D2M actively engages in a process of incubating new exciting technologies whether the concepts are generated from internal or external resources. D2M Ventures combines incubation with venture investments. Sharing in the risk and the upside of a venture is part of our DNA and what makes D2M stand out in the field of consulting design firms. We intimately understand the entire process of what it takes to get a product out to the market, from defining the user experience to landing products on the shelf.
Here are some of our current and past venture deals:
Kerbango
A group of hyper-talented former Mac developers came to D2M in 1999 with a crazy idea: a radio with an a super elegant mac-like user interface, an Ethernet jack and great sound that could deliver music from all the internet radio stations around the world. D2M helped them design the radio, and launch it into manufacturing. One month after they shipped their first radios, and 3 months prior to the internet bubble bursting, 3Com acquired Kerbango for $85M. Sometimes, timing is everything!
Arena Solutions
When one of our designers came to us and informed us that he was thinking of joining a start-up without any funding, we let him continue to work at D2M until they had funding and became one of the first test sites for what is now the industry leading cloud based bill of materials management software tools. www.arenasolutions.com
RoboToolz
The founder of D2M, long before he received his engineering degree, banged hammers for a living, working as a carpenter. With this background came a love for tools and a desire to marry technology and needs of the construction professional. RoboToolz was the first company that marketed user friendly laser measuring technologies through mass market home centers such as Home Depot and Lowes. D2M incubated RoboToolz by inventing over 17 patentable technologies, composing its go-to-market strategy, hiring all the key executives, raising its capital, and by designing innovative merchandising programs. RoboToolz was acquired by Bosch GmbH in 2007.
Zuvo Water
When the investors behind a water purification company came to us to commercialize a technology that had been successfully tested in laboratories funded by the EPA and Homeland Security, D2M initially just provided consulting design and manufacturing strategies. However as D2M learned more about the water market and Zuvo’s technology, we became more involved on the venture side; first by taking most of our fees in the form of equity and then actually agreeing to transfer the operations from Arizona to our Silicon Valley facilities. D2M has been responsible for developing the business plan, creating the brand, devising a go-to-market strategy, selecting the contract manufacturer in China, and staffing the company with full-time independent executives. Zuvo is now successfully sold through Costco.com , Menards Home Centers and is private labeled with Hansgrohe kitchen faucets.
QuarkArt
In Stealth mode and currently being incubated at D2M.
