Social media tileRussell Golden and Todd Carriker weren't looking to launch a new company.
The men, who'd known each other for years, had built their own successful startups and were still running them.
The idea for The Fab Cloud came up during a game of craps. The two were on vacation with their spouses at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.
"Initially it was kind of a joke," says, Carriker, an IT specialist.
After they got stateside, each realized something real could be had: The Fab Cloud would use the web to bridge the gap between companies that don't have equipment to additively manufacture prototypes or production parts and those that have the equipment and might not be using it to its full capacity.
"Customers struggle to find the right additive manufacturing partner," says Golden. "They have many questions about technologies, capabilities."
Golden, a mechanical engineer, was already doing something similar, just not in additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. His company, Turbo Tech, works with customers on a personalized basis to get them the exact parts they need through manufacturers that are part of Turbo Tech's network.
"He reached out to me and said, 'Were you serious about this?' " Carriker recalls. "And I said, 'I was going to call you. ' "
The concept for the company made sense given their backgrounds.
"It was one of those things that kind of materialized because of who we are and what we do," Carriker says.
This story first appeared in Edge magazine, which may be viewed online at www.meetsforbusiness.com
ABOUT
Founded: March 2014 by Russell Golden, Todd Carriker About the founders: Carriker has been in the technology business since graduating from California State University at Chico with a bachelor's degree in business administration. In 2010 he independently founded, and still owns, The Wired Mouse, an IT solutions provider located in Asheville, North Carolina. He also founded Rhino Networks, a networking solutions company, in 2013, also in Asheville. Golden has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Mercer University. He is the owner of Turbo Tech, LLC, a Chattanooga-based company he founded in 2010. Prior to that he was an application engineer with Borg Warner, in Asheville, and then joined the company's purchasing group. The founders' companies have combined revenue of about $20 million, with about half coming from each man's enterprises, they said. About the company: A web platform that connects potential customers who need 3D printing for parts production with companies in the additive manufacturing industry who are looking for customers. Fab Cloud customers submit projects and have access to the company's partners, such as additive machine builders, additive service providers, material suppliers and post-processing providers. Fab Cloud works with customers to come up with additive manufacturing designs. Golden and Carriker have put about $15,000 of their own money into the company. The pitch: Fab Cloud is looking for strategic partners, particularly entities involved with 3-D printing or with access to 3-D printing equipment. The vision: With more resources the company will launch a web-based customer center that enables it to automate its manual process, so it can scale quickly. It also plans to hire web developers and increase marketing. Fun facts: Carriker hails from Napa, California. Family connections brought him to the Southeast. He loves to golf when he gets the chance. Golden was a deacon at Northshore Fellowship, in Chattanooga, for three years. His first stab at owning a business - and the inkling that got him on an entrepreneurial track - was operating a retail cell phone store in Asheville. He closed it about two years later, when he moved to Chattanooga. Contact: russell@thefabcloud.com