Accelerates Development of Industry-first, Multi-material 3D Electronics Printer

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 24, 2015 — Voxel8, creator of the world’s first multi-material 3D electronics printer, today announced it has secured a $12 million Series A round of financing. Braemar Energy Ventures and ARCH Venture Partners led the round and were joined by Autodesk through its Spark Investment Fund and In-Q-Tel. Voxel8 will use the capital to expand its world-class team and advance its core technology for the mass customization of electronics and other finished products.

Co-founded by Harvard professor Dr. Jennifer Lewis, Voxel8 leverages more than a decade of patented research on printing functional materials. The company is commercializing a disruptive 3D printing platform capable of printing embedded electronics and other novel devices. As a result, Voxel8 makes it possible to rapidly print functional electronics on a broad scale.

“The Voxel8 3D printing platform is disrupting the traditional design and manufacture of electronic devices,” said Clinton Bybee, co-founder and managing director at ARCH Venture Partners. “Not only does the Voxel8 3D printer enable the design of entirely new devices, it also circumvents the need for traditional tooling, inventory and supply chains.”

Through its collaboration with Autodesk, Voxel8 enables designers and engineers to create freeform, three-dimensional circuits in place of conventional circuit boards to enable entirely new form factors with Project Wire, a Spark powered tool that helps design 3D printable electronic devices.

“We started the Spark Investment Fund to drive overall growth of the 3D printing ecosystem, and multi-material 3D printing is one of the most exciting areas of development for additive manufacturing,” said Samir Hanna, vice president and general manager, Consumer and 3D Printing, Autodesk. “Voxel8’s work in developing the industry’s first multi-material electronics 3D printer marks a key milestone for the industry that we’re more than happy to support.”

Voxel8 successfully launched a pre-order program and developers kit at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) 2015, where the company was highlighted as “one of the 9 best ideas from CES 2015” by Fast Company. Voxel8 was also selected as a Gold Medal winner in the 2015 Edison Awards and was recently featured in MIT Technology Review Magazine’s “50 Smartest Companies of 2015."

Having been an earlier seed investor in Voxel8, Jiong Ma from Braemar Energy Ventures, noted: “Dr. Lewis and her team have made tremendous progress since our earlier investment, and the level of industry recognition that Voxel8 is receiving underscores the enormous potential of this technology. We look forward to working with the team and new investors to realize the full value of the Voxel8 3D printing platform.”

Voxel8 founder and CEO, Dr. Jennifer Lewis, concluded: “It’s very gratifying to see innovations from the lab advancing so quickly, and this new round of funding will help us accelerate the process of bringing this novel technology to market.”

For more information about Voxel8, its collaboration with Autodesk, and product information, please visit http://www.voxel8.co.

About ARCH Venture Partners

ARCH Venture Partners is a premier provider of seed- and early-stage capital for technology firms, with a special competence in co-founding and building technology firms from startup. ARCH invests primarily in companies co-founded with leading scientists and entrepreneurs, concentrating in innovations in life sciences, physical sciences, and information technology. ARCH enjoys special recognition as a leader in the successful commercialization of technologies developed at academic research institutions and national laboratories. ARCH manages eight venture funds totaling $1.9 billion and has invested in the earliest venture capital rounds for more than 160 companies over nearly 30 years. More information is available at  www.archventure.com.

About Autodesk

Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit  autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

Braemar Energy Ventures

Braemar Energy Ventures is a venture capital fund making early- to mid-stage investments in the energy technology sector. The firm's principals have invested in more than 60 companies in the sector and have more than 100 years of combined technical, operational and financial experience in energy and energy-related industries. Braemar partners with exceptional companies and management teams, in both alternative and traditional energy markets, that can contribute to a more profitable and efficient energy landscape through innovation and marketplace expertise. Additional information is available at  BraemarEnergy.com  or on Twitter at Twitter.com/BraemarEnergy  or @BraemarEnergy.