Company update: Ultimaker receives major funding to fuel global expansion
Ultimaker has experienced explosive growth in the last few years. Since being founded in 2011, we have expanded from our offices in The Netherlands to the USA, and have built a worldwide distribution network selling products in over 100 countries.
This impressive achievement of our dedicated team did not go unnoticed, and yesterday, we were excited to announce an agreement for major funding from NPM Capital.
What does this mean for Ultimaker?
As market leader in the high-end segment of desktop 3D printers, our customers come from a variety of areas, such as product design, engineering, research, manufacturing, and education. In order to keep delivering to these areas while continuing to grow the company and stay competitive as a business, we underwent a careful process of selection for investors before reaching a final decision.
We pride ourselves on our unique open culture at Ultimaker, and were focused on finding a suitable investor that would not affect our strategy, management, or organizational setup. With Ultimaker’s growing independence and rock-solid financial foundation, co-founders Martijn Elserman and Erik de Bruijn now have the opportunity to tackle new challenges, with Siert Wijnia staying as CTO. All three co-founders will remain within the company as shareholders.
With this new funding, we are able to accelerate product development, invest in additional sales, marketing, and R&D resources to further grow the company, and have greater freedom to focus on delivering the most reliable 3D printers, software, materials, and services.
About the investment
For NPM Capital, Ultimaker is an exciting investment in a very attractive market, led by an impressive management team.
As a leading investment company, NPM is focused on long term investments in the Benelux market. Founded in 1948, NPM Capital has a history of providing growth capital to entrepreneurial companies that goes back almost 70 years. NPM Capital is part of the family-owned multinational SHV, who have a total turnover of €18.1 billion, and around 60,000 employees.
Ultimaker CEO Jos Burger had this to say: “I look forward to working with NPM Capital. They have a great and solid reputation as a committed longer-term investor. NPM Capital has a flexible investment horizon focused on long-term value creation. The company is not driven by the need to make a rapid exit, which enables us to continue our growth at a pace that our markets require. With the additional funding and support from NPM Capital we now have the ability to accelerate innovation and further empower professionals worldwide with the tools and knowledge required for them to stay ahead in a rapidly changing business environment.”
Bart Coopmans, managing director of NPM Capital says: “Ultimaker fits in our strategy of investing in technology based growth platforms. We are impressed by Ultimaker’s leading market position and clear growth strategy. We believe Ultimaker has a sustainable competitive advantage stemming from its integrated platform of hardware, software, materials and support network. Together with a strong community, an ambitious team of professionals and a highly-committed leadership, Ultimaker is very well positioned for further growth. We really look forward to working closely together with the Ultimaker team on their fascinating journey.”
We see this new investment capital as a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the company, solidify our standing in a rapidly changing market, and continue to offer an accessible line of products to our users.
