one- or two-person ventures. Take 3D Hubs, for example. Anyone at all involved in 3D printing knows the name; 3D Hubs is one of our most popular and trusted sources for industry trends, printer guides, networking and events. Only two years ago, however, the organization was a two-person startup just beginning to get off the ground when they won the 2014 Inside 3D Printing Startup Competition, receiving a monetary award to accelerate their business.
3D Hubs is a good company to keep in mind for those trying to launch a new business; while many startups struggle, some rocket to major success in a remarkably short period of time. Having a significant amount of capital helps a lot, and that’s why the Startup Competition can be such a valuable boost to new companies. If you’re trying to get a new company off the ground, your next chance is coming at the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo taking place in New York from April 10 to 12.
Things are going to be a bit different this year. While I3DP and its sister expo RoboUniverse have always taken place concurrently and in the same location, each conference has held a separate startup competition. This year, the I3DP Startup Competition and RoboGameChanger Startup Competition are being combined into one big contest. The newly minted Frontier Tech Showdown is now accepting applications from startups in the fields of 3D printing, robotics and virtual reality.
Interested, tech startup owners? You should be. 10 finalists will be selected from the pool of applicants; those 10 will then gather at the Jacob K. Javits Covention Center in New York on April 12. At that point each finalist will give a 5-minute pitch, and a final winner will be crowned and awarded a $15,000 Uncapped SAFE (Simple Agreement For Future Equity) from venture capital firm Asimov Ventures.
Past competition winners have collectively raised over $21 million, with the average winner going on to raise more than $3.5 million in subsequent financing. That’s some pretty serious capital, so if your interest is piqued, you can apply now to get your company into the pool of contenders. You have until March 11 to apply.
If you’re not involved in a startup, but want to see the finalists pitch their ideas in person, you can now register for Inside 3D Printing New York. It’s going to be an excellent conference, with a lot of major industry players in attendance – including 3DPrint.com, of course, as we look forward to again watching live as the newest startup winner is crowned. Register before March 4 for early bird pricing of up to $200 off, and, if you’re a 3DPrint.com reader – which you obviously are if you’re seeing this – you can get an additional 10% discount by entering the code 3DPRINT at checkout. Are you thinking about attending? Tell us in the Inside 3D Printing Startup Competition forum over at 3DPB.com.
