Glowforge makes an award-winning 3D laser printer that uses subtractive technology to cut, engrave, and score materials such as wood, leather, acrylic, fabric and even chocolate. The company offers a cloud-based app and has launched Magic Canvas, a generative-AI feature that turns simple text prompts into physical product designs. Glowforge reports more than 100,000 creators using its machines and presence in over 4,000 U.S. schools; Magic Canvas generates roughly 5,000 unique images per day. The company says 88% of creators use their machine to earn supplemental income, and small businesses and gig workers are a meaningful user segment. Founded in 2015, Glowforge began with a crowdfunding campaign that raised over $27 million in pre-orders. The company plans to use new financing to accelerate innovation and expand product offerings and services. Glowforge produces user-friendly laser-cutting and engraving hardware aimed at hobbyists, makers and classrooms. Its flagship product, the Glowforge Pro, is marketed as a “3D laser printer” and retails around $7,000, with features like Wi‑Fi connectivity and an onboard camera. The company emphasizes ease of use and positioning the device as a personal factory that lets creators bring designs into the physical world. Glowforge has leaned into education as a growth market after the consumer hobby market showed limits. Management says the recent funding will accelerate R&D and commercialization of its products. Since founding, the company has carved out a niche with well-designed, premium-priced machines, though questions remain about total addressable market size for specialty devices. Glowforge builds a wireless desktop 3D laser printer and a cloud-based web app that lets designers, artists, and makers cut and engrave materials such as wood, leather, acrylic, fabric, paper and even chocolate. The device uses subtractive laser cutting and engraving rather than additive plastic printing, and the web app provides previews and drag-and-drop positioning before printing. Glowforge made crowdfunding history in 2015, raising nearly $28 million in 30 days, and launched its first machine to the public in April 2018. JOANN has invested in the company and become Glowforge’s brick-and-mortar national retail partner, enabling in-store demos and customer access. The partnership includes a rollout to select JOANN stores and an in-mall kiosk at Natick Mall, with expansion across JOANN’s 865-store chain in 2019 and availability for custom online orders. Glowforge and JOANN will also collaborate to develop supplies and tools to optimize the machines’ capabilities and broaden customer access. Glowforge produces a desktop laser cutter and engraver aimed at home and office users that can cut and engrave materials including leather, wood, acrylic, glass and metal surfaces. Its machines start at $2,495 for the entry-level model and go up to $5,995 for a Pro model that is billed as faster, able to print larger items, and capable of running for longer periods. The Seattle-based startup has opened public sales after a long pre-sale and development period and is offering a May 3 shipping date to new US buyers. Financially, Glowforge has taken on additional capital, topping up with $10M in VC funding from existing investors, and has raised just over $60M to date per Crunchbase, including almost $30M in pre-sales via a 2015 crowdfunding campaign. Some original backers still have not received devices for various reasons, and a quasi-optional air filter accessory costs an additional $995 and is not due to ship until November. The company notes the machine can be used without the filter but requires placement by a window or a 4" dryer hose when used that way. Glowforge produces a desktop laser cutter and engraver targeted at makers and prosumers, and sells devices alongside a proprietary materials ecosystem. The company developed a Proofgrade line with a peel-off coating and UV barcode so a Glowforge can auto-select correct cutting settings; users can also mark the coating with a permanent marker for the device to cut or engrave. Glowforge raised $22 million to begin mass production and to expand hiring and manufacturing, and previously generated $27.9 million in pre-sales via crowdfunding and $9 million in seed and Series A funding. The funding will also support a catalog of materials and premium designs to broaden adoption. Foundry Group and True Ventures, early backers, again invested in the Series B; Foundry’s Brad Feld compared Glowforge to Makerbot. The company is based in Seattle and employs 35 full-time staff, and faces competition from consumer 3-D printers and laser-cutter makers such as FSLaser and EpilogLaser.

Total raised

$133M

Funding rounds

8

Latest round

Series E

Latest activity

May 2023