Meet Edward Solicito, the winner of Rice Bowl Philippines’s Founder of the Year award

When he was just nine years old, he used to cook and sell “polvoron” (a Spanish shortbread) to his aunt’s colleagues. He loved the experience and also loved the sense of “reward” he got when people bought and appreciated what he made.

And this ignited a spark and sowed the seed of entrepreneurship in him. “I know even back then that I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he tells his story to e27.

Now 25 years old, Edward Solicito is co-founder and CEO of Kezar3D, a Batangas (Philippines)-headquartered 3D printing startup.

A graduate in Industrial Engineering and MS in Innovation and Business, Solicito started his professional career in 2016 as a freelance prototype designer; he created hardware prototypes for corporations and undergraduate students.

In early 2018, he joined a local manufacturing company as a Management Associate. But his passion for 3D printing triggered him to start Kezar3D in April 2019.

“As an engineering graduate, I was already familiar with the advantages of 3D printing technology and how it could act as a powerful tool in creating prototypes of innovations. I have always envisioned the future where anyone can print his products as easy as printing a document,” says Solicito, who started the firm with his classmate and former business partner Paul Galacan.

Mission

Kezar’s mission is to make 3D printing accessible to the ASEAN population through its low-cost services and country-wide 3D printing kiosks. The startup launched its first kiosk in September this year in Robinsons Lipa and plans on launching two more in Metro Manila and one in Cebu in the next six months.

At present, Kezar targets the academic sector with 3D printing services. It helps Filipino students and innovators convert their designs into tangible products for their academic requirements by lowering the cost of 3D printing. It also assists Filipino technopreneurs and inventors in the creation of their prototypes for their products.

“Imagine a future where Filipino inventors, students or innovators save their design in a flash drive, go to any mall and have their prototype done in a couple of days. That is the future we want to build,” Solicito explains.

Also Read: All you want to know about 3D printing

Kezar’s journey was not smooth. Setting up 3D printing facility was challenging for the co-founders. Lowering the cost of the services and making them accessible while still providing quality prints was equally challenging.

To overcome these hurdles, Kezar formed partnerships and signed exclusive deals with some of its providers, which resulted in a win-win situation for all the parties.

According to Solicito, Kezar is one of the very few companies operating outside of the metro cities in the Philippines. “This made a lot of young programmers and engineers take notice of our company, especially those who don’t want to work in the business districts because of massive traffic, higher cost of living and unconducive work environment,” he shares.

Last June, Kezar3D secured US$180,000 in pre-Series A round of funding.

The Rice Bowl awards

Solicito has recently won the Founder of the Year and People’s Choice awards at the ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards 2019, which was held in Quezon City. He and the Kezar team will be representing the country in the regional stage of the competition in Kuala Lumpur in January 2020.

“These awards were a pleasant surprise because there were many other nominees with higher calibre,” he says. “I guess, in the end, Rice Bowl saw the potential in our startup, and they appreciated how fast we were able to hit significant milestones. This is despite us being a non-metro company, far away from media coverage and investment opportunities.”

What have been your key learnings?

“It has been very challenging and fulfilling. We have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows in 2019, but they have made us stronger. Personally, I feel that while skills and talents do matter in the startup world, it is resilience and the ability to push yourself up when things go wrong is the key even to have a chance to be successful in the fast-changing, competitive world,” he concludes.

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