T-24-003 : Christina Perla - Industrial Designer to On Demand Manufacturing
Christina Perla, co-founder and CEO of Makelab, discusses her transition from industrial design at Converse to running an on-demand 3D printing service. She details the company's hub-and-spoke expansion strategy, including a new San Francisco location and a planned Connecticut factory, while explaining why she rejected venture capital after a fund imploded. Perla emphasizes community building as a core growth strategy and shares insights on the 3D printing industry's current reckoning regarding reliability and marketing honesty.