Addmio Kickstarter Campaign for ‘3D Printing for Entrepreneurs’ Online Course

As the 3D printing industry continues to grow faster, more accessible, and more affordable, it’s important that businesses continue learning about the many benefits it can offer them. We’ve seen classes on 3D printing for entrepreneurs before, but the application-focused, efficient course that the Netherlands-based e-learning company Addmio is soon launching will be easier to access because it’s on an online educational platform.

Robin Huizing, a former 3D printing engineer for Shapeways and additive manufacturing designer for Additive Industries, lives in the Dutch city of Eindhoven and ran his own design studio for nearly 12 years, before deciding to launch the Addmio platform.

Addm.io founder Robin Huizing

“I started Addmio to help the 3D printing industry flourish and to educate all of the entrepreneurs and creatives worldwide,” Huizing said. “I want to help them to create better products and businesses with 3D printing.”

Huizing trained and taught hundreds of people about 3D printing in his former jobs, giving lectures, master classes, presentations, and workshops to many large companies. But he realized that sharing knowledge in these ways was “not scalable,” and not making enough of a difference for entrepreneurs interested in learning more about AM. That’s why he decided to found Addmio.

Once things got started, he began researching existing courses and training programs, and found that the high-quality ones were costly, time-consuming, and only on-location. Classes that were more affordable provided, at best, general information about the technology, and did not offer attendees a quality experience. So Huizing determined that to really make a difference, Addmio should offer less expensive, higher quality courses that were focused on specific 3D printing applications.

“Because we can make our courses available for thousands of people at the same time, we can keep the costs very low. The value for money we’re able to offer is unparalleled,” he wrote in a press release.

The first course Addmio is developing is called 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs, which features three unique aspects:

• extremely efficient: it condenses five years of work in the 3D printing industry into just three days
• application-focused: the course provides many examples in showing users how to choose the right application
• 100% online: it is a mobile-first, web-based course so learning can take place anywhere, at any time

“We’re developing the course “3D Printing for Entrepreneurs” for creatives and startups, to learn about all the opportunities 3D printing has to offer for your startup or side business. We want to make sure that you have everything you need to learn and start your business, all from home,” the website states.

Huizing will be the main instructor, and the course will provide on-demand, video-based lessons relying on knowledge from industry experts. In-course assessments are included, and at the end of the class, participants will receive a digital certificate. In addition to the course, Addmio will also be offering 3D printable files and a support program for 3D printing startups that includes a tailored advisory report with advice and tips to help startups get on their feet.

Rather than working with investors or banks to get the Addmio course up and running, the company is turning to crowdfunding “because it seamlessly fits our philosophy.” Its Kickstarter campaign launched this morning, so creators and makers from around the world can contribute. In return, the company will help startups create successful 3D printing businesses.

“This is why we came up with an online platform. This is the only medium that is ultimately scalable. Our courses can help people 24 hours a day, in 100 countries at the same time,” the campaign site states.

“All you need to follow our course is a phone, tablet, or computer with an internet connection. That’s it.”

The campaign goal is just €2,500, and there are multiple reward levels – for example, an early bird pledge of €82 means you can get the complete 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs online course for a discount of 40%, while a €137 pledge gets you the early bird course and STL files of objects used in the course.

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