This guy might be the luckiest motherf***er I ever met.
Mike Vindler has built an extraordinary portfolio of companies, including Tronix3D, Revobo, and Tension Dynamics. To be 100% clear: he and his business partner Jason are some of the most skilled innovators and business people I’ve met so far in building this show.
But fortune has favored them, too, in two ways. Check out the full interview below, and keep reading for the scoop.
Fortune 1: Entrepreneurship was a Parking Lot Away
Mike cut his 3D printing teeth (in 2005 — for before we all knew what it even was) at Siemens Energy, where he was given the ability to print to his heart’s content. Across the parking lot, a company called Tronix3D was building out a niobium printing discipline — and Mike became fast friends with the owners given their shared interests.
When a buyer came knocking for the niobium IP, Mike got the news from the owners directly over lunch. Before the meal concluded, Mike had struck a deal to biuy the rest of the operations — and make his own entrepreneurial mark in the 3D printing world.
Fortune 2: The “Undercover Billionaire” Moment
Mike was transitioning from corporate to “startup,” but felt slightly out of his depth. He knew there was plenty he didn’t know. The responsibility of holding his employees' livelihoods in his hands was keeping him awake at night.
So, he brought in a consultant to help steady the ship. A seasoned pro could help, he thought — and he splashed some serious cash. For days, they sat in a conference room, hashing out strategy for 9, 10 hours a day.
But something felt... off. The consultant wasn't acting like a guy billing by the hour. He was casual. He was relating Mike's small startup struggles to massive companies he owned or invested in. So Mike stopped the meeting.
"I know I'm paying you a lot of money," Mike said. "But you're not here for the hourly rate, are you? This doesn't add up. Why are you sitting in my conference room?"
The consultant smiled and dropped the act. “I am looking for deal flow."
He wasn't a consultant. He was a high-net-worth investor who "consulted" for small companies as a way to test their founders. He wanted to see if Mike had the grit, the character, and the vision to handle real capital. And, fortunately, Mike caught the act faster than any other founder the investor had ever worked with. Cha-ching.
Why You Should Watch
In the battle between luck and skill, the answer is pretty obviously “both.” Here are some key pieces from today’s episode I think mix the pair nicely:
The Full "Undercover" Story: How that relationship built the foundation for an industrial empire.
The "Genius in the Garage": The story of Mike’s business partner, Jason, who was hand-building 4K monitors for Samsung and Oculus before the rest of the world caught up.
The 3D Printing "Buzzkill": Why Mike hates it when people print cheap plastic toys (and why he’s printing titanium for aerospace instead).
Sustainability: How Tronix3D became the only facility in the US recycling 100% of their powder on-site.
If you’ve read this far: thank you for sticking with me through 2025, and I hope you continue to enjoy what Thought Liters does in 2026. This should be a big year, if I get everything I want. With that, there’s really one thing I’d ask, for now:
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Cheers!
Adam
