Led · Equity · Feb 2026

Founded in 2020, Dresden-based Additive Drives combines proprietary 3D-printing with conventional manufacturing to produce lightweight, magnet-free electric motors that reach up to 98 % efficiency, surpassing the IEC’s IE5 benchmark and approaching IE7 performance. The technology lowers overall energy loss by roughly 70 %, delivers class-leading thrust-to-weight ratios, and can be prototyped in as little as 21 days. Its products address energy-intensive markets such as e-mobility, aerospace, robotics, data centres and quantum computing. Additive Drives counts Amazon, Airbus, Audi, Schaeffler and BMW among its customers and claims to have been cash-positive early in its life. By eliminating rare-earth magnets, the company also reduces supply-chain risk while supporting European industrial sovereignty. Management is led by founders Philipp Arnold, Axel Helm and Dr. Jakob Jung. The firm positions itself as a scalable enabler of Europe’s broader electrification and sustainability agendas.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2025

Headmade Materials leverages its proprietary ColdMetalFusion (CMF) technology, which merges powder metallurgy with established selective laser sintering, to overcome many of the cost, energy, and design constraints that have limited metal additive manufacturing. By working on low-cost plastic 3D printers and requiring less energy, CMF lowers barriers to entry for firms adopting metal 3D printing while also reducing material waste and lead times. Unlike many competing solutions, CMF supports stainless steel as well as high-performance metals such as titanium, tungsten carbide, Inconel, and other nickel-based alloys, enabling applications in industrial manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and medical sectors. The company plans to use its latest funding to develop additional materials, extend compatibility to more printer models, and scale commercial applications across multiple industries. Headmade sees these developments as part of a broader mission to make metal 3D printing more accessible, sustainable, and scalable. Financially, the firm just raised €1.8 million from both new and existing investors, adding to earlier backing from Matterwave Ventures, AM Ventures, and the European Innovation Council. This fresh capital positions the company to accelerate its technology roadmap and reinforce its leadership in metal additive manufacturing.

Participated · Series B · Nov 2024

Conflux Technology designs and manufactures high-performance heat exchangers using metal additive manufacturing, printing complex, single-part units that are lighter, smaller and more material- and energy-efficient. The company’s core product aims to overcome conventional heat-exchange limitations and help customers reach net-zero goals across sectors such as motorsports, high-powered industrial machines, hydrogen, e-mobility and defense. Conflux is developing Conflux Production Systems (CPS), an end-to-end automated manufacturing solution to replace traditional heat exchanger plants and scale production of complex AM structures. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate CPS development, scale hiring, and expand customer support across the US, Europe and Asia. Conflux is partnering with Odys Aviation to develop a heat recuperator turbogenerator for integration into Odys’ Laila regional VTOL aircraft, targeting >40% fuel consumption reduction and enabling a 450-mile range with payloads up to 130 pounds. The company says it is addressing a $6 billion segment of the global heat exchanger market and intends to productize both designs and manufacturing processes so customers can produce Conflux heat exchangers locally. Conflux Technology designs and manufactures optimized metal heat exchangers using metal additive manufacturing combined with computational heat‑transfer simulation. Founded in 2017 by Michael Fuller, the company pairs FEA and CFD simulation with processing expertise and offers engineering services from initial design through post‑processing. Its customers span automotive, defense, aerospace and oil & gas, and it emphasizes complex monolithic geometries that improve performance, cost and lead time versus conventional devices. The firm has adopted ANSTO’s Synchrotron particle accelerator for sub‑macroscopic inspection and developed 'Conflux Quantify' software to analyze wall thickness, surface roughness and detect structural weaknesses earlier. With AUD 8.5 million raised in a Series A, Conflux says it will accelerate its transformation from R&D into full production, roll out long‑held plans, increase metal AM machine capacity and invest in series‑production platforms. Management also plans to grow the team and further vertically integrate final post‑processing to scale manufacturing.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2024

Fortius Metals develops patented wire-based additive manufacturing alloys and robotic welding processes for large-format 3D printing, with in-house wire manufacturing and wire-arc and wire-laser (wire DED) printing cells. Its proprietary alloys (e.g., 6061-RAM2 and 7075-RAM2) claim up to twice the strength of current commercial welding/printing solutions and improved corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. Customers and partners include the Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, several defense primes, and commercial space companies. The company says its predictive toolpaths and process expertise deliver dimensional accuracy for complex, high-performance parts. Fortius plans to launch additional wire alloys in 2025, including IN625-RAM, 316L-RAM, and 5183-RAM, and aims to reshore metal manufacturing supply chains and create skilled U.S. manufacturing jobs. The company was formed in 2021 and is headquartered near Boulder, Colorado. Fortius Metals develops large-format additive manufacturing systems and patented nanostructured metal alloy wires that enable welding and 3D wire fabrication using high-performance alloys. Its proprietary 6061 aluminum welding wire is designed to solve traditional 'hot cracking' problems, and Fortius says its welds are often twice the strength of incumbent commercial options. The company was formed as a spinout from Elementum 3D; Elementum is headquartered in Erie, CO, and Fortius identifies as a Colorado company. Fortius aims to reshore the metal manufacturing supply chain and support highly skilled jobs in American factories while serving aerospace, automotive, and defense customers. The company intends to use new funding to scale manufacturing capacity, grow the business, and accelerate its go-to-market strategy. AM Ventures is positioned as a strategic partner given its focus on industrial additive manufacturing. Fortius Metals develops reactive additive manufacturing for metal 3D printing, aiming to produce parts for aerospace, automotive and defense markets. Its process introduces new components into metallurgy to improve grain structure and yield stronger, lighter parts. The company is focusing initial work on aluminum, a lightweight metal growing in manufacturing use. Fortius is a spinout of Erie 3D printing company Elementum 3D and was incorporated June 21. The company has two employees and is hiring engineers while seeking commercial facilities to lease. About half of the newly raised capital will be used to purchase capital equipment, and the company plans to move immediately into a seed round.

Participated · Series A · Dec 2023

Vectoflow develops fluid-dynamic measurement devices and 3D-printed flow probes used for precise measurements of speed, temperature and pressure during flight. The company recently closed a new financing round with its existing investors to support expansion. With the new funds it plans to scale series production of its additively manufactured probes and expand manufacturing capacity. Vectoflow is preparing to enter safety-critical aerospace markets and will pursue EN 9100 and EASA Part 21 certifications required for regulated aviation supply. The company also intends to expand into additional markets such as wind energy and other regulated aviation segments including passenger aircraft. Vectoflow strengthened its leadership earlier this year by hiring Stefanie Hach as Chief Commercial Officer to drive commercial expansion; development, production and calibration are based in Gilching. Vectoflow produces standardized and customized 3D‑printed flow measurement technology and Air Data Systems that measure static and total pressure, velocity, and angle of attack. Its hardware is adapted in shape, size and material for applications in wind energy, aviation, turbomachinery development and research. The company is led by co‑founders and co‑CEOs Christian Haigermoser and Katharina Kreitz. Vectoflow raised funds to drive expansion into serial production of instrumentation tailored to the aerospace and energy markets. The article does not disclose operating metrics or revenue. The company is based in Gilching, Germany.