Selected work · venture · hardware
A photographer’s carry problem became a new kind of company. We rebuilt an $18B category with AI and on-demand additive manufacturing — a fully managed venture at a $20M+ valuation.
The call
A highly regarded photographer called to describe a daily frustration: moving from shoot to shoot with a cobbled-together collection of bags and cases for her expensive gear, and the struggle of getting from one location to another — even when the next setup was only twenty or thirty feet away. What she was describing is a problem most creative professionals face, especially the ones carrying five and six figures of equipment: filmmakers, audio and sound technicians, drone operators, and the like.
What we built
What started as a challenge to build a better stackable case became a brand called Tyo. The Tyo Work System is a beautifully engineered, 3D-printed case system whose cases connect and distribute power to the accessories inside each one, and it is infinitely customizable through a rail system that lets every owner build their own setup and workflow. It saves the average professional more than $25,000 a year in gear that would otherwise be lost, misplaced, or damaged.
The brand
We designed the full brand world — the name, the mark, the voice, and the pre-order experience at mytyo.com. The register is quiet and confident: a warm espresso field, one ivory serif line, and a single gold mark that does the talking.
Move Everything. Carry Nothing.
The world’s finest worksystem™
the worksystem, in the fieldHow we make it
The most exciting part is how we make it. We leveraged AI and additive manufacturing to create an on-demand print capability that removes the traditional barriers to entry in what has been a fairly boring industry. There are no minimum order quantities, no complicated international shipping logistics, and no expensive inventory to carry.
A hub-and-spoke atelier model prints each order in a regional facility close to the customer — which compresses delivery to about seven days, holds inventory at zero, and keeps both the margin and the carbon footprint where they belong.
Color & branding
Because every case is printed to order, color and branding stop being a warehouse problem. Finish, accent color, and co-branding are chosen per unit — so a photographer, a label exec, and a documentary crew each carry a system that looks like theirs, not like stock.
Professional photographer
Artist manager · label exec
Studio · color suite
Field · documentary
The third advantage
Additive printing does something a factory can’t: it lets the owners design the product. Tyo’s Design Lab is a creator marketplace built into the app. Anyone can submit an accessory — a sketch, a photo, a paragraph. The cohort votes each month, the top three every quarter go into production, and the designer earns a royalty for as long as their part ships. Demand and supply become the same motion.
Tyo app · Design Lab
by Sarah K.
by Marcus T.
by Alex R.
Outcome
In its first year, Tyo reached a $20M+ valuation on more than $4.5M in pre-orders — a fully managed venture that Modven designed, branded, engineered, and now runs, producing on demand with zero inventory and roughly seven-day delivery.
A carry problem became a category. The interesting part isn’t the case — it’s that we can print it, near you, without a factory.
Every engagement begins the same way: one paid conversation, one written brief, one clear answer about the edge worth building.