As ROBO 3D’s bona fide resident tech-preneur visionary, Braydon has been through the startup gauntlet many times. From overseeing the mass manufacturing of multiple product lines to developing social media marketing & advertising campaigns, this Co-Founder/CEO wears a LOT of hats. Braydon has a BS in Management specializing in Entrepreneurship from San Diego State University.
Vishal Sapru (VS), Research Manager for Energy & Power Systems Group had an opportunity to conduct a Movers & Shakers interview with Braydon, Co-Founder/CEO of ROBO 3D.
VS: Can you start by providing our readers a brief overview of ROBO 3D including the vision behind its formation and its current role in the market?
Braydon: ROBO 3D is a company born out of a need for 3D printing while in college. A senior design project in mechanical engineering to build a 3D printed prosthetic leg morphed into building a personal 3D printer, which led to the creation of ROBO 3D. Once we discovered the power of the technology and what it could allow millions of people to create, solve, or explore, we became addicted to creating a machine for everyone. We aim to empower you: the creator at heart.
VS: Please describe your product/technology/solution for our readers?
Braydon: Our main product offering is, what we call, a personal 3D printer. It is a machine that allows consumers to build things in 3D dimensions. You can design your own 3D models using a 3D modeling program like Tinkered (free) or you can go on websites like thingiverse.com, youmagine.com, or pinshape.com and download from the millions of files that users have already made and uploaded for FREE! Once you download them, you can load them into the machine, choose from a variety of colors and materials, and print away your creations.
VS: What is ROBO 3D’s greatest challenge and what strategy is in place to overcome it?
Braydon: ROBO 3D’s greatest challenge is to grow, but remain nimble as the 3D industry could change quickly. We want to make sure we are innovating quickly, but also allowing ourselves to pivot if needed.
VS: What is the unique value proposition of ROBO 3D and what are your key competitive differentiators?
Braydon: Our unique value proposition is in the full experience of 3D- learning with our curriculum- doing with our great products and future products- supporting with our amazing customer service- and collaborating with our customers, the creators at heart.
VS: What is your strategy in regards to offering best value to customer for the price, compared to similar offerings from competitors? if any?
Braydon: ROBO 3D democratizes consumer 3D printing. We make accessible hundreds of open source materials available on the market. We not only provide a very well featured product at the price point with a large print build and the best speed in its class, but we back that value with amazing support and assistance to our consumers so they can be successful with printing incredible 3D solutions to life’s everyday problems or creating new opportunities. We are passionate about the things our users will create next.
VS: Continued innovation is the key to success in this growing industry. How is the process of innovation managed at ROBO 3D?
Braydon: It is managed by looking at trends and being very aware/understanding what the future holds for products in 3D printing. We then put together a roadmap of products, features, and technologies we plan to release and at what future date. Then we get to work developing and adhering to the guidelines as best as we can. Sometimes we have a wish list of product features- needs, wants, and wishes in our products and if we can get all the way to the wishes, we know we are on to something special. If not, we keep moving forward.
VS: What do you want the company to accomplish in the next couple of years and how would you define success for ROBO 3D?
Braydon: We plan to keep making outstanding products, growing the 3D industry as a whole, and giving more users the ability to create amazing things with 3D printing.
We want to significantly impact more people. The power of the tech and how it has helped thousands of our users is incredible. We want to continue this, embrace it, and empower our creators at heart.
VS: What is your key value proposition that provides your firm a major competitive advantage over other players in the industry?
Braydon: I think we have an incredibly good idea of where the market is and where it is going and we make sure we are right in line with these efforts. We also give ourselves the ability to be agile if necessary based on marketplace demands or changes. We want to always remain in an entrepreneurial type environment to give us this flexibility.
VS: Could you elaborate on the acceptance or adoption of your product/technology/solution in the marketplace and are there any positive client testimonials that can be shared with us?
Braydon: We have the luxury of offering a product to consumers that can impact them in a variety of ways. We have seen the product impact multiple industries as well so it is very versatile in that respect.
I’d like to share a pretty amazing story of one of our customers, who is a high level military veteran. Our product helped aid him in his PTSD and allowed him to explore some new opportunities:
VS: Do you foresee the acceptance of your product/technology/solution in the marketplace to have an influence on the direction of the overall market going forward?
Braydon: Yes, I think we will begin to see some clear signs of industry adoption and marketplace focus in the near future. The product uses will always be well ranged but I believe as some industries begin to develop external solutions to power a specific industry centered around 3D printing, we could see some better focus and direction.
VS: As a general conclusion, what do you think the future holds for such solutions and, more specifically, what role can we expect ROBO 3D to play in shaping the future of the industry?
Braydon: We are going to shape a big role in this industry. What I expect to happen is the massive user community we build will begin collaborating, creating amazing things, and impacting more people by building new and exciting products with ROBO 3D as the backbone. We want to create a domino effect of innovation.
VS: What are your company’s marketing and product positioning strategies? Do you plan to form any strategic alliances with other client companies?
Braydon: What we are trying to do in the next year is really showcase our consumers. They are our most valuable asset. Their stories, the community that revolves around 3d printing, and the new and exciting things being made with ROBO 3D printers around the world. We also want to be the premier of provider of some powerful content that the user can make and DIY with their ROBO 3D and we aim to teach the users that 3D printing is easy, fun, and accessible for everyone.
VS: What is unique about your company in regards to offering the best and differentiated service experience to customers?
Braydon: We offer a service experience that ensures our customers are successful with our product — or we personally want them to return it. We offer live online support, 24/7 phone support, and a 6 month parts replacement warranty with the product for free. We also have a powerful community forum of helpful users that assist others all the time with our product. We have multiple groups online of ROBO 3D owners where users collaborate on projects. We want to cultivate this as much as possible.
VS: Please describe the importance and focus of your company towards building and strengthening the brand equity of your offering?
Braydon: It is essential that we are always strengthening our brand in all our efforts- product, service, and experience.
VS: What kind of customer feedback mechanism do you have in place to ensure that the product development and innovation matches market and customer needs?
Braydon: We occasionally do consumer surveys that allow us to gauge what our customers or prospective customers are looking for in a product. This was how we built the first product. It was based on what people were saying they wanted in a 3D printer. We also study the consumer electronics market to see what the trends are as a whole and if we can create opportunities to connect that with our future product development.
VS: How do you compare yourself with top competitors in regards to offering Best-in-Class solution, with a full complement of features and functionality?
Braydon: We offer a great product at a great price, and we back it with a support system that, in my opinion, is one of the best in the industry. We take care of our customers, whether they need live support, replacement parts, etc. We also have a phenomenal community of users on our forums that are willing to assist users in being successful with ROBO 3D products. It is pretty incredible.
VS: What is/are unique features of your product/technology that address unmet customer needs and competitors are unable to replicate and replace?
Braydon: The current product line we have is really a “best bang for your buck” product. It provides a superior size print space, the ability to print tons of different materials, top notch quality, and at a price point that is well below the average of most consumer 3D printers. We also have a very consistent printing process that involves an automatic leveling feature every time you print. This ensures repetition of outstanding prints.
VS: What is your key value proposition that provides your firm a major competitive advantage over other players in the industry?
Braydon: We are doing things in a completely unique way. From focusing on creating superior 3D printing machines to providing users with the highest quality content to 3D print. As well, we are designing and launching DIY 3D print kits that come with hardware that users can use their 3D printers to create parts and assemble something bigger, such as a drone. We are building a 3D ecosystem and a community of incredible users and empowering them to create.
On top of that, providing superior customer service and patronizing the creations of our users.
