AM Ventures, the foremost venture capital firm for the additive manufacturing sector, has just announced the final closing of its dedicated industrial 3D printing venture capital fund.
Initially announced back in March 2021, the oversubscribed seed and early-growth fund managed to close at the adventurous pre-set hard cap of €100 million. It will focus solely on startups built around industrial-grade 3D printing offerings, including hardware, software, materials, and applications.
AM Ventures aims to utilize its capital to expand its existing portfolio of companies while accelerating innovation and growth in the industrial sector.
“The additive manufacturing industry has shown steady and strong growth over the last decade and startups have played a crucial role during this time,” said Arno Held, co-founder and managing partner of AM Ventures. “We are convinced that startups will continue to be key in providing the innovation required to finally bring the digital world to the real world, and that they will help to produce industrial goods in a sustainable manner and thus strengthen supply chains and tackle climate change.”
17 portfolio companies in six countries
Established by EOS founder Hans Langer back in 2013, AM Ventures has dedicated itself to identifying and investing in 3D printing start-ups with mass-market potential.
As it stands, the firm manages an extensive seed portfolio of 17 companies across six countries and three continents. Over the past two years alone, the far-reaching VC leader has led several major investment rounds, including backing the expansion of German 3D printing start-up MetShape. MetShape’s proprietary Lithography Metal Manufacturing (LMM) process allows users to flexibly 3D print parts with complex geometries at scale, while potentially bringing them substantial cost savings.
Just this year, AM Ventures also led a €2.5 million funding round for Headmade Materials, developer of the ColdMetalFusion 3D printing process. The technology is marketed as a mix between selective laser sintering (SLS), debinding, and sintering, but is set apart from conventional SLS by the use of the firm’s special in-house powder materials.
Additionally, the company recently contributed to four other follow-on funding rounds supporting its existing portfolio firms. This includes an $8.5 million (AUD) Series A round for Conflux Technology, a specialist in 3D printed heat exchangers, as well as a $50 million Series C investment in Lightforce Orthodontics, which 3D prints patient-specific dental parts.
€100 million for industrial 3D printing
AM Ventures states that its $100 million industrial 3D printing fund greatly strengthens its position in the additive manufacturing sector. Interestingly, the fund included multi-million dollar investments from the expected asset managers, multinational corporations, family offices, and SMEs, but it also comprised investments from various startup founders who have previously been backed by AM Ventures.
Johann Oberhofer, co-founder and managing partner at AM Ventures, adds, “The fact that portfolio company founders are now investing in our fund is a great validation of our exceptional effort. We are proud of the high-level commitment and trust from prime investors that support us on our mission to leading sustainable additive revolutions.”
Moving forward, Oberhofer and Held will look to support early-stage enterprises innovating in the fields of industrial 3D printing hardware, software, materials, and applications.
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Featured image shows Arno Held and Johann Oberhofer. Photo via Tobias Hase.
