3d printing startup ecosystem
DESCRIPTION
This presentation offers an overview of the surprisingly small visible landscape of 3d printing startups. All startups operating in this domain can be found using Angel List (https://angel.co/3d-printing), Crunchbase (http://www.crunchbase.com/search) or scanning 3D Printing Industries (http://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/07/21/ecosystem-3d-printing-part-5/). There are a couple of very interesting startups tackling a whole different field in 3D printing. My take is from a business model perspective. The full-blown marketplace: Shapeways is currently the most interesting contender having raised 48.5M USD by the like of Horowitz and Index Ventures. They is a marketplace for 3D printed products and an offer for production facilities as well. They serve as a universal 3D printing backend. With some variation, i.Materialise (not really a startup) and Sculpteo (2.5M USD raised) offering more or less the same service. Without the front-end, but with a high-end production service comes Matter.io. Their approach is really exciting, since Shapeways & Co. don’t offer end-customer-suitable quality yet. However, I have to say that I have not ordered from Matter.io yet. Talking about end customer products: The first startups are offering products specifically for the end customer. SOLS Systems just raised a Series A, has 8.15M USD to work with and offers orthopedic soles for now. MakieLab raised 1.55M USD for printing individualized dolls. Focused on design or jewelry products and acting more as a marketplace are New York’s Hatch Hub, London’s Wonderluk and Amsterdam’s Zazzy. Also from the Netherlands, but with a whole different business model is 3D Hubs. Having raised an undisclosed (but big) seedround, 3D Hubs brokers decentralized printing clouds to customers. There are some under-the-radar companies that I am a fan of: The Norwegian startup Uformia develops a new software that works with volume models instead of meshes. Their approach has huge potential impact, from individualization software to high-tech industrial applications. Another big issue that Authentise tackles is IP protection and quality control. Their approach includes a secure production stream and monitored production process. The same approach is offered by Secured 3D. There are more repositories than one can count, but just to mention a few: Pinshape, CGTrader, MakeXYZ, Thingiverse and Kraftwurx are some better known one. All offer a twist to their business model, like design services, production brokerage or open-licensed files. The hardware field is for someone else to explain. But let me mention Formlabs. THey are incredible successful with their desktop printer and raised more than 20M USD after kickstarting their business with a crowdfunding campaign.TRANSCRIPT
Name Logo Category #1 Category '2 Funding Phase Investors Description
Uformia Software - [?] Seed [?] Uformia makes software systems for volumetric 3D modeling
MakieLab Retail
products
Individualization 1.55 Seed - 3D printed toys, from games. Virtual goods + physical goods,
together.
SOLS System Retail
products
Individualization 8.15 Series A - Pioneer of custom mass-manufacturing technology focused
on enabling the personalization of everyday wearables.
Zazzy Retail
products
Individualization [?] Seed - Allows everyone to design and customize 3D printed jewelry.
Hatch Hub Retail
products
- - - - Market place for quality designer products made in small
batches.
Wonderluk Retail
products
- - - - Online destination for curated, customised 3D printed fashion
accessories.
Stilnest Retail
products
- [?] Seed - Stilnest offers designer jewelry made by artists worldwide.
Each week a new collection of hand-picked designs is
released to add to the broad portfolio.
Limemakers Retail
products
Individualization [?] Seed - LimeMakers connects users and customizable products. For
designers behind our offerings we are the digital production
partner and showroom.
Name Logo Category #1 Category '2 Funding Phase Investors Description
MXD 3D Repository,
Software
- 0.345 Seed - Through our marketplaces, one can either ask designers to
design, find a local printer or simply buy an object from the
gallery.
i.Materlialise Production
back-end
Marketplace - - Part of
Materialise
(Belgium)
i.materialise is an online 3D printing service, community and
marketplace for creative people that turns their ideas into 3D
printed reality.
Sculpteo Production
back-end
Marketplace 2.5 Seed - Sculpteo is the first 3D printing cloud engine company.
Shapeways Production
back-end
Marketplace 48.5 Series C Horowitz, Index, Union SquareShapeways is a 3D printing marketplace and community that
enables users to make, buy and sell their own personalized
products.
Matter.io Production
back-end
- 0.4 Seed - Matter.io is simple manufacturing, built for designers. We
make it easy for product designers to spin up production and
logistics as easily as developers spinning up servers.
3D Hubs Printer
Network
- >1 Seed - 3D Hubs is connecting 3D printer owners with people who
want to print.
MakerXYZ Printer
Network
- [?] Seed Intel A 3D printing marketplace.
Pinshape Marketplace - [?] Preseed 500 Startups We're an online marketplace focused on helping exceptional
designers share and sell 3D models, and creating a community
platform for people to explore, download, and order 3D
printed products in 35 materials.
Name Logo Category #1 Category '2 Funding Phase Investors Description
MadeSolid Hardware Materials [?] Seed Y-
Combinator
Focusing on the materials that go into the machines
Formlabs Hardware - 20.8 Series A DFJ First affordable, high-resolution desktop 3D printer.
Makerbot Hardware - 403 Acquisition 3D-Systems MakerBot Industries is a Brooklyn-based company focused on
making open source 3D printers that are both innovative and
affordable.
New Matter Hardware - >0.683 Seed First Round Capital It’s an end-to-end 3D printing system, including our
breakthrough MOD-t 3D printer, complimentary software, and
a store full of cool 3D-printable designs.
Makible Hardware - [?] Seed - Most affordable desktop 3D printer.
Kraftwurx File
Repository
Printer Network 0.4 Seed [?] The Worlds Platform for 3D Printing in the Cloud.
CGTrader File
repository
- [?] Seed Intel CGTrader is a 3D model marketplace for computer graphics
and 3D printing, backed by a strong designer community.
GrabCAD File
Repository
- 13.25 Series B Atlas Ventures, Matrix PartnersThe world's largest community of mechanical engineers.
Name Logo Category #1 Category '2 Funding Phase Investors Description
Thingiverse File
Repository
- - '- Part of
Makerbot
Thingiverse is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-
created digital design files.
Authentise Copyright
protection
- [?] Seed Singularity University LabsAuthentise helps companies to get their designs ready to be
3D printed. Our technology optimize designs and securely
stream them directly to printers, monitoring production and
ensuring its quality.
Secured 3D Copyright
protection
- [?] Seed Alchemist AcceleratorEnterprise security company that offers cloud 3D printing
solutions. To protect copyright of Designers and Enterprises
we securely store and stream 3D models directly to 3D
printers without exposing originals.