Dedicated to additive manufacturing, the €100 million venture fund closed on Friday.

Here’s a specialist, industry-specific venture fund dedicated to the industrial 3D printing industry. AM Ventures closed last week on a €100 million fund that will back founders looking to transform the world with 3D printing. (Forbes)

There is a huge market ready and waiting. The 3D printing industry is expected to grow to a USD 350 billion market by 2035 with an average CAGR of 22% (Source BCG, Gartner).

AM Ventures is backed by the LANGER Group and has partnered with leading European independent investment and asset management company KGAL to form the new fund.

KGAL has an investment volume of €15B and has launched more than 390 funds over its 53-year history.

The vision for 3D printing

The fund backs founders with check sizes between €500k to €3m and in the stages from seed to growth.

According to the AM Ventures website, entrepreneurs should have the potential to:

• Reduce the need for energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing (less waste, distributed manufacturing)
• Innovate the way products are being designed and manufactured (weight reduction, customization, functional integration)
• Drive the adoption of digitization in advanced manufacturing (fully digitized processes)

The firm was born in 2015, spun out of 3D printer manufacturer EOS, and starting with just two employees.

“We started looking at startups around the planet, and were surprised with how many there were, many hundreds already,” said Chief Venture Officer Arno Held to Forbes.

Portfolio

AM Ventures has already backed 15 startups across six countries.

For example, Additive Drives takes electric motors to the next level – it develops highly efficient 3D-printed windings for electric motors (picture below)

Conflux Technology develops, manufactures, and sells advanced heat exchangers, while Lightforce provides a digital platform providing orthodontists with fully customized, 3D printed tooth-moving tools.

Another startup, DyeMansion, develops, manufactures, and sells finishing solutions for laser-sintered parts; Cubicure makes high-performance polymers available for industrial additive manufacturing.

“We focus on a niche market, on a niche technology, with extensive expertise and a vast network in the background,” said Investment Manager Adrian Maier-Ring. “There are no other AM Ventures out there.”

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