06-30-2015: Shapeways run another round of funding, raising $30 million from HP as one of its new investors
Until 2015 Shapeways had printed over 2.5 million products
On June 30, 2015, Shapeways announced a new round of financing led by Dutch investor INKEF Capital. The round also included Hewlett Packard Ventures, Presidio Ventures, the investment arm of Tokyo-based Sumitomo, as well as previous investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, Index Ventures, and Lux ​​Capital. At the same time, Robert Jan Galema from INKEF Capital joined Shapeways' board.
In 2015, Shapeways was a completely different company than it is today, focusing on individual users and designers. The platform was a digital marketplace connecting small businesses with end customers, offering production of purchased items. Operating on the market since 2008, it was one of the most recognizable companies on the 3D printing market at the time.
Until 2015 Shapeways had printed over 2.5 million products, and 150 thousand new designs were added to the marketplace per month. The community around the platform had 620 thousand members, of which 30 thousand sold their unique products.
Shapeways intended to use the funds raised to invest in its community, develop new features and materials on its platform, and strengthen its production environment and supply chain.
But later Shapeways decided to make a pivot, abandon the business model described above and become "full-industrial". Watching its actions on the stock exchange, it turned out as it did...
Source: www.shapeways.com