How could a 3-D printer change the world? Well, Formlabs, a startup founded by MIT grads, is trying to figure that out. The 1-year-old company has unveiled a low-cost desktop device that “prints out” physical models for industrial designers and architects. Its investors include Lotus founder Mitch Kapor and MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito. This is an interesting one to watch as we’re seeing a trend toward personalized product creation and a mainstreaming of the “maker” movement.
In other innovation news …
The three-day World Summit on Innovation & Entrepreneurship finishes up on Sept. 28 in Boston. I’m moderating an interactive discussion about the next big opportunities in fields such as health care, education and technology.
Our deal of the week is a $62 million funding round for Mimecast, a U.K.-based email management company with a growing presence in Waltham. The company has over 90 employees locally and is looking to double its U.S. staff in the next year and a half.
Finally, why aren’t more entrepreneurs tackling the big problems of the environment? Well, it turns out many of them are. At least 31 Massachusetts startups are working in the water industry, including Oasys Water and Cambrian Innovation. With billions of people lacking access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, these companies can’t work fast enough.
