Craitor Ceo Eric Shnell Uses Campus Entrepreneurship Programs to Aid U.S. Military
Eric Shnell has many titles: entrepreneur, CEO, student. However, beyond all of these things, at his core, Shnell is a maker.
That’s the driving force behind his startup Craitor, a 3D printing company working with the United States military. Shnell launched the company with the help of the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars network, and Startup Grind, resources he says have been integral to Craitor’s success.
“When we first started, we knew what the product was going to look like. We’d done initial research and development. We’d done a lot of the technical discussions,” Shnell says. “But we hadn’t really had that moment of clarity where everything comes together. We were still looking for guidance and advice. That’s where the ΩLaunchPad and Techstars came in.”
Shnell is a mechanical engineering student at the University of California at San Diego. When he first transferred to the university from community college, he heard about a maker studio on campus and quickly got involved. That’s where he first connected with the people who would later become Craitor’s founders. There he also met the person who would become one of his advisors.
“Our advisor saw the 3D printer we were building, knew about the supply chain issues in the Marine Corps, and asked us if we’d be interested in talking to some people,” Shnell says.
The advisor thought Shnell’s experience would be a good fit for what the Marine Corps was looking for. The organization was working to incorporate 3D printing and automated manufacturing into their supply chain in an effort to reduce wait times and provide components in critical environments.
“I’ve always wanted to support the Department of Defense and support our armed forces and this was an opportunity to do just that,” Shnell says.
Shnell and his team began working with the Marine Corps as technical advisors, providing guidance and knowledge about 3D printing. They also worked to connect them with resources around San Diego and attempted to find 3D printers that would suit their needs. That’s where they hit a snag.
“While there are 3D printers that somewhat suit their needs, there’s no one making 3D printers for them or customizing and optimizing them for their environment. That’s what they really need,” Shnell says. “They need solutions that are made for them.”
Shnell and his team discovered that off-the-shelf 3D printing solutions weren’t equipped to handle the Marine Corps’ requirements. So Craitor’s founders decided to develop a 3D printing system that was rugged, portable and specifically built for the military.
“That’s where Craitor came from,” Shnell says.
Today, Craitor is working fabricate military grade parts in a wide range of environments. Their 3D printer is drop resistant and is sealed against water, dust, and humidity. It can print parts to specification with minimal operator training by using a cloud network to operate nearly autonomously.
From Maker to CEO
In 2019, Shnell was invited to participate in the Blackstone LaunchPad program. He’d already established a basic knowledge of launching a startup and had a general understanding of concepts like pitching, but he says LaunchPad took what he had learned to the next level and gave him the tools to create Craitor.
“LaunchPad is great for expanding your knowledge beyond just the basics,” Shnell says. “Not only did the education take us to the next level, but the most important part was those connections with advisors, getting to talk to them, expanding my knowledge base and meeting new people. That has been very important. We still talk to a lot of them even today and take advantage of the knowledge they passed onto us.”
While Shnell had already made connections in the defense sector thanks to his defense advisor, he says the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars network connected him with people in the entrepreneur world.
“The advisors provided through the Techstars network were absolutely invaluable to both expanding our network and giving us a better understanding of the 3D printing and defense markets,” Shnell says. “Connecting us with those people, along with the regularly scheduled classes and programs, was incredibly valuable to our growth.”
During his time with the Blackstone LaunchPad, Shnell also participated in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition. As part of that competition, he had the opportunity to attend Startup Grind where he was introduced to the global startup community.
“Startup Grind gave me a better understanding of the startup community as a whole,” Shnell says. “It was incredible to see people of all ages and the diversity of startups that represent Silicon Valley, the startup capital of the world. By participating in Startup Grind you get to see and experience all facets of the startup ecosystem.”
Shnell has always been passionate about helping the U.S. military, but he says the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars network, and Startup Grind gave him the tools to make it happen.
“These resources helped me take my passion and access alot of opportunities,” Shnell says. “Now, we’re looking to expand our partnerships and connect with other people to create an optimal solution for our armed forces and provide for our service members in the field.”
This post is part of a series of interviews and resources from Blackstone Launchpad & Techstars. Want more great reads? Head over to our Student Corner column to keep up with new releases!
