Southeast Shoutouts | Former Local Motors CEO using 3D printing for furniture
Founders Fest designed to fill a void following the cancellation of Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week.
From St. Petersburg, FL:
He’s still in the business of additive manufacturing or 3D printing. In this case, however, Jay Rogers, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Local Motors, is now printing furniture rather than the Ollie that he was most known for when it had one of its production facilities in the Hardin Valley area of West Knoxville.
Haddy opened its first microfactory in the Florida city last month, nearly three years after Rogers founded the company in 2022. The 32,000-square-foot facility is, despite its moniker, the world’s largest 3D printing hub. Haddy employs eight robots that utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning to 3D-print furniture and other products with recycled materials. Rogers noted that automated systems are “doing the real work” and “getting smarter along the way.”
He believes proximate manufacturing — strategically moving production closer to target markets — is the solution. A global network of microfactories with continuously learning, automated robots could provide on-demand, highly customizable products while avoiding trade tensions and supply chain disruptions.
From Baton Rouge, LA:
The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report published an article recently about the plans of Abbey Lovett, a local communications coach and entrepreneur, along with a group of local business founders, to launch Founders Fest 2025 later this month. It is a new event aimed at celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship in Baton Rouge.
Lovett, who launched Pathos Collective last year, says she was inspired to create the event after Nexus Louisiana announced it would replace its annual Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week (BREW) with the Nexus Technology Cup, a three-day competition for tech innovators to present their software and hardware projects. She emphasized that Founders Fest is not intended to compete with the Technology Cup but to fill the gap left by BREW’s absence, offering local founders a chance to connect with one another and access resources.
“We just see this as an opportunity to add to what (Nexus is) doing without sacrificing the opportunity to connect and pour into one another,” Lovett says. “There’s no animosity from my perspective, and if (Nexus) wanted to come in and participate and speak on what they’re doing, we’re open to it.”
Founders Fest will take place May 28-29.
From Orlando, FL:
As part of the Orlando Magic and LEAD’s continuing commitment to innovation, the inaugural Magic Venture Challenge recently selected five early stage companies to receive funding, partnerships and/or mentorships through the DeVos family and LEAD Venture Corporation. The five companies are EDGE Sound Research, Proto, Somnee, TOGETHXR, and VisioLab.
For the challenge, each of the five companies were in Orlando to present their companies to an investment committee that included three DeVos family members – Ryan DeVos, Ben VanderWeide, and Cole DeVos, Magic executives, and LEAD’s Thomas H. Rudy. This exclusive event was designed to discover start-ups on the cutting-edge of innovations in the areas of sports, health, and wellness.
The challenge offered individual funding amounts between $50,000 and $200,000 for the start-ups, with up to $750,000 in total investment capital available, made possible through the DeVos family and LEAD. In addition, the companies may secure a commercial arrangement with the Magic or its affiliates, gaining invaluable industry access, mentorship, and potentially even advisory support as they build their footprint in sports and/or health.
Another from Orlando, FL:
Fortress Government Solutions LLC has won the 10-year, $919 million Government Services Administration’s (GSA) Supply Chain Risk Illumination Professional Tools and Services (SCRIPTS) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).
The contract vehicle will enable access to the Fortress suite of artificial intelligence (AI) third-party risk management, supply chain risk management (SCRM), and product security products and services. Fortress secures federal, state, and local government agencies’ supply chains, starting with cybersecurity and going beyond vendor compliance to manage all aspects of SCRM risk.
“I could not be prouder of the Fortress team and our partners,” said Alex Santos, CEO of Fortress. “Relentless teamwork enabled the Fortress Team to emerge as a winner from a crowded field. I am equally proud that our Federal Government decided to move away from pretty tools and sole source awards towards AI solutions that deliver real value to the Department of Defense that fights to keep China and other countries from stealing from America.”
Supplier cybersecurity risk can only be reduced through radical transparency, a comprehensive view of the origins of hardware and software components, and ongoing real-time audits that identify vulnerabilities and provide mitigation solutions. Fortress enables government agencies to gather all critical supplier data to identify all cyber risks, remediate vulnerabilities, and protect our national security.
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