Capital will go towards new pilot programs further enabling creators of all levels to ‘design, make, and sell’ their ideas via 3D printing
Shapeways – the New York-based platform for services to ‘design, make and sell’ using 3D printing technologies with origins in Eindhoven – today announced $30M Series E funding led by Lux Capital. Other participants in this round include Union Square Ventures, INKEF Capital and Andreessen Horowitz: all recommitting as earlier investors. The capital will be used to accelerate company growth and launch additional services to support Shapeways’ overall vision “to become the complete end-to-end platform helping creators ‘design, make, and sell,’ regardless of 3D modelling experience.” Shapeways says it receives 140,000 uploads by creators each month.
The first program to come out of the expansion is ‘Design With Shapeways’ which offers one-on-one support to creators at any stage of the 3D modelling process. “Whether someone just has the spark of an idea or needs help to optimize a file before production, ‘Design With Shapeways’ will help solve a key pain-point for creators looking to access the benefits of 3D printing without the technical 3D modelling know-how.”
Shapeways is also unveiling ‘Spring & Wonder’, a custom jewellery collection that will allow users to personalize the look, material and design of each piece. Spring & Wonder was created to help demonstrate to creators the company’s soon to be accessible customizable and consumer-facing capabilities via 3D modelling and printing.
Additionally, the team is working on offering an end-to-end service that will help creators successfully scale into small businesses via Shapeways. “Millions of people have brought their product ideas to life with Shapeways thanks to the company’s 3D printing expertise, scale and capability,” shared Zack Schildhorn, a partner at Lux Capital. “The plan is to put this product creation engine in the hands of millions more, through more approachable and expansive services. Life-changing businesses will be built on this platform.”
“We’ve just hit our 10 millionth product printed but we are just getting started, there is so much more to do,” added Greg Kress, CEO of Shapeways. “We want to enable more creators to reach success and this will include supporting them through design services, manufacturing beyond just 3D printing and helping them create small businesses.”
Shapeways has factories and offices in New York, Eindhoven, and partners around the globe. It is a spin-out of the lifestyle incubator of Royal Philips Electronics – investors include Union Square Ventures, Lux Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, INKEF Capital, Index Ventures, Hewlett Packard Ventures and Presidio Ventures.
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