Participated · Equity · May 2024

Led by CEO Davide Marini and based in Medford, MA, Inkbit develops a multi-material additive manufacturing system designed for volume production of complex polymer 3D printed parts. Its Vision-Controlled Jetting (VCJ) technology combines advances in computation, chemistry and process control to scale from prototyping to production on the same platform. The system targets rapid manufacturing of innovative products such as complex industrial fluidics and bio-inspired robots. Inkbit says its platform accelerates the translation of ideas into products and enables multi-material manufacturing across development and production. The company intends to use newly raised funds to expand operations and advance development efforts. No operating metrics (revenue/users) were disclosed in the article. Inkbit develops vision-guided, closed-loop 3D printers that use imaging and AI to detect and correct printing errors on the fly. The company’s Vista printer, released in February, builds on its Vision-Controlled Jetting (VCJ) closed-loop feedback technology. Inkbit holds exclusive licensing rights to technology developed with financial support from DARPA. Founded in 2017, the firm says it is experiencing significant growth and plans to scale its team to meet customer demand. The latest funding will be used to expand sales reach in the U.S. and into additional markets including Asia and Europe/Middle East/Africa. Total funding now stands at $45 million after the current round. Inkbit developed the first 3D printer driven by vision-based feedback control and artificial intelligence, using contactless material jetting to print multi-material parts with production-grade materials. The platform adds machine vision and machine learning to material jetting to increase accuracy, reliability and automated quality assurance for every printed part. The company aims to industrialize its system for multi-material and volume manufacturing, expand its materials set for medical, life sciences and robotics applications, and install first units for customers. Inkbit has run an early access program with customers such as Johnson & Johnson and plans to release first systems in 2021 to select customers. The company was spun out of MIT CSAIL in 2017 and is based in Medford, Massachusetts. Prior and public funders include DARPA, the National Science Foundation and MassVentures.

Led · Equity · Nov 2022

Axial3D offers a cloud-based, 510(k) cleared segmentation platform that uses AI algorithms to convert CT and MRI DICOM data into accurate 3D visualizations, printable files, and patient-specific anatomic models. Its tools reduce the time, specialized skill and cost typically required to produce 3D printed models used for pre-surgical planning, diagnostics, education, training and medical device development. The company’s software has been validated with Stratasys printers to produce biomechanically realistic models for multiple specialties. Axial3D intends to expand accessibility of patient-specific 3D printing for hospitals and medical device manufacturers through joint offerings with Stratasys to help scale those programs. The company highlighted plans to discuss the collaboration at RSNA 2022. Axial3D is presented in the release from Belfast, Northern Ireland and Rehovot, Israel. axial3D produces precise patient-specific 3D medical models generated from CT, MRI and PET data to improve pre-operative planning and personalize healthcare. The company specializes in medical 3D printing to advance surgical standards and efficiency. Led by CEO Daniel Crawford, axial3D operates out of Belfast, UK and Claymont, Del. It recently closed a $3M funding round to support its growth. axial3D plans to use the funds to expand its machine learning team, which builds automated algorithms. The company also intends to grow into the U.S. market by opening a regional office. axial3D is a Belfast, UK-based web-based technology company focused on 3D printing in healthcare. It creates precise 3D models generated from patient CT, MRI and PET data to aid diagnosis and enhance pre-operative planning. Its 3D-printed models are used by prominent consultants from the NHS and private healthcare sectors across disciplines including orthopaedics, oncology, oral and maxillofacial, trauma and cardiac surgery. The company raised a second close of seed funding, which now totals £530K. axial3D plans to use the funds to further develop its axial3D insight. Techstart NI and investor Patrick Hurst MBE are named backers, with Hurst joining the board as Chairperson.

Led · Equity · May 2022

MakerBot builds desktop 3D printers and an additive manufacturing ecosystem focused on accessibility, reliability, safety and ease-of-use. The company says it empowers engineers and manages Thingiverse, the largest 3D printing community. MakerBot participates on the UL 2904 standards committee addressing emissions and emphasizes safety, emissions control, precision and ease-of-use. In a strategic merger with Ultimaker the combined business aims to accelerate development of hardware, software and materials and broaden its portfolio for a wide spectrum of customers and applications. The merged entity will pursue responsible and sustainable manufacturing and expand sales and operations across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Headquarters will be maintained in both the Netherlands and New York. The new company secured €60M ($62.4M) in additional funding from existing investors NPM Capital and Stratasys to boost innovation and market expansion. MakerBot builds microwave-sized compact fabrication machines aimed at home rapid prototyping and desktop manufacturing. The company started in 2009 with roughly $75,000 in seed money. Since then it has assembled and sold about 5,200 machines. MakerBot has been expanding its team and recently added Brad Feld to its board. The company faces competition from fabrication-by-mail services like Shapeways and anticipates hardware competitors iterating on speed and materials. While hardware is hard to scale quickly, the firm emphasizes the significance of sub-$1,000 rapid prototyping devices for consumers.