MassChallenge

3D Architech specializes in innovative metal manufacturing solutions using proprietary low-cost 3D printing technology. This enables enhanced design flexibility, improved sustainability, and increased versatility in metal component production.

Engora is a provider of engineering design automation services, focused on enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the engineering process. The company delivers software solutions that assist engineers in developing, sharing, and exploring designs with greater accuracy and creativity. Engora's offerings include building software tools, component search, data management, and decision support services, all aimed at streamlining the engineering workflow and enabling more innovative design development.

Sayetech designs, manufactures, and services smart agricultural machinery tailored for African conditions. Their products enhance productivity and mechanization in smallholder farming, featuring durable equipment, embedded IoT devices, mobile app integration, and affordable access to modern tools.

Castory is a construction software company that provides a platform for progress tracking and documentation, aimed at enhancing efficiency and quality on construction sites. By utilizing a simple wearable camera, Castory captures images from the job site and automatically correlates them with floor plans. This technology allows for remote inspections at any time, facilitating the identification of issues within a collaborative environment. The software is designed to eliminate construction errors by automatically comparing visual data from the site with the blueprints, thereby detecting mismatches. This capability enables construction contractors to address defect detection and building quality challenges effectively, ultimately improving the overall construction process.

CADLAB.io is a cloud-based hardware development platform that provides engineers with a Git-based version control system and collaboration tools tailored for hardware design. It enables native PCB design files to be stored in a repository, and offers in-browser viewing, comparison, and commenting of schematics; a schematic comparison tool helps identify changes quickly, while interactive annotations support hardware design reviews. The platform also visualizes the history of schematic and PCB iterations, supports design reviews, and uses a visual layer for electrical schematics and PCB layouts to improve quality, accelerate product launches, and make the design process transparent for both in-house and outsourced teams.

Nowadays the development of more and more sophisticated machines and constructions is not possible without computer aided design (CAD) software. But the development of CAD drops behind the demands of manufacturing. The decade from late 80’s to late 90’s was a revolutionary period for the CAD industry. This revolution was initiated by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) that introduced parametric feature-based approach to solid modeling, which became de facto the standard for the industry. But the last decade was the years of stagnation in the CAD industry. It was the time the industry was waiting for big game-changing technologies and product to come. Cloud Invent goes to the market with such ground-breaking technology – Cheetah Solver, which allows resolving constrained geometric models containing hundreds of thousands of constraints (solvers of the leading CAD vendors are able to resolve only about some hundreds of constraints). This is their main technological pillar - none of their competitors have a geometric modeling technology that is even close to what they have. Another technological pillar, Cloud Invent is rested on, is the cloud computing, which is supposed to become the mainstream of the software development for the next decades. While main CAD vendors are hesitating whether there are enough reasons to move to the cloud, they are ready to jump now into this new brave world. One of the main bottlenecks of the traditional CAD software is the parallelization of computations in order to use, on one hand, functionality of modern multi-core processors, and, on the other hand, advantages of distributed computing in a cloud environment. The situation with Cheetah solver is the opposite – it is ideal for parallelization, and cloud environment is the perfect place for its race. Cheetah might be a driving force for transition of the CAD industry to such a cloud platforms as Windows Azure of Microsoft, or Amazon Web Services (or some other cloud platforms). Cheetah not only uses the full power of multi-core processors, but can offer cloud environment to any CAD user as his personal super-computer (with unlimited power) and do it on the basis of a much more attractive price model than the traditional per-workplace licensing.

Fortify is an advanced manufacturing startup focused on digital composite manufacturing for 3D-printed parts with optimized material properties. The company uses magnetically aligned reinforcing fibers and high-resolution microstructure control enabled by magnetics and digital light processing to produce carbon fiber reinforced composites with tailored mechanical and electromagnetic performance. Its technology enables engineers to manufacture durable, functional parts with customized material properties for applications such as injection mold tooling and high-performance end-use components.

Makers Empire, established in 2013 and headquartered in Adelaide, Australia, specializes in developing user-friendly 3D design software for K-10 classrooms. Their core product, Makers Empire 3D, is accessible on various devices and facilitates the creation and sharing of real-world 3D printable objects. The company also offers a comprehensive 3D printing learning program, featuring curriculum-aligned lesson plans, teacher management tools, and both online and face-to-face training. Makers Empire serves schools and organizations globally through a network of distributors, currently supporting over 16,000 educators and 850,000 students in forty countries.

Netgen is a software company specializing in the design of engineering network systems for various construction sectors, including industrial, commercial, and residential projects. Its innovative platform automates the design process, significantly enhancing reliability and energy efficiency while accounting for multiple constraints. By reducing capital costs by up to 35% and design time by as much as 90%, Netgen addresses the challenges faced by traditional manual design approaches, which often rely heavily on the experience and intuition of designers and engineers. The software not only optimizes network routing based on various parameters but also identifies mistakes in manual designs and recommends energy-efficient equipment from an extensive database. This comprehensive solution caters to the increasing complexity of modern infrastructure, mitigating the high costs associated with human error in network design.

File2Part is connecting digital and physical worlds using innovative approach to 3D printing. File2Part is implementing a new approach to Rapid prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing equipment and processes. No other 3D printer except Their can produce both functional and full color parts. Their printers are safe to use in any environment including schools. Their software package is the best in the industry. It allows the use of the all existing CAD formats and will work with Google SketchUp. Their low cost products will dominate the fast growing multibillion dollars RP market.

Founded in 2007, Artaic specializes in designing and fabricating custom tile work for commercial and residential markets. Utilizing computer-aided design software and robotic assembly systems, the company creates innovative mosaics for various industries such as hospitality, retail, and public art.