Hartford Business Journal

14 Hartford Business Journal • February 11, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Gregory Seay gseay@hartfordbusiness.com A s downtown Hartford's Stanley+Techstars Ad- ditive Manufacturing Accelerator readies by summer to host a second crop of aspiring tech-preneurs, nearly half the program's first 10 "graduates'' have opted to make Connecticut their home base for now. Ross Lawless, an electrical-electron- ic engineer from Wicklow, Ireland, and a handful of partners initially came to Hartford last summer, to pursue their vision for a next-generation 3D print- er. But once the 10-week accelerator program ended Oct. 7, Lawless and his team chose to remain and pursue a different product strategy. Now, Lawless, 29, says the 3D printer company he co-founded and runs as CEO — CALT (Computer Aided Life Technology) Dynamics — is close to raising as much as $1 million in private capital to continue development of its first commercial 3D printer capable of producing just-in-time parts. "We're moving very quickly at com- mercializing the product," Lawless said. Hartford is an especially attractive new home, he added, because of its relatively lower commercial overhead and living costs than in Europe or other regions of the U.S. Like CALT, the other three Stanley+Techstars accelerator gradu- ates — MetalMaker 3D, of Ontario, Canada; Astroprint, of San Diego, Calif.; and Kwambio, of the Ukraine, by way of Brooklyn, N.Y. — "all are in the process of getting situated, figur- ing out living arrangements," among other settling-in chores, said Claudia Reuter, a Techstars managing partner based in West Hartford. All are now based in Hartford, except for Groton- based Kwambio. The Stanley+Techstars collabora- tion welcomed its first class in 2018, taking residence in Stanley Black & Decker's new downtown Hartford advanced manufacturing center in Constitution Plaza. It was formed through a partnership between Stanley, the New Britain- based hand- and power-tool giant, and Colorado-based TechStars. As part of the accelerator, startup participants are mentored primarily by Stanley engineers and technolo- gists, with TechStars offering ac- cess to venture and other capital. In return, Stanley gets access to new and emerging technologies developed and harvested via the partnership. For example, Stanley recently seed- ed MetalMaker 3D with a $500,000 investment to help develop its 3D- printing technology, founder-CEO Eric Sammut said. In return, Stanley will get first crack at any new technology that results. The accelerator is seen as a major development for downtown Hartford, which is trying to grow its appeal to startups and tech companies as the city competes for talent and new businesses on a global basis. Some even hold the bold vision of transforming Hartford into a Silicon Valley hub. Nearby downtown, in the Stilts building on Church Street, sits an- other accelerator grooming insurance- technology startups — the Hartford InsurTech Hub. The InsurTech Hub is currently in its second year. At least three startups that participated in its first accelera- tor that ended in April took residence in the city. The hub is housed in incubator and co-working space Upward Hartford, which is launching several other initiatives this year that will lead to 40 total startups calling the city home for part of 2019. Home Bound Amid quest to build Silicon Valley-style hub, some Stanley+Techstars startups eagerly call Hartford 'home' AstroPrint founder-CEO Drew Taylor, of San Diego, says Hartford initially was not on his radar, but that changed after spending time in the city. Ross Lawless and Irene Villafane, co-founders of Computer Aided Life Technology Dynamics (CALT), are close to raising $1 million in private capital. HBJ PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER (From left) Hartford techpreneurs Drew Taylor, Irene Villafane, Eric Sammut and Ross Lawless are among "graduates" of the inaugural Stanley+Techstars Additive Manufacturing Accelerator class who have chosen to continue refining their 3D printing technology in Connecticut.

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