FlashPCB

Company Overview

FlashPCB is a quick turn PCB assembly company based in Philadelphia, PA. Founded by Thomas Castner and George Woskob, FlashPCB offers a streamlined and reliable PCB prototyping solution. The company aims to provide the easiest and fastest way for customers to get their PCB designs assembled.

FlashPCB was founded with the goal of simplifying the PCB prototyping process. The company’s headquarters are located at 2025 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19146. As a relatively young startup in the electronics manufacturing industry, FlashPCB is focused on leveraging technology and automation to offer rapid turnaround times for PCB assembly.

Products Overview

FlashPCB’s core product offering is quick turn PCB assembly services. Their key capabilities include:

1. PCB Manufacturing: FlashPCB can produce 2-layer and 4-layer PCBs with lead times as short as 3 days. They offer board sizes up to 10 inches x 10 inches, with thicknesses of 1.6mm. Surface finish options include Lead-Free HASL and ENIG.

2. Component Placement: FlashPCB can place components as small as 0201 (0603 metric) package size. They support minimum pad pitches of 20 mil (0.5mm).

3. X-Ray Inspection: The company performs X-ray inspection on assembled boards to detect issues like bridging, voids, and missing balls.

4. Automated Design Rule Checks: When customers upload their CAD files, FlashPCB performs automated design rule checks to minimize errors.

5. Online Quoting: FlashPCB offers an instant online quoting system where customers can upload their designs and get pricing in minutes.

6. Bill of Materials (BOM) Management: The company provides tools to easily review and manage the bill of materials for PCB projects.

FlashPCB emphasizes a streamlined 3-step process for customers:

1. Upload CAD Files
2. Review BOM
3. Order Board

For more complex requirements beyond their standard offerings, FlashPCB also provides custom quoting via email.

Founding Team

FlashPCB was co-founded by two individuals with complementary technical backgrounds:

1. Thomas Castner - CEO & Co-founder
   • Educational background: Dual degree from University of Pennsylvania in mechanical engineering and finance, MS in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
   • Experience: Over 10 years of technical experience in PCB design and prototyping, design for manufacturing, and team management
   • Previous roles: Director of Hardware at Allevi (3D bioprinting company), designed instruments for Halo Labs and Gridless Power
2. George Woskob - CTO & Co-founder
   • Educational background: BA in economics and music from University of Chicago, studied in Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Graduate Program
   • Experience: Over 8 years of experience in software development, skilled in product development, AI, and testing methods
   • Previous roles: Software engineer at Covera Health, built products for various industries at ThoughtWorks

The company currently has a small team of 3 full-time employees.

Problem and Market Fit

FlashPCB aims to solve the problem of slow and complicated PCB prototyping processes. Traditional PCB assembly services often have long lead times and complex ordering procedures, which can slow down product development cycles for electronics companies and makers.

By offering rapid turnaround times (as fast as 3 days) and an easy-to-use online platform, FlashPCB fits into the market need for quick, accessible PCB prototyping services. This is particularly valuable for companies and individuals working on IoT devices, consumer electronics, and other products where fast iteration is crucial.

The company’s focus on automation and online tools also aligns with the growing trend of digitization in the manufacturing industry. By allowing customers to get instant quotes and easily manage their designs and BOMs online, FlashPCB is positioning itself as a modern, tech-enabled player in the PCB assembly market.

Business Model

FlashPCB operates on a B2B and B2C model, offering its PCB assembly services to both companies and individual makers/hobbyists. Their business model appears to be based on the following key elements:

1. Per-Order Revenue: The company likely generates revenue on a per-order basis, charging customers for each PCB assembly job.

2. Tiered Pricing: While not explicitly stated, it’s common in the industry to offer tiered pricing based on factors like board complexity, component count, and turnaround time.

3. Value-Added Services: Additional services like X-ray inspection may be offered as premium add-ons.

4. Economies of Scale: By focusing on quick-turn, lower volume orders, FlashPCB can likely command higher margins than traditional high-volume PCB manufacturers.

5. Online Platform: The company’s investment in an easy-to-use online platform likely helps to reduce customer acquisition costs and streamline operations.

Competitive Landscape

The PCB assembly market is competitive, with several established players and newer entrants. While the provided information doesn’t explicitly mention competitors, some likely competitors in the quick-turn PCB assembly space include:

1. Tempo Automation
2. CircuitHub
3. MacroFab
4. PCB:NG
5. Advanced Circuits

FlashPCB appears to differentiate itself through its focus on rapid turnaround times, user-friendly online platform, and automated design rule checks. The founders’ backgrounds in both hardware and software development may also give the company an edge in developing efficient, tech-enabled manufacturing processes.

Customers

The provided information doesn’t list specific customers. However, based on the company’s offerings, likely customer segments include:

1. Electronics startups and small-to-medium sized businesses developing new products
2. R&D departments of larger electronics companies
3. Academic institutions and research labs
4. Individual makers and hobbyists working on electronics projects

The company’s blog posts and capabilities suggest they work with customers using popular PCB design software like Eagle, KiCad, and Fusion 360.

Funding and Runway

The provided information does not include details about FlashPCB’s funding rounds or current runway. As a relatively young startup, it’s possible the company is still in its early stages of funding, potentially bootstrapped or backed by angel investors. More information would be needed to provide a comprehensive view of the company’s financial situation.

Relevant News

While there are no major news announcements included in the provided information, some relevant updates from the company’s blog include:

• July 18, 2024: FlashPCB published a blog post exploring surface finishes for PCBs, explaining why they choose ENIG for optimal flatness.
• June 20, 2024: The company introduced a feature allowing customers to copy a BOM from a previous PCB upload, making revisions easier.
• May 20, 2024: FlashPCB highlighted their in-house X-ray inspection capabilities for detecting issues like bridging, voids, and missing balls in PCB assemblies.
• February 6, 2024: The company discussed their efforts in developing an advanced Gerber viewer, aiming to offer “the industry’s best board viewer.”
• January 29, 2024: FlashPCB announced a 3-day lead time for certain PCB assembly services.

These updates suggest that the company is continuously working on improving its services and capabilities to better serve its customers.