Now that Framework has found a foothold in the laptop market, it’s preparing to expand into new product categories. Framework will continue with its modular and repairable philosophy, thankfully, but the company is yet to reveal the full scope of its ambitions.
As a relatively small startup, Framework regularly calls for investors to lay down cash and contribute to new projects. The company’s first product, a modular 13-inch laptop, was funded by $9 million seed fundraising campaign. An investment round in 2022 produced twice as much money and led to the Framework Laptop 16.
Framework is now working to complete an $18 million fundraiser. In a conversation with The Verge, Framework CEO Nirav Patel reveals that this fat stack of cash will push the company into a new, unspecified product category. Patel hasn’t spilled the beans, so we’re left wondering what the next Framework product will be—maybe it’s a modular toaster, a repairable smartphone, or some sort of death ray. We don’t know.
However, we do know that Framework will continue cementing its modular laptop catalog. Some of the employees who work on Framework laptops will also help with the mysterious new product, and like all Framework devices, the new product will be guided by a years-long roadmap.
The company will also stick with its modular and repairable dogma. Patel says that laptops were a good starting point because of low competition and high demand—plenty of people want a repairable laptop, but no companies are willing to sell one. Presumably, Framework’s next product category will be one that isn’t known for repairable, modular, or upgradeable design.
In a press release, Framework reveals that Cooler Master is one of the big investors in this $18 million campaign. Cooler Master previously designed the cooling system for the Laptop 16 is considered a “key strategic partner” for Framework. Additionally, Framework says that it has “additional collaborations with the Cooler Master team in incubation now.”
So, Cooler Master may be involved in Framework’s next product. This could imply that Framework is developing a desktop PC, but the enthusiast desktop space is already modular, repairable, and upgradeable. If a Framework desktop PC is in the works, it would need to target general consumers—it seems unlikely, though it’s entirely possible.
Framework is inviting 100 community members to contribute the final $1 million to its $18 million fundraiser. Accredited investors may apply to join the fundraiser, through an Angellist Roll Up Vehicle (RUV) with a proxy voting agreement. Like any startup company, Framework is a risky investment—I’m only mentioning the fundraiser to provide additional context for this story.
Source: Framework via The Verge
