OVERVIEW
What is SOLIDWORKS for Startups?
The SOLIDWORKS for startups program gives eligible early-stage companies free access to the full-suite of SOLIDWORKS tools, including CAD, robust data management, Simulation, Visualize, and more.
Whether you are building a physical prototype, pitching investors, or preparing for manufacturing, the program gives you the tools and support you need.
Eliminate physical prototyping costs by validating designs with FEA and CFD simulation, and demonstrate realistic virtual twins through intuitive visualization, marketing, and collaboration tools.
What’s Included in the SOLIDWORKS Startup Program
- Access SOLIDWORKS products for free – SOLIDWORKS CAD, Simulation, PDM, Visualize, Electrical, CAM, Composer, MBD, Cloud Services, and much more.
- Easy, startup-friendly onboarding that enables you to validate and iterate faster.
- Ongoing technical support and troubleshooting while you grow and scale.
- Get a Formlabs Form 4 (or 4L) SLA 3D Printer with no payments for 90 days.
- Free online training videos, exclusive webinars, and learning resources.
- Co-marketing opportunities such as speaking at SOLIDWORKS events and promotion in SOLIDWORKS campaigns and social communities.
- Access to a team of designers and engineers that specialize in hardware product development for entrepreneurs and startups.
Year 1: 100% Free
100% free access to the SOLIDWORKS portfolio
Year 2: 70% Off
Pay only 30% of market pricing
Year 3: 50% Off
50% off continued access to SOLIDWORKS
Who is the Startup program for?
- Early-stage hardware startups: Small teams validating ideas with fast iteration at low cost
- Growth-stage hardware startups: Building more complex products and starting to think about manufacturing and scalability
- Deep tech, complex engineering startups: Robotics, Medtech devices, Aerospace, etc., with heavier simulation and performance requirements
Consumer products (wearables, home devices)
Robotics / automation
IoT / electronics-integrated products
Mobility / automotive
Medtech / hardware health
SOLIDWORKS for Startups Eligibility Requirements
The Program is open to Startups who are new SOLIDWORKS customers and meet the following criteria:
How to Apply for the Startups Program
Confirm your eligibility and explore the SOLIDWORKS tools and services available through the Startups program.
- Step 1. Submit Your Application
- Step 2. Review and Approval: Wait for a few business days for careful review
- Step 3. Get License: Upon approval, TriMech will contact you and provide you with license access and schedule onboarding
Core Benefit
Free SOLIDWORKS Products
Access these SOLIDWORKS products for free with SOLIDWORKS for Startups.
Additional Benefits
How TriMech Helps You Scale
Partnering with TriMech also gives you access to additional offers and resources
Exclusive Offer
Get a Formlabs Form 4 (or 4L) SLA 3D Printer with no payments for 90 days
Take your product design to the next level with a blazing fast Formlabs SLA 3D printer. Formlabs is the largest supplier of professional stereolithography (SLA) in the world, allowing designers, engineers and makers to rapidly create physical prototypes from SOLIDWORKS.
UNIQUE OFFERING
Startup Services from Design Solutions
Partnering with the TriMech Group means you have access to exclusive design and consultation services
Founded in 1999, with the vision of supporting inventors, startups and ecommerce businesses, Design Solutions is the original firm bridging the gap between concept and market-ready products by offering comprehensive affordable solutions.
* Startup Services from Design are an additional purchase
Why Startups Choose to Work with TriMech Design
TriMech Design understands what it takes to launch a successful startup, that bringing a new product to market is a challenging journey – one filled with obstacles, uncertainties, and many moving parts.
That’s why TriMech Design are dedicated to supporting startups like you every step of the way. Their mission is to give you the tools, expertise, and support you need to go from concept to market with confidence.
TriMech Design's Approach to Startup Success
End-to-end solutions for Startups
Personalized Consultation
TriMech Design begins by getting to know your vision and goals. Through personalized consultations, they work to understand your product, your market, and what success means to you. This understanding becomes the foundation for everything they do, TriMech Design are aligned with your needs from day one.
Concept Development to Prototyping
TriMech Design's design experts work alongside you to take your idea from concept sketches to working prototypes. They focus on simplicity, functionality, and manufacturability, ensuring that the product can be produced efficiently. This phase also includes refining your product to meet both technical and user needs.
Manufacturing Preparation and Production
Once your prototype is perfected, TriMech Design prepare for manufacturing; creating detailed plans and coordinate with trusted manufacturing partners to ensure high quality production runs. TriMech Design manage the first three manufacturing runs so you can be confident that quality control and efficiency are top priorities
Market Entry and Beyond
TriMech Design stay with you through the product launch, helping with strategic marketing support and industry connections. The goal is not just to create a great product, but to ensure that your product reaches its full potential in the market. TriMech Design offer ongoing support, troubleshooting, and improvements to help you succeed well beyond launch day.
Alumni
Who uses SOLIDWORKS for Startups?
Discover businesses who achieved success through the SOLIDWORKS for Startups program.
Ampere EV
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Ampere EV is the leading developer of complete electric drivetrains designed for the conversion of internal combustion vehicles.
Ampere's turnkey Atom Drive System was developed by world-class engineers, it’s built in-house, pre-configured, and ready to install.
