From Childhood Dreams to 3D Realities

Jillian Northrup is the co-founder of Model No. Furniture, a company revolutionizing how furniture is designed, produced, and sold through the use of 3D printing―creating fully customizable and eco-friendly furniture. In addition to managing the daily operations, staffing, marketing, facilities, and sales and production at Model No., Jillian also serves as the COO and Co-Founder of Because We Can, a design-build firm. Jillian worked in the creative industry as a designer for Red Herring and Sephora before operating Because We Can and Model No.

Jillian joins me today to discuss 3D printing and how it’s changing the world. She describes how she pivoted to 3D printing after working in creative design and explains the reasons she found it captivating. She discusses how she co-founded Model No. and how the company uses sustainable materials to manufacture furniture through digital fabrication. She also highlights the many applications of 3D printing and explains what skills individuals need to practice if they want to enter the world of 3D printing and digital fabrication.

“Being able to print things in beautiful, interesting materials is where innovation is going to happen; it’s pushing 3D printing into reality.” - Jillian Northrup

This week on Girls in Tech:

• Running a company from the living room and Jillian’s first introduction to digital fabrication
• What a CNC machine is, how it works, and why it’s different from 3D printing
• How Jillian became captivated by 3D printing
• Co-founding Model No. and the company’s “planet-first” ethos
• The materials Model No. uses and how they reduce environmental waste
• Why Model No. decided against using petroleum-based materials from the beginning
• Printing wood products and how using PLA plastics helps the agricultural industry
• Mushroom leather, carbon fiber, and other emerging sustainable materials
• Skills related to 3D printing and the possible applications of 3D printing in space exploration

Connect with Jillian Northrup:

• Model No. Furniture
• Because We Can
• Model No. on LinkedIn
• Model No. on Instagram
• Model No. on Facebook
• Model No. on Pinterest
• Jillian Northrup on LinkedIn

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