Boston may be known for it’s brainy academic institutions and rich history, but it’s also home to a vibrant tech scene that champions the marriage of hardware and software systems. Companies building medical technology, home electronics, robotics and more have all found a foothold in The Hub — and the community is only growing.
This month, Built In Boston is highlighting two companies that specialize in both hardware and software: Formlabs, which designs professional-grade 3D printers, and Anduril, a defense tech company building drones and security tools. For technologists eager to see their work leap from a screen and into a tangible tool they can hold, there’s good news: These companies are looking to fill over 130 open roles combined.
We spoke to members from both companies, who filled us in on why they chose their current roles, what they’re working on and why they’ve experienced meaningful professional growth since joining the team.
Anduril is a defense technology company that builds tools to help those serving on the front lines.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at Anduril?
I joined Anduril as an intern on the Perception team during the summer of 2021 to learn about and work on deployed machine learning systems. I joined because of the technical challenges, but it was the opportunity to have an incredible amount of ownership and work on a deeply meaningful mission that led me to return almost immediately after my internship concluded. It is truly gratifying to work at a place where cutting-edge technology is applied to an impactful cause.
Not only has the work pushed me to continually learn and apply new skills, but I have also had the opportunity to visit deployment sites and see how the software I contributed to impacts the day-to-day operations of our customers. Anduril promotes a high-ownership culture for everyone from interns to program directors, which allowed me to grow from a software engineer who just writes code to owning problems that our customers face each day.
Alongside the learning opportunities from the work itself, I have learned technical, organizational and strategic skills from my peers and mentors, who are always willing to chat about anything and everything Anduril — and beyond.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Anduril is headed?
I have worked on a variety of teams and projects during my time at Anduril, which has allowed me to see how individual components of our organization are integrated to deliver on our mission. Currently, I am working on our Altius business line, which is a fixed-wing drone that can be launched from various platforms.
Working on Altius has definitely been unique. I have had the chance to work on embedded devices, networking with a drone in the sky, and receiving, processing and reacting to sensor measurements on a computer thousands of feet in the air.
As Altius continues to mature, the potential capabilities of the drone have allowed us to begin conversations with a variety of customers. This, in and of itself, is exciting. I’m thrilled to be part of a product that will have a broad impact on various organizations within the American defense space and with our allies. I have had the opportunity to speak with various groups within the Department of Defense that have shared their experiences downrange and shined light on how we can continue to innovate at Anduril and assist those who serve.
While these opportunities themselves are exciting, the work we have planned — integrating with new platforms, enabling new payloads and adapting our software and hardware systems — also provides opportunities for me to continue to grow as an engineer and teammate, and to expand my impact.
Formlabs builds 3D printers designed to create prototypes, manufacturing tools, models and more across multiple industries.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at Formlabs?
My deciding factors for joining Formlabs had to be the combination of the recruiting team customizing my candidate process to see how I’d fit in, as well as the long-term growth of additive manufacturing as an industry.
Customizing my hiring journey made me feel more at home when taking the jump to committing to a new company, which I felt was important because lots of tech companies are hiring. It was good to get a sense of how established and open the company is before joining.
Being in a high-growth space like additive manufacturing was important to me. And Formlabs is not just a startup — the company is doing very well. Additionally, the entire ecosystem evolving around the company gives me a unique and valuable perspective on the industry.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Formlabs is headed?
I’d love to see how the company is going to look in the future as it continues to set best practices while maintaining the ability to be both disruptive and agile.
Looking at things from the inside, we seem to be growing quickly but at a rate that is manageable and consistent. I’m excited to work directly with the new processes put in place for some of the customer-facing team. I’m also looking forward to the friendly people I’ll be able to meet, and hopefully meet more office dogs.
From a product standpoint, we are following a solid track in steadily offering more consistency and capabilities for the teams that use our solutions.
