Shapeways Expands Business Development Services

Shapeways currently helps designers print, sell and ship 3D-printed products using its own printing capabilities and online platform. The new funding will help the company expand into brand development, marketing, merchandising, website design, and customer service offerings.

With the current round of Series E funding, the New York-based company has raised more than $100 million. Lux Capital led this round, along with Union Square Ventures, INKEF capital, and Andreessen Horowitz.

As part of the expansion, the company has announced Design with Shapeways, a service that can help clients access 3D printing even if they don’t have any modeling experience or background.

The company is also introducing a new custom jewelry collected called Spring & Wonder. Users will be able to customize the look, material and design of each jewelry piece. In a press release, the company said the new line would demonstrate upcoming customizing and consumer-facing capabilities at Shapeways. Other in-house showcase brands will be announced later this year.

The company also plans to offer a service to help clients scale into small businesses using the Shapeways platform.

“Being able to offer these [additional services] will enable entrepreneurial creators to further scale their creativity into viable small businesses,” company CEO Greg Kress told Xconomy. “For many creators, they’re designing incredible products but don’t have the technical know-how in areas like web design or marketing and/or the budget to reach out to companies with niche expertise [in those areas]. Our team will give creators a one-stop service for an affordable, bundled price.”

Kress joined Shapeways earlier this year. He was previously COO and president of Open Education and also worked at GE.

“Millions of people have brought their product ideas to life with Shapeways thanks to the company’s unparalleled 3D printing expertise, scale and capability,” said Zack Schildhorn, partner at Lux Capital. “The plan is to put this product creation engine in the hands of millions more, through more approachable and expansive services. Life-changing businesses will be built on this platform.”

For more of our coverage on Shapeways, read our previous blogs.

Source: Shapeways