Good hardware ideas were dying between the sketch and the factory.
So in 2016 we built a studio to close that gap: designers, engineers and machinists in one room, with the tools to make anything they draw.
Our story
Caroline Vance and Theo Lindqvist met on a consumer-electronics program that took eleven months to get a working prototype, mostly waiting on outside shops, chasing quotes and redrawing parts no one had checked for manufacturability.
They were convinced it didn’t have to be that slow. If the people who design a part could walk over and watch it being cut, half the revisions would never happen. If test rigs were built alongside the product, problems would surface in week three instead of month nine.
Rodeo Orbital started in a 900 sq ft unit off Brighton Boulevard with one 3D printer, a borrowed mill and a single client. The name came from the whiteboard in that first unit: rodeo for the scrappy, hands-on way we work; orbital for the discipline of a process that comes back around, every build, until the product is right.
Today we are a team of 24 in a 14,500 sq ft studio and machine shop in Denver’s RiNo district, working with startups and established manufacturers across North America and Europe. We are still independent, still hands-on, and we still read every inquiry ourselves.
By the numbers
What we believe
Four rules we try hard not to break.
Build to learn
A rough part on the bench answers more questions than a perfect slide. We prototype early and often, and we let evidence settle arguments.
Say the hard thing early
If a requirement is unrealistic or a schedule is slipping, you hear it from us first, with options, not excuses.
Designers who build
Our engineers spend time in the shop. Knowing how a part is made changes how it is designed.
Quiet by default
Most of our clients are pre-launch. We protect their work as if it were our own, and we never publish a project without written permission.
Timeline
Ten years, one bench at a time.
- 2016
Founded by Caroline Vance and Theo Lindqvist in a 900 sq ft unit off Brighton Boulevard with one 3D printer and a borrowed mill.
- 2018
First medical device program. Hired our first full-time machinist and moved into a 4,000 sq ft space.
- 2020
Added an in-house electronics assembly line and firmware team so boards could be built and brought up under one roof.
- 2022
Moved to our current 14,500 sq ft studio and shop in RiNo. Commissioned the thermal chamber and shake table.
- 2024
Passed 150 delivered prototypes. Launched pilot production services for clients scaling to contract manufacturing.
- Today
A team of 24 designers, engineers, machinists and operators working with hardware teams across North America and Europe.
Leadership
The people accountable for your program.
The studio
Come see the shop.
We’re in Denver’s River North Art District, about ten minutes from Union Station. Client visits are by appointment so we can make sure confidential projects are covered before you walk the floor.
Rodeo Orbital3825 Walnut Street, Suite 210
Denver, CO 80205
Mon-Fri · 8:00-17:30 MTBook a visit →
Next step
Tell us what you’re building.
Share as much or as little as you can. A senior engineer reads every inquiry and replies within one business day, usually with a few sharp questions and a suggested first step.