AstroBrew
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
AstroBrew is the world's most advanced cold brew coffee maker. Available for pre-order on July 9, 2024 through Kickstarter.
Thanks to SOLIDWORKS startup program, it was fully designed for manufacturing using SOLIDWORKS Professional.
Atomiq
AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
Atomiq is revolutionizing propulsion systems by leveraging its extensive aerospace experience and robust IP portfolio to develop a plasma-based propulsion system.
This technology reduces greenhouse gas emissions, enhances transportation speed, boosts payload capacity, and lowers operational costs.
With concepts already validated, Atomiq is dedicated to advancing and expanding this groundbreaking technology.
Bang'n You
CATERING INDUSTRY
Bang'n You is a cheekily-named bakery specializing in artisanally crafted & small batch culturally Chinese & Southeast Asian treats.
Started out of quarantine boredom during the 2020 pandemic, bang'n you delivers new interpretations of traditional desserts & sweets, including mooncakes, mochi, and Taiwanese pineapple tarts, and always with 人情味 - a personal touch.
BrewNature
ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRY
BrewNature revolutionizes waste management with its cutting-edge in-vessel composter, transforming organic waste into high-value compost in just 5 days. Powered by advanced microbial aid and zero-emission technology, BrewNature offers a fast, eco-friendly, and scalable solution for sustainable waste-to-resource conversion.
Dexai Robotics
ROBOTICS INDUSTRY
Dexai’s mission is to protect the food service industry from difficult labor shortages and to help insulate it from economic ups and downs.
Discover how Dexai utilised the SOLIDWORKS for Startups program to help redefine sous-chefs and design automated solutions to everyday tasks.
"There’s a big human component that I really appreciate about TriMech. It’s very easy to get on the phone with them or email them and get an answer."
Focalpoint Putters
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Focalpoint Putters is a small, family-owned and operated putter company. We aim to provide all golfers with the best quality American-made putters at an affordable price
Innovative Technologies USA
ARCHITECTURAL INDUSTRY
Innovative Technologies USA, llc is a US company which creates technology, products and processes, to improve urban living.
Focusing on building performance, maintenance, energy consumption and MEP systems to reduce carbon emissions, lower energy use, improve energy efficiency and lower cost to residents.
MAWE Technologies
CONSUMER INDUSTRY
MAWE Technologies empowers Africans living in the U.S. by enhancing their day-to-day life with culturally informed technology solutions.
Our flagship product, The Electric Unbraider, is a mechanically driven tool that drastically reduces the time spent loosening braided hair.
MVP Robotics
ROBOTICS INDUSTRY
MVP Robotics are on a mission to improve safety and human performance through applied robotics in grueling environments.
From the sports field to the battlefield, they are intent on designing and building the "most sought after and widely used robots in the world based on superior quality, durability, realism and customer confidence."
Shift Thermal
ARCHITECTURAL INDUSTRIES
Shift Thermal is cutting HVAC costs and decarbonizing heating and cooling for commercial and industrial-scale building owners.
Their FLEX™ technology provides plug-and-play technology to enhance existing HVAC and process cooling systems.
SunThru LLC
ARCHITECTURAL INDUSTRIES
SunThru LLC is a small start-up company based in Schenectady, NY focused on producing highly transparent aerogel monoliths.
With a small team of mechanical engineers and chemists, we also focus on developing various aerogel techniques that allow for aerogels to be easily integrated into Insulated Glazing Units (IGUs).
Currently, SunThru is focused on scaling our manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of our customers.
Comments from SunThru:
"The software is working out great, it is very useful for a small company to have access to SOLIDWORKS software and its capabilities. We definitely want to continue to use the software in the future and hopefully when our 1 year is up, we can figure out the next steps to take to continue the program in some capacity.
We became aware of the program through the CEO John Costa and his relationship with Sean Farrell (one of our former classmates and friends at Union College).
For feedback, I would say our engineers found the platform a little difficult to navigate and the installation process was a little confusing (e.g. having to find solidworks Connect as the actual location to install).
After reaching out to you guys, they were able to figure it out, but that is the only criticism that we have because the program is great overall."
Tutor Intelligence
ROBOTICS INDUSTRY
Tutor Intelligence are a company rooted in the realities of industry, with a team operating at the leading edge of AI research.
Their goal is to be your greatest ally and collaborator in bringing your operations into the artificial intelligence era.
X-Cor Therapeutics
MEDICAL INDUSTRY
X-COR Therapeutics is developing a revolutionary respiratory dialysis technology to directly remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream of patients with respiratory failure.
Their technology offers high CO2 removal rates at ultra-low blood-flows, reducing complexity and improving patient care.
Xpan Inc.
MEDICAL INDUSTRY
Xpan’s surgical device offers unparalleled safety for minimally invasive procedures.
It’s a compact, expandable tool that starts at a 3mm diameter, and widens to 12 mm, adapting to surgical needs.
This innovation leads to fewer complications, smaller wounds, quicker recovery, and enhanced operational efficiency, embodying flexibility and cost-effectiveness for healthcare providers.
SOLIDWORKS for Startups FAQs
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the Startups Program.