Interview With Cydni Tetro, Chief Product Officer and President of Retail, WhiteClouds.

Cydni Tetro, Chief Product Officer and President of Retail, WhiteClouds. chats with Otakus & Geeks about 3DPlusMe and Whiteclouds. 

Can you tell us about the origins of 3DplusMe? How did you found the company and what inspired you?

 When we started 3DplusMe, now a division of WhiteClouds, we saw a unique opportunity to tie 3D printing into the storyline of people’s favorite brands. We built a 3D software platform that let us work with brands to create personalized merchandise. The key to our success was our ability to tie into the storylines, to not sell technology but how the technology enhanced the experience and brand affinity for fans. Our founding team has always led the way on new technologies, and spent years working to build businesses out of the newest technologies. We saw this opportunity and the market was ready for us to build it.

 One of the things that 3DplusMe is the ability to scan people’s faces and put it on action figure?

Yes, that is on our personalized product lines.

Can you tell us how this came about to enter the toy market?

What better way to tie fans to brands than to allow them to actually see themselves as their favorite characters. With our strong technology backgrounds we found a way to take 3D face scans, merge those with 3D brand content and create product.

 What are some of the goals for WhiteClouds?

We want to build the 3D cloud infrastructure for brands, channels and partners to launch and build products that bring their fans into their company’s storylines. It doesn’t just mean the large entertainment lines, it also means how can you make personalized braces (like what we did at the Super Bowl). We are building the platform to lead the way to the mass market.

 How did you partner up with Target in Los Angeles?

Target has been a great partner. As one of the leading retail channels we knew we needed to work together, we forged the relationship, evaluated the joint opportunity and deployed the project.

What were some of the challenges of working on this project?

There are a lot of variables at play – from technology, to store marketing, to education consumers to conversion. We have focused on every aspect and work to optimize all of the components. It is a unique experience for everyone – so we work together to solve the challenges and opportunities as they come up.

What can we expect next from 3DplusMe?

 3DplusMe combined forces with WhiteClouds earlier this year and is now a division of WhiteClouds. WhiteClouds is the end-to-end personalization platform for 3D printing, including the world’s largest full-color 3D printing facility. We created the platform that takes 3D personalized products to the masses. We have a lot of exciting products launching in medical, architecture, gaming and entertainment. You will continue to see our platform used as the technology to power 3D printing solutions from brands and channels.