2018 Wrap Party

That’s it folks. 2018 is a wrap!

We usually do a really bad job of celebrating our accomplishments. Who has time when you need to be heads down and focused?

That is no excuse though so we wanted to take this last opportunity to look back on the year and share our proud moments with all of you — our users and our friends.

Removing barriers around the world

What a ridiculous year for our V-One sales. 42% of the units we’ve ever shipped went out this year and that doesn’t include the rush orders we’re trying to get out before the holidays!

While the majority of these machines are in companies large and small, we’re incredibly proud of all the new research institutes, universities, and even high schools that are using our tools to accelerate learning.

Hands on experience is so important in building new knowledge and skills so we are blessed to be involved in getting electronics into the hands of students and researchers.

Drill attachment launch

When we first launched the V-One, we were constantly asked for a drill attachment to make drilling vias and through holes easier. Well, you asked and we built.

We even dove into the design process — a unique challenge considering the accuracy required for a magnetically attached rotary tool.

Since the launch in February, 44% of all units in the field have a drill. What about the rest? Well, not everyone is making double sided boards (or even using the V-One for printing circuits for that matter).

Voltera is growing

There is nothing we have built at Voltera that I am more proud of than our team. Our merry band of goofballs, weirdos, and occasional well-adjusted adults doubled this year!

You didn’t think all those V-Ones just assembled, sold, shipped, and supported themselves did you? All those amazing videos we’ve been sharing didn’t create themselves. All those batches of inks didn’t test themselves. All those software bugs didn’t squash themselves.

We’ve got an incredible group here that work hard on all the projects on our plate today and are so excited for the new products and services that will be on our plate in 2019.

Reseller growth

On top of growing our internal team, we’ve grown our external team as well. We now have partners in Australia, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, India, Netherlands, Russia, Hong Kong, and the UAE!

While we can get machines to users in Canada, USA, and most of Europe quickly and inexpensively, that has been a challenge in many other places in the world. Then there often are the language barriers and time differences that make responding to sales inquiries or support requests very difficult.

We’re so grateful to be working with some passionate, well-connected, creative, and reliable resellers. Don’t see one in your area? Let us know!

One of Canada's fastest growing companies

We’ve mentioned these before but in the last couple months some pretty legit organizations have recognized us for the work we’ve been doing. We’d like to thank Deloitte Canada and Canadian Business for acknowledging Voltera among the fastest growing companies in Canada.

What sets these awards apart from ones we have received in the past, is the fact that they actually evaluated the financial statements of our business. There was very little opportunity for me to spin a compelling story or to distract with fancy pictures and videos.

Cold, hard numbers made the decision and there is something pure about that. Maybe it is just the engineer in me?

Adding a live in-app chat

If you feel like this is out of place in a list of other huge wins for the company, then you don’t understand what a game changer this has been for us.

There is nothing worse than running into a problem and feeling helpless. That starts the hunt for online resources that never truly correct the issue. Or maybe you’re presented one of those “contact us” forms where you put in your email and wait for 24 hours for a response. Oh my gosh we hate those!!

By building a live chat into our software, users have been able to get one of us to help trouble shoot immediately. No more email tag. Lots more real conversations.

Also, if it is easier for people to reach out to us — get this — then they will! If they do, then we get to learn what went wrong and by having more data points we get to see trends and proactively fix common issues. All of this though, starts with us making ourselves more accessible.

What's next for Voltera in 2019?

So what’s next for us?

If you’ve been following us on social media [1, 2, 3, 4] you’ve probably seen glimpses into all the experimental things we’ve been working on.

In 2019 we’re going to be going bigger. Broader. Faster. Weirder!

Stay tune in January where we will lift the curtain about all the new ways we’ll be helping people Build Hardware Faster.

We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday. Spend time with people you love while thinking about what you’re going to be printing next ;)

See you in the new year!