Blending entrepreneurship with 3D printing, BIZ3D challenges students to conceptualize their own business venture, and then design and create the product to fulfill that vision. Developed by Youngstown State University, BIZ3D inspires entrepreneurial thinking realized by today’s technologies. BIZ3D can be incorporated in an existing course or offered as an enrichment program.

Students learn how digital fabrication has revolutionized he opportunities for the entrepreneur to design and create a unique product for commercialization. They learn how 3D printers work and how to use the design programs necessary to create and iterate versions of their product. A unique product is designed and built and a business model is created around that product. Students also learn how to get seed funding in the digital age. This is accomplished by developing and presenting a sales presentation, an “elevator pitch”, and a video promoting their product and their business.