MOVERS & shakers
We are currently bringing additive manufacturing and digital fabrication to the construction sector as a new construction method, which makes the process cheaper, cleaner, faster and more sustainable, so our main approach with traditional companies is a pledge for efficiency.
Tell us about your company and how it came about. Urban3D started in a Graduate program I did at NASA Ames in California last year in which we were challenged to use an exponential technology to address a global challenge and I decided to tackle infrastructure, and we’re especially focused on affordable housing.
What does Urban3D aim to achieve? What is your mission? Urban3D aims to lead the movement on sustainable urbanisation powered by technology and our mission is to create spaces where resilient communities can thrive and live well.
What inspired you to start your own business? What particularly led you to create housing components?
I come from a family of immigrants who created their own businesses in order to have a better life so, I guess the idea of having my own business was enrooted in my mind and family culture. What led me to creating housing components was the experience I had in 2012, while I worked for MIT in a development programme, in which I lived in five different slums in São Paulo. That exposure to a brutal reality totally changed my perspective on cities, infrastructure and what we would need to provide people better conditions to be autonomous and
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Did you always know that you wanted to use technology to solve a social problem? I guess this feeling of using technology, as a tool is something I have felt for quite a while. Since when I don’t know exactly, to be honest. I remember myself when I was around 13 or 14 and created a project at a science fair to study the Manhattan project and clearly noticed science and technology are powerful political and social tools for change, either capable of impacting people’s lives positively or negatively.
How challenging is it to convince investors of your company’s potential? How do you go about it? Start-up investors are used to software companies and their idiosyncrasies, being fast growth and really high return over investments if they come be unicorns, but accept a lot of risk. Real Estate investors are used to long-term capital intense investments although they are risk averse. It’s really challenging to show them we’re neither one of the options, but because the technology is already been proven and we’re addressing one of the biggest markets on the planet, I am pretty confident. Up to this point we have received seed capital and now we’re fundraising for our series A.
What are some of the critical challenges you currently face and how do you plan to overcome them?
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