3D printing marketplace Shapeways, has today announced the appointment of Gregory Kress as its new CEO.
Following the departure of co-founder and former CEO Peter Weijmarshausen in August last year, the 3D printing service provider says it has brought Greg on board to accelerate its vision of becoming a complete end-to-end platform which allows creators of all levels to ‘design, make, and sell.’
Most recently Greg served as President and COO of Open Education, a leader in online learning, where he spearheaded its operational and financial success as the business expanded to more than 400,000 students in 25 countries. Prior to that, Greg spent 11 years at GE in various leadership positions across Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing.
Founded in 2007 in the Netherlands and now headquartered in New York, Shapeways has grown to warrant factories and offices in Eindhoven, Queens, and Seattle, offering over 60 different materials and finishes, and receiving 140,000 new design uploads each month. When Shapeways presented on the TCT stage back at CES in 2015, Weijmarshausen reported that its 22,000 shop owners had made a combined $2 million in the previous year, it's a valuable platform for small businesses and makers. With Kress’ hiring, Shapeways plans to implement services that will address both creative and business pain points for its customers, throughout the entire production process, from design to sale and beyond. The company intends to expand its end-to-end services for users to design, make and distribute their products, and also plans to provide production services beyond 3D printing.
We caught up with Greg as Shapeways officially announces his leadership, to ask a few quick questions about his vision for the future of the marketplace and lowering the barriers to 3D printing.
Gregory Kress
Gregory Kress, Shapeways' newly appointed CEO.
TCT: Hi Greg, congratulations on your new role. Tell us about what brought you to Shapeways and your vision for the future of the company?
Greg (GK): I was drawn to the potential Shapeways offers creators. We're in a unique position of being able to bring literally one-of-a-kind products to life through 3D printing. While up until now, that's required someone having a 3D file, I see endless potential for enabling anyone with an idea to access that same accomplishment, regardless of technical know-how or access to industrial technology.
What are you bringing to the table from your experience at Open Education and GE?
GK: While at GE, I worked in an endless array of leadership roles, across a lot of different business and functions, enabling me to become comfortable with tackling all types of challenges from a business. At Open Education I identified and removed areas of friction between the consumer and their end-goal. By bringing a similar approach to the design, production, and selling process here at Shapeways, I can similarly address ways to lower the barrier to entry.
Your focus is to help lower the barrier of entry to 3D printing - what are your thoughts on 3D printing and Shapeways as tools to help new businesses get started?
GK: We've seen thousands of creators utilizing Shapeways to launch businesses because the capability of on-demand production, end-to-end fulfillment from printing to shipment, and low start-up cost enables them to explore their entrepreneurial dreams relatively risk-free.
Are there any Shapeways user stories you can share that have particularly inspired you?
GK: I'm still getting familiarized with the incredible breadth of the community but I'm particularly impressed by the range of projects people are using Shapeways for. Whether bespoke knee braces from Osskin, customised D&D miniatures from HeroForge, or an artist using his medical data for jewelry, there's no shortage of inspiration.
SLS build breakout at the Shapeways' factory.
Shapeways typically comes under the consumer arm of the industry - a sector which, in some aspects, hasn’t lived up to the hype. Where do you see Shapeways position in the industry going forward and is there still a viable market in that consumer space?
GK: Shapeways has been building an incredible infrastructure which allows consumers access to over 60 different materials and finishes, all printed on industrial-grade machines. With this strong foundation, we're ready to introduce the platform to the general consumer by providing them with free and easy-to-use creators, tutorials, and design-support that will eliminate the frictions they would have otherwise encountered until now.
Which industries is Shapeways primarily serving right now?
GK: Our community has been printing products in every niche imaginable: from jewelry to tabletop gaming; prosthetics to eggs shells for wildlife conservation; prototyping to alter-ready wedding rings. If you can imagine it, people have probably printed it.
Shapeways is approaching its 10th millionth printed product - that’s quite a milestone. Are there any key milestones you're aiming towards in the near future?
GK: We'd love to see an exponential expansion in everyday consumers using Shapeways to bring their ideas to life. With that goal in mind, the milestones are infinite.
