Solving for Scale Summit 2025: Gathering Leaders Across the US Manufacturing Renaissance
Last week we co-hosted the Solving for Scale Summit with the MIT Advanced Manufacturing & Design Program. We brought over 80 leaders from the manufacturing ecosystem to MIT’s Samberg Center to work together on solving the key barriers slowing down America's reindustrialization.
Miles Arnone speaking on the future of American manufacturing
As Milo reminded us during her opening remarks, very few Americans have gone from a new product idea to building a full-blown production factory in the US. Luckily, we invited several CEOs and executives who have completed this journey and many more who are on the path right now. Instead of just talking head panels, our goal was to focus on working sessions where lessons could be passed on and relationships fostered that will strengthen the advanced manufacturing ecosystem going forward.
Milo Werner presenting the summit’s opening remarks
Many specific challenges such as scaling production sustainably, assembling the right capital stack, and choosing partners and investors strategically were discussed.
Here are some key takeaways we wanted to share.
Kevin Kassekert providing insights on his experience transforming industries at Tesla and Rivian, and now at VulcanForms
The Time to Relearn Industrialization in the US is Now
Reviving manufacturing in the US is critical to the future of this country. The centralization of supply chains around low cost labor and just-in-time delivery these last 30 years caused us to forget how to fund, staff, and profitably grow manufacturing businesses. If we want to build a more resilient economy in the US, we need to put in the investment in both time and money to relearn what we lost.
"Outsourcing your production might boost profits short-term, but you risk losing control of your intellectual property and competitive edge. That's how companies die."
Dennis Arnow leading an expert breakout on tariffs
We Need to Work on This Together
In our highly competitive global market there isn’t always time or room to share. We received direct feedback from attendees that our summit offered a unique forum for leaders to learn from each other.
"This isn’t just another conference—it’s a working session for those tackling the hardest problems in manufacturing. Together, we're building the future of production."
Growth investor panel led by Jimmy Chuang
The Right Capital Stack is Make or Break
Funding the scale phase of an advanced manufacturing startup is difficult. MIT Prof Andrew Lo spoke about the need to create new classes of financial tools to get companies over the “Valley of Death.” The key, according to Andrew, is to turn what today looks like uncertainty into measurable risk unlocking capital investment.
"Investors can tolerate risk, but they absolutely hate uncertainty. For many, there’s no price high enough to take on the unknown."
Greg Matter speaking on the challenges and opportunities in factory siting
The Decisions You Make Early On Matter Most
Bringing experienced operators into the boardroom can help younger companies see challenges that are “around the corner.” Greg Matter from JLL shared his experiences in helping companies decide where to locate their production footprint. Greg noted that you can't make a bad location a good one through government incentives.
"Scaling advanced manufacturing starts long before a factory is built. If early decisions are wrong, no amount of capital or capacity will fix it."
John Hart, MIT Mechanical Engineering Department Head, providing the summit’s closing remarks
While the Summit at MIT is over, the journey is just starting. We intended the event as a kickoff in building a vibrant advanced manufacturing ecosystem where we can continue to share lessons and help each other. Thanks to the positive feedback from attendees we will continue with future events and programming.
Stay tuned to join in!
