Toggle 3D
Nima started with 3D.ai in 2018, an AI-powered startup that converted 2D photos into 3D models. The core insight was clear: the world is moving to 3D content, especially for e-commerce and commercial applications. However, the AI approach had limitations. Nima realized that most physical products are initially designed in CAD by engineers—so why not give creators direct access to CAD tools instead of trying to automate the conversion? This shift in thinking would define Toggle 3D's future.
In 2021, Next Tech AR Solutions Group acquired 3D.ai for approximately $9.5 million in share consideration (Nima had raised $2 million before the sale). While this might seem like a step backward, Nima saw it strategically: he could incubate the product inside a publicly traded company without chasing VC funding. As he explained, VCs were skeptical—"Does everything need to be 3D? Do you need a 3D version of a toothbrush?"—but Evan, Next Tech's CEO, believed in the vision. Rather than fight for funding, Nima could build with institutional backing.
Toggle 3D was released in beta at the end of September 2022. The product focused on democratizing 3D modeling by making it accessible to non-experts while still supporting professional CAD workflows. The core innovation: converting heavy CAD files into lightweight, web-friendly formats that could be distributed across XR platforms and e-commerce sites. The onboarding flow centered on a single key action: uploading a file and converting it into a 3D design. By the time of this interview, 145 users had signed up since beta launch, with 85% (approximately 123 users) creating and publishing at least one 3D model.
Toggle 3D adopted a freemium strategy—a free tier with limited projects, upload sizes, and features to drive virality and user addiction, coupled with a Pro plan at $29/month per seat offering unlimited designs, exports, and a 75-megabyte file size limit. Dasha, head of product, emphasized that the free tier had to be compelling enough to hook users, but limited enough to drive upgrades.
Toggle 3D is spinning out as its own publicly traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange, with Next Tech retaining approximately half the shares. The team consists of 10 people. The company is targeting multiple use cases: e-commerce product visualization, B2B sales (like Alibaba sellers presenting products interactively), AR/VR content creation, and metaverse applications. Nima positioned Toggle 3D as "the pickaxe to the gold miner"—the foundational tool for the 3D internet.
Similar Companies
Active Campaign
$4.2M/moActive Campaign started in 2003 as an on-premise email marketing solution built by Jason Vanderboom to fund his fine arts degree. After 10 years and 8 employees generating a couple million in revenue, he transitioned to a SaaS model starting at $9/month. The company now has over 60,000 customers generating over $50 million annually and employs 330 people, growing primarily through organic adoption, partnerships, and focus on the SMB market despite pressure to move upmarket.
Ahrefs
$3.3M/moAhrefs is a bootstrapped SaaS company providing SEO and backlink analysis tools, currently generating over $40M ARR with 45 employees. After joining in 2015, Tim Solo transformed the blog from 15,000 to 250,000+ monthly Google visitors by shifting from publishing what they wanted to write about to targeting keywords people actually search for, creating high-quality content with direct product integration, and continuously updating articles to accumulate backlinks. The company breaks conventional marketing wisdom by not using customer personas, growth hacks, or detailed analytics—instead focusing entirely on product quality and audience education through blog content.
NutriSense
$3.3M/moNutriSense is a direct-to-consumer metabolic health platform that pairs continuous glucose monitoring devices with proprietary software analytics and dietitian coaching. Launched in September 2019 with pre-sales in keto and Oura Ring Facebook groups, the company grew from under $1M MRR a year ago to $3.3M MRR today (3x growth), with 15,000-16,000 active paying customers and 170 employees. The business has raised $32M in funding across multiple rounds since a $250K seed in early 2020.
Solides
$2.6M/moSolides is the leading HR tech platform for small and medium companies in Brazil, providing talent management software for hiring, development, and retention. Founded in 2010 but pivoted to a subscription model in 2015, the company achieved $31.2M ARR as of March 2023 (100% growth YoY) with 20,000 paying customers managing close to 2 million employees. Alessandro Garcia raised a $100M Series B at an $800M valuation in 2022 and is targeting a $60M run rate by end of 2023, with plans to IPO once reaching $200M in revenue.
Calendly
$2.5M/moTope Awotona founded Calendly after three failed startups taught him the importance of solving real problems rather than chasing money. He spent six months validating the scheduling tool idea by studying competitors' products and user forums, then went all-in by emptying his bank account and hiring engineers in Ukraine. Calendly achieved product-market fit through a freemium model that optimized for invitee experience, growing to 4 million users and $30M ARR largely through organic viral growth and word-of-mouth.