Online 3D printing platform closes $7m funding
3D Hubs, an online platform for 3D printing services, has closed a $7m Series B funding round. Investors taking part in the funding included EQT Ventures and Balderton Capital.
Founded in 2013 by Dutch designers Bram De Zwart and Brian Garret, 3D Hubs has offices in Amsterdam an New York.
The company says that its mission is “to connect all 3D printers globally into one online platform and make them locally accessible”. 3D Hubs claims that it is “already providing over one billion people with access to 3D printing within 10 miles of their home”.
Users upload files for the objects that they want to 3D print and then search for a suitable printing hub, based on location, price or the materials involved in the production process. Once they have placed their order, the hub has 24 hours to respond.
Payment is made online through the system, but 3D Hubs will hold on to the customer’s money for up to four days after the order has been printed, so they can make sure the prints are up to stratch.
Once the hub indicates that the order is ready, the customer can coordinate shipping or pick-up via the 3D Hubs’ order page. 3D Hubs advised: “3D Hubs does support shipping. However, the shipping costs are not yet included in the automatic quote that you receive from the Hub. Therefore the Hub will manually add a shipping fee to the order if you request shipping.”
UDATE AT 14:45 GMT
3D Hubs CEO Bram de Zwart informed Post&Parcel today that the firm’s US office has worked with Uber’s UberRUSH to offer an on-demand delivery option for users in New York.
