Compare, Book, Print: 3D Printing Marketplace Craftcloud gets Growth Funding

September 24, 2024

Bonn/Coburg/Munich, 24 September 2024 – All3DP GmbH, publisher of the online magazine All3DP.com and operator of the Craftcloud marketplace, has announced the successful completion of a financing round. The round was led by HZG Group, which joins existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Bayern Kapital and Deutsche Balaton AG as a new shareholder. The funds will primarily be used to accelerate the international growth of All3DP’s successful marketplace solution Craftcloud.

Craftcloud makes 3D printing as easy as booking a flight. Customers simply upload the digital model of their part and receive real-time quotes. With just a few clicks, the required quantities can be ordered from the desired provider. Approximately 180 international print service providers are connected to the marketplace and have all been validated by Craftcloud. In addition to costs, all providers are listed by name, company location and the processes they offer. This makes Craftcloud the most transparent platform on the market.

The online 3D printing marketplace is All3DP’s core offering and is available worldwide. The online magazine All3DP.com complements the company’s range of services and attracts readers with user-oriented reviews and specialist articles as well as 3D printing news. With over 1.5 million visits per month, All3DP.com is the international market leader.

Platform economy for digital manufacturing

Mathias Plica, managing director of All3DP, said: “We are operating on a break-even basis and have seen Craftcloud grow by over 60 per cent year-on-year. The new financing will enable us to take advantage of the current highly attractive market environment for our marketplace and to generate additional growth through efficient marketing. With HZG Group, we have won an investor with both a deep understanding of the key technologies of digital manufacturing and proven expertise in managing exceptional growth phases.”

It is the first investment in a digital marketplace start-up for HZG Group, a venture capital firm specialising in 3D printing. Kerstin Herzog, Managing Partner of HZG Group, explained: “Platform economics are an effective lever in the 3D printing market. The industry benefits from efficient and transparent processes and can also tap into new customer segments. Craftcloud is ideally positioned to continue to play a leading international role among online marketplaces and to continue its impressive growth story in the years to come.”

Axel Nitsch, Principal at HTGF, comments: “The successful financing round is a great result of the outstanding work of Mathias Plica and his team over the last few years. We are thrilled to have HZG Group on board as a new shareholder and true industry expert in 3D printing. Together as shareholders, we will continue to actively support the exciting growth story of All3DP GmbH.”

Transparency for volatile prices

The market for purchasing 3D-printed parts is the fastest growing segment within digital manufacturing. According to Wohlers Report, the segment will be worth 6 billion USD globally in 2023 and, according to AM Report, it will grow to 8 billion USD in 2024. Across all segments, including not only additive manufacturing, but also plastic injection moulding, CNC machining and others, the global market volume for digital manufacturing is estimated at 55 billion USD.

Seventy per cent of Craftcloud customers are B2B customers. “We operate in a horizontal market, with companies of all sizes and from all industries ordering their parts from us. From research laboratories to automotive suppliers,” said Mikkel Kring, Chief Product Officer at Craftcloud. “For orders that do not require any further consultation, the individual exchange of quotes is no longer up to date. The technology is mature, the print service providers are dependable, but prices remain volatile. Craftcloud offers full transparency to customers and visibility to companies. Both sides save time and money.”

Craftcloud’s customers come from all continents, with a strong focus on North America and Europe. In addition to its English-language news and information, the online magazine All3DP.com reaches users in non-English-speaking countries with content in Spanish, Portuguese, French and German.

Mikkel Kring, Chief Product Officer at Craftcloud and Mathias Plica, managing director of All3DP (Picture: All3DP)

About All3DP
All3DP operates Craftcloud, the leading marketplace for professional 3D printing services. It connects customers with 3D printing service providers worldwide. Businesses and consumers benefit from price transparency, a wide range of materials and an easy ordering process. With All3DP.com, the world’s leading online magazine for 3D printing, the company reaches over 1.5 million visits per month, with approximately 40% coming from North America and Europe, respectively. All3DP GmbH was founded in 2014 and has attracted High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital, Deutsche Balaton AG and other private investors. With a team of 30 employees based in Munich, the company realizes an annual turnover of €10 million. www.all3dp.com .

About HZG Group
HZG Group is composed of the business units venture capital investment, business angel investment, and its own research development and application centre, all focusing on 3D printing. In its venture capital activities, HZG Group focuses on investments in the DACH region, starting from series A stage. In its business angel activities, the group gets involved in seed phase ventures via HZG NewConcepts. In addition, the company operates its own research, development and application centre, naddcon (New ADDitive CONcepts) supports companies and scientific institutions in the development of new products and pioneering technical solutions – with both the necessary infrastructure and the technical expertise.

Kerstin and Frank Carsten Herzog are founders and managing partners of HZG Group. With founding Concept Laser in 2000 based on their own research work, the company’s development into a technology and innovation leader in the field of metal 3D printing, and the successful integration into global corporation General Electric, they can draw back on more than 25 years of experience in 3D printing. Accordingly, they complement their financial investments through HZG Group with their know-how, understanding of the industry, network, and passion for technology. In addition to their entrepreneurial activities, Kerstin and Frank Carsten Herzog are regionally involved as promoters in the field of education and in bringing science and business together. www.hzg-group.com.

Press contact
Hoschke & Consorten Public Relations GmbH
Max Lange I: +49 170 661 956 6
E-Mail: hzg@hoschke.de

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech, Digital Tech, Life Sciences and Chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 750 start-ups and successfully sold shares in more than 180 companies.
Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital and 45 companies.
For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn

Press contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121
t.jacob@htgf.de 

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