About our store

It all started when a 10-year-old boy was struggling to find the perfect gift for his mother for Mother’s Day. Time was running out, and he needed to find just the right gift for her. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes fell upon the dusty 3D printer in his family’s garage—the one he had never wanted to learn how to operate until that day.

The idea in his head was a little spark, but that spark was capable of unleashing an unstoppable wildfire. Ten-year-old Owen Cao got to work and started designing the perfect gift for his mom. Once he was done, he learned how to operate the 3D printer from his father, and soon, he had an awesome gift for his mother for Mother’s Day.

A year later, Owen was in desperate need of cash to buy something he wanted. He tried convincing his dad to let him start a lemonade stand and hold a garage sale, but no dice. Then, out of the blue, opportunity came knocking on Owen’s door: start a 3D printing business. Coincidentally, around that time, there was a school soccer cup, and he was tasked with 3D printing Ballon d’Or replicas at $10 each. And just like that, CaoLabz was born.

Owen never stopped growing CaoLabz. He won the CAPA National Showcase for Entrepreneurship in 2024. He continued to sell 3D prints at his school and created this website to further expand his business.