Formlabs, a maker of 3D printers, announced that Dan Riccio, former senior vice president of hardware engineering at Apple, has taken a stake in the company and joined as a strategic adviser.
Riccio spent 17 years at Apple, where he led the hardware engineering division through product launches including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Formlabs, founded in 2011, has built its business around desktop and production-scale resin and SLS printers.
The company did not disclose the size of Riccio's stake or terms of his advisory arrangement. Riccio's role is advisory rather than a board position, according to sources familiar with the announcement.
Riccio left Apple in 2022 after nearly two decades in hardware leadership. Since then, he has taken advisory and investment roles at several hardware and manufacturing companies, building a portfolio in the industrial and commercial technology sector. His background in bringing complex engineered products to market at scale is uncommon among strategic advisers to 3D printing firms, most of whose leadership has come from software, materials science, or traditional manufacturing backgrounds.
Formlabs has raised roughly $200 million in venture capital and competes in a market where stereolithography and selective laser sintering remain capital-intensive, requiring expertise in thermal management, optical systems, and material compatibility. The company has positioned its printers for use in dental labs, jewelry production, and advanced manufacturing.
Riccio's appointment reflects a shift among hardware startups toward operational rigor in production and supply chain management. Apple's approach to design and manufacturing has become a reference point for hardware founders attempting to move beyond proof-of-concept into production at scale.
