Ric Fulop

Biography:
Ric Fulop is the CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal, a company committed to accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with end-to-end metal 3D printing solutions. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, materials science, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make metal 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world.

Prior to founding Desktop Metal in October 2015, Ric was a General Partner at North Bridge, a VC fund with $3 billion under management, for five years following a fifteen-year career as an entrepreneur. He is the founder of six technology companies, including A123 Systems, Boston’s largest IPO in the past decade.  At his departure, the company had a market capitalization over $1.5 billion and more than 1,800 employees.

At North Bridge, Ric was an early stage investor and board member in Dyn (acquired by Oracle for $600 million), Onshape, MarkForged, Salsify, Lytro and Gridco. Ric led the North Bridge software and 3D investing practices. North Bridge was the original Series A investor in several of the companies that have changed the 3D and CAD/CAM landscape including SolidWorks (acquired by Dassault Systemes), ProtoLabs (NASDAQ: PRLB), SpaceClaim (acquired by Ansys) and Revit (acquired by Autodesk).

Ric is a former Board Member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association and holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School where he was a Sloan Fellow.

Talk Title
New Advances in Metal 3D Printing – From Prototyping to Mass Production

Talk Abstract:
Metal 3D printing has the potential to have a profound impact on the way companies manufacture metal parts. Yet, existing methods today are expensive, slow, and require the use of dangerous lasers and metal powders. This presentation will share major advances in metal 3D printing that make it safer, more affordable and more accessible, while producing near-net-shape parts in a variety of alloys, including stainless steels, copper and H-13 tool steel. With metal 3D printing solutions that cover the full product lifecycle – from prototyping to mass production – Desktop Metal is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make metal 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world.