AM Ventures just achieved a new milestone with the first-ever venture capital fund dedicated to industrial 3D printing. The serial investor in additive manufacturing has secured 100 million € from German asset manager KGAL that joins the LANGER GROUP as shareholders.
If there is one thing AM Ventures is known for, it is its ability to grow the entire industry by investing in forward-thinking AM companies. Our latest conversation with Arno Held, Chief Venture Officer (CVO) at AM Ventures sheds light on some of their activities in the AM landscape, and most importantly, emphasizes the need for companies seeking funds to choose the “right investor” and “to prioritise collaborations over acquisitions”.
“After 6 years of successfully investing in AM-based startup companies, we decided to jointly take our business to the next level and join forces with the international asset manager KGAL. I am thankful for the achievements the AM Ventures team has made since we started in 2015 and I am very happy to now be working alongside my two former managing directors as new Managing Partners in the fund. This step is a massive opportunity for all AM startups around the world and will help to further accelerate the adoption of Additive Manufacturing”, Dr. Hans Langer, Founding Partner in the newly formed fund and representative of the LANGER GROUP states.
A perfect match for the shareholders
While the LANGER Group is one of the leading players of the AM market, known for the EOS GROUP and the SCANLAB GROUP, KGAL on the other hand is one of the leading independent investment and asset managers for real capital investments in Europe. Founded in 1968, the company holds today an investment volume of €15 bn and over 390 funds.
If additive manufacturing and investments have no secrets for the team at AM Ventures, the loop is now perfectly closed with shareholders that respectively have decades of expertise in industrial 3D printing and investments.
Dr. Klaus Wolf, Chief Investment Officer at KGAL, outlines: “This is a perfect match. The expertise of AM Ventures and KGAL ideally complement each other. AM Ventures, through their shareholder base, bring in-depth knowledge of industrial 3D printing thanks to their long commercial presence in this field; KGAL in turn has a proven track record in access to investors. Additive Manufacturing offers impressive potential to produce industrial goods in a resource effective and sustainable way. Through this joint venture we are laying the foundations for a long-term partnership and for further funds in a strong growth market.”
The new venture capital fund
AM Ventures said the initial closing brings the fund close to 50% of the targeted commitment and the final closing of the fund is expected to take place in spring 2022.
The venture capital company also announces that in addition to the LANGER GROUP, KGAL and its shareholders, multiple high net-worth individuals and experienced entrepreneurs have joined the fund as limited partners.
“We are very proud to have found great partners to support our approach of providing high performance teams and early-stage sustainable businesses with mission critical know-how, networks and other resources. With a fund dedicated entirely to early-stage AM startups, AM Ventures continues its successful journey of significantly contributing to the rapid growth of Additive Manufacturing.”, emphasize Managing Partners JohannOberhofer and Arno Held.
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