Developer of 3-D laser printer gets backing of MakerBot executives and investors

By Seattle Business Magazine May 20, 2015

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

Seattle desktop laser maker Glowforge has obtained $9 million in Series A financing from the investors and executives behind MakerBot,

the Brooklyn firm that developed a popular 3D printer.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said his Seattle startup will use the money to bring its laser cutter/engraver to the consumer market by the end of year.

The funding round was led by two venture capital firms that also invested in MakerBot, the Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado and San Francisco-based True Ventures.

MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis and former MakerBot CEO Jenny Lawton also participated in the financing, along with Max Tenkin of Cards against Humanity.

Lawton has taken a seat on Glowforges advisory board.

Previously, Glowforge raised $1.4 million through an initial round of angel financing.

Shapiro jokes that the inspiration behind Glowforge was his desire to have his own Star Trek replicator, a tool that lets users create an array of items at the push of a button.

I want to reinvent the notion of what it means for things to be homemade, Shapiro said. Its intoxicating to rediscover your grandparents ability to make things with their hands from knitting to woodworking to leather.

Both 3D printers and Glowforges desktop laser cutter target the growing do-it-yourself maker movement. Theres increasing interest, particularly among the young Millennial generation, in handcrafted items consumers can make for themselves.

The trend has fostered companies such as SoDo MakerSpace and Metrix Create:Space that provide places where hobbyists and small businesses can pay to use 3D printers and other machines to create their products.

While 3D printers such as MakerBot are additive, extruding a filament of plastic to slowly build a three-dimensional model, Glowforges desktop laser is subtractive, cutting sheets of material into shapes that can then be assembled to make a product. It can also be used to engrave images such as corporate logos.

Unlike a 3D printer, Glowforges desktop laser can be used on a wide variety of materials from metals to paper.

Our tool combines the best of homemade with technology, Shapiro said. We offer the virtues of being homemade with the speed, precision and flexibility that tech brings to the table.

Glowforges wireless desktop device is designed to make it simple for designers and engineers to take a product from design to prototype to small-scale production, Shapiro said.

While laser cutters can cost in the range of $10,000, Glowforges desktop laser cutter will be priced under $2,500, Shapiro said.

The savings comes from using cloud-based software to manage functions such as calibration previously performed by hardware. Glowforge also uses inexpensive sensors and other components from older iPhone models in its device.

I want Glowforge someday to compete with Amazon Prime, Shapiro said. We can make a better product faster and cheaper than having it made in China, shipped over here and then having a drone deliver it to the door.

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