CAMPUS CURRENT
Innovating Layer By Layer ENGINEERING MAJORS CREATE 3-D MARKETPLACE
A conversation, an idea, research, a concept, a plan: each step builds upon the other until a startup begins to form. Engineer- ing majors and seniors Jonathan Schwartz and Max Friefeld spent the past year working through these steps to create Layer By Layer, an online marketplace for the buying, selling and sharing of printable, 3-D designs. The new venture provides ready-to-print products to the growing market of consumers with 3-D printers. “We are like the iTunes App Store for 3-D printing,” said
Friefeld. “We connect designers with consumers.” Their idea has led to national recognition and $100,000 in
seed capital. Schwartz and Friefeld have contacted more than 80 designers to help build their initial product base. Their website (
www.layerbylayer.com) is currently in its beta phase, with designers testing the platform. In February, Layer By Layer was named to the Kairos 50,
an annual list of the Top 50 innovative companies founded by undergraduates. The designation allowed Schwartz and Friefeld to travel to the Kairos Global Summit in New York, where they presented their venture to a distinguished crowd of business leaders, investors and media representatives. “Max and I demoed our product and pitched our company
for a grueling four straight hours. It was exhausting, exhilarat- ing and, overall, a great experience,” said Schwartz. “We got to meet many of the biggest players in the 3-D printing industry from innovative companies such as Autodesk and Stratasys.” Inspiration for the development of their software applica-
tion and online marketplace arose from the students’ mutual history of using 3-D printers to produce custom parts for personal and academic projects. The basic concept for Layer By Layer emerged during a study session for an engineering fi nal, when the two discussed interesting, new technologies, especially the opportunities available in 3-D printing. After developing their business concept, the two left intern-
ship opportunities to pursue their idea, and they spent the summer of 2012 learning about the 3-D printing industry. Next, they created their business plan with the help of eco- nomics Professor Gary Evans and recruited Oliver Ortlieb ’12 to help build their marketplace. Beta-testing of the site began last November and, in March,
Layer By Layer tested an iPhone case 3-D design marketplace open to Harvey Mudd College students as a “proof-of-con- cept” project. To date, Mudders have purchased more than 50 phone cases.
With seed capital and national recognition, seniors Jonathan Schwartz and Max Friefeld are building a strong foundation for their 3-D printing marketplace.
Next up is a Kickstarter campaign—to raise funds to
expand the marketplace to include other printable prod- ucts—followed by participation in Y Combinator, a startup incubator focused on promising digital ventures. Y Combina- tor offers seed money and mentoring in exchange for a small stake—typically 6 or 7 percent—in the company. Participants spend three months in Mountain View, Calif., receiving expert business and legal counsel, along with guidance on how best to pitch their company to potential investors. Awarded $20,000, plus an $80,000 converti ble note,
Schwartz and Friefeld will travel to Silicon Valley to partici- pate in Y Combinator’s summer program. “We’ll be launching and building various products, includ-
ing the Layer By Layer marketplace. We hope to grow our customer base, improve upon our products and begin making revenue,” said Schwartz. “The goal is to come out of the sum- mer with a growing number of users, ready for a larger invest- ment from a venture capital fi rm.” Their Y Combinator experience will culminate in a Demo
Day, where they will present their business to a large audience of investors. They will also have access to the program’s alum- ni network, which includes the founders of Dropbox, Reddit and Scribd.
Student Research
SPRING 2013 Har vey Mudd College 17
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