Dan Shapiro
Dan Shapiro is the co-founder and CEO of Glowforge and founder of Robot Turtles, and serves as Senior Research Fellow at The Wharton School. He previously founded Ontela, which was acquired, and has held leadership roles at Google, Microsoft, RealNetworks, and Photobucket.com. His expertise includes entrepreneurship and innovation.
Seattle’s history of hardware heartbreak: Big raises, high hopes, hard landings
Seattle’s consumer-hardware ambitions are once again colliding with economic reality. The struggles of Glowforge and Rad Power Bikes echo a long regional history of big raises, high hopes, and hard landings — shaped by the pandemic, VC, and the unforgiving nature of building real products. GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook recorded this conversation for the purpose of providing the audio to an AI tool that turned the conversation into a written column that was edited and reviewed before publication. Check it out here. Related Stories: Glowforge hits restart: After restructuring, co-founders acquire key assets of laser engraver startup…
Glowforge Co-Founders Dan Shapiro and Mark Gosselin Reacquire Startup Assets After Restructuring
Glowforge, the Seattle-based laser engraver startup, has undergone restructuring after financial troubles, with co-founders Dan Shapiro and Mark Gosselin reacquiring key assets to restart operations. They plan to focus on improving hardware, software, and customer service with a smaller team.
Glowforge to Close Seattle Factory and Lay Off Workers After Less Than a Year, Citing Expiring Lease and Redevelopment
Glowforge is closing its Seattle manufacturing facility and laying off workers less than a year after moving some production there, citing an expiring lease and neighborhood redevelopment. The company plans to find a new Seattle office and previously improved production quality compared to its old factory in Mexico.
Organizations
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The Wharton School Senior Research Fellow 2025–present · current
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Glowforge Executive Officer, Director, Promoter 2016–present, Co-founder and CEO 2014–present · current
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Robot Turtles Founder 2013–present · current
Education
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Harvey Mudd College B.S., Engineering · 1993–1997
