BCN3D Technologies, the research group that created the disruptive 3D printing technology IDEX, has raised a seed round of 2.7 million Euro through JME VC, Accurafy4 and Victoria. BCN3D currently leads IDEX 3D printing technology, which allows productivity to be doubled compared to conventional desktop 3D printers. BCN3D has recently reached the milestone of 5,000 3D printers sold thanks to its distribution network with more than 60 active points operating worldwide.
This investment round makes the Catalan startup BCN3D the desktop 3D printer company to receive most investment in the country. Regarding innovation initiatives, the CEO of BCN3D, Xavier Martínez Faneca, says: “We are working on a new range of products to improve our customers’ experience and take IDEX technology to a whole new level”.
Today BCN3D 3D printers are used for prototyping, validation of functional parts and manufacturing tooling. Some of the company’s most prestigious customers include BMW, Samsung, Louis Vuitton, Nissan, NASA, HTC and ALBA Synchrotron. BCN3D has also reinforced its commitment to the industry, as Faneca explained: “With this funding, we will be able to increase our production to meet market demand and reduce the long delivery times we have experienced in the past due to production constraints.
After its incubation period, BCN3D also announced the spin-off of CIM-UPC, the additive manufacturing center that is part of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC). Together with the CIM-UPC, the new company was founded by Xavier Martinez Faneca (CEO) and the executive team of BCN3D: Roger Antunez, Pol Domenech, Marc Felis, José Antonio Ortega, Eric Pallares and the technological advisor Roger Uceda.
JME VENTURE CAPITAL PARTNER
Samuel Gil, JME Venture Capital Partner, has expressed his satisfaction to join the adventure of the startup. “From the moment we met the team we knew that BCN3D would play a key role in this revolution. Their talent, passion and execution skills are exceptional. They have a unique vision of the industry and their ambition to lead the market is as promising as the products they are developing,” he said.
François Minec, Lead Investor at Accurafy4, confirmed this idea and insisted that “ever since BCN3D introduced IDEX technology, he knew they would become one of the great representatives in the additive manufacturing industry. We have high expectations for the company’s commercial growth and its ability to dominate the market through the development of new technologies.”
Abel Conill, General Partner of VICTORIA Venture Capital, also highlighted that BCN3D “is one of the biggest spin-offs of an engineering university we have seen in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. They have an innovative technology (IDEX) that only the best spin-offs have, plus a degree of commercial traction that most spin-offs need years to achieve and that they had from day one.”
For Francesc Torres, Vice-Chancellor of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), “technology transfer is, along with research and training, our greatest commitment to the challenges of Industry 4.0 and Additive Manufacturing. The BCN3D project has been developed within our CIM-UPC technology center and is an example of how knowledge can generate value and have a social impact.”