MacroFab Raises $2M In Seed Funding To Help Hardware Startups Manufacture PCB Boards

MacroFab, a platform to help hardware startups prototype and manufacture PCB boards, has raised a $2 million seed round led by Techstars Ventures.

Any company that has worked with manufacturers to produce PCB boards knows how hard it can be. The process is old fashioned and time intensive, with lots of back and forth between the manufacturer and client. Prototyping PCBs is also very expensive, as companies will charge a substantial premium for just producing one or two test boards.

MacroFab provides a solution to this problem with a cloud-based platform that allows users to quickly upload a PCB board design, get an instant quote, and have the board printed in MarcoFab’s factory.

The company has access to an inventory of over 250,000 electronic components, and uses a pricing/risk matrix to suggest what part should be used in your board. For example, if you are only producing a few prototype boards, the platform will suggest that you use a less expensive brand than would be needed for mass production.

Screen Shot 2015-07-27 at 8.00.27 AM

Chris Church, founder of MacroFab, explained that the company has a unique approach to one-off prototype orders that lets them be much less expensive than the competition.

Specifically, MacroFab’s software will consolidate multiple prototyping orders into one large job, so the setup costs can be shared among many customers.

About half of the company’s current orders are for a small quantity of test boards, while the other half are larger orders for mass-produced versions.

MacroFab also has a full-service API, which lets companies receive quotes and place orders without ever visiting the MacroFab site.

Church said the company will use the new funding to bolster its R&D staff, and add new features to the platform.