AstroPrint

Drew Taylor and the AstroPrint team saw a fundamental gap in the 3D printing market. The hardware had evolved rapidly and could do amazing things, but the software ecosystem was fragmented and difficult to use. Just as Android solved the smartphone OS problem by providing a unified platform and app ecosystem, AstroPrint aimed to do the same for 3D printing—making machines simple to operate for non-technical users and connecting them to a vibrant marketplace of content and applications.

The journey started in summer 2013 with a different idea: 3D-A-Go-Go, meant to be the "iStock photo of 3D printing." In 2014, the team pivoted through the Beta Spring accelerator in Rhode Island (giving up 6% equity) and launched AstroPrint during their time at 500 Startups (7% equity) in October 2014. By March 2016, the nine-person team had raised $400,000 in convertible notes from angels, friends, family, and accelerators. The core product was a Linux-based software (similar to Raspberry Pi) that could run on 3D printers or on an external box called AstroBox, plus a cloud-based 3D printing app store modeled after Google Play and the iOS App Store.

AstroPrint's go-to-market strategy was B2B from the start. The company positioned itself as a partner to major 3D printer manufacturers who needed sophisticated software to power their machines—just as smartphone makers need operating systems. By March 2016, they hadn't yet publicly disclosed major contracts but were in conversations with "extremely well-known household brands" expected to launch 3D printers in retail stores by Christmas. The team acknowledged missing opportunities (like the Mattel $299 printer announced for that year's holiday season) but remained in talks.

2015 revenue was $150,000, almost entirely from licensing rather than app store revenue. Drew explained that the app store model would be a bigger revenue driver in 2017 and beyond, using a 70-30 revenue split (AstroPrint keeping 30%) similar to Google and Apple's model. The licensing model itself came with an important twist: non-recurring engineering (NRE) fees. When major brands wanted custom features, AstroPrint could charge for that engineering work upfront while designing solutions that could be reused across other deals. For 2016, the team projected $500,000 in licensing revenue with "dramatic" growth expected in 2017 as new contracts came online.

In mid-March 2016, AstroPrint was raising a $2 million round in tranches—starting with $500,000 on a $6 million valuation (about 50% subscribed at that time), with a larger equity round to follow once the first tranche closed. The Series A would come from a VC focused on the 3D printing space, though details couldn't be disclosed until the term sheet was final. Drew, at 43 and single, was working five to six hours of sleep per night in typical startup fashion, betting that white-labeling software to hardware manufacturers and building a thriving app ecosystem would make AstroPrint the default platform for the 3D printing industry.