UpNano completes €7M Series A funding round

UpNano, an Austrian micro 3D printing company, has completed its €7M (approximately $7.578M) Series A funding round co-led by aws Gründungsfonds, Novacapital, and IGO Innovation GmbH. The funds will allow UpNano to accelerate the development of its next-generation 2-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D printing technology at a time when this innovative technology is becoming an integral part of many industrial processes.

The successful completion of an international financing round will further strengthen UpNano’s technological leadership in the global 2PP 3D printing market. The company is already considered one of the leading 2PP 3D printer manufacturers, and this additional investment will enable the company to further establish this position by preparing the market entry of its next-generation 2PP 3D printers while accelerating the international market penetration of its existing NanoOne series of printers.

2PP 3D printing offers unparalleled precision – enabling the creation of intricate micro- and nano-scale structures with exceptional detail. Its ability to produce complex geometries in a wide range of materials opens the door to advances in fields such as biomedicine, electronics, and photonics. As the technology evolves, 2PP has the potential to revolutionize industries by enabling new applications in medical technology, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and high-performance electronic and optical devices. In this competitive field, UpNano offers solutions that combine the highest resolution and tolerance of 2PP with unmatched printing speed – resulting in one of the highest-performing 2PP 3D printer series on the market.

The current investment comes from aws Gründungsfonds, a renowned venture capital fund backed by the Republic of Austria; NovaCapital, an Italian investment holding; and IGO Innovation, the start-up investment arm of IGO Industries. ILUM Tec, an existing key investor in UpNano, has also joined the consortium as a co-investor.

“With our investment in UpNano, we are pleased to be part of one of Austria’s most innovative companies, which has already achieved considerable market success in the early stages of its existence. UpNano makes a fantastic contribution to the rapid development of high technology from university research to market maturity and global distribution,” said Markus Jandrinitsch, Managing Director at aws Gründungsfonds.

“Our portfolio consists of well over 30 technology companies that we support with money and expertise. We are entrepreneurs and managers with extensive experience and connections in technology-driven industries. With this mindset, we believe that UpNano can be the turning point of the 2PP 3D printing sector, being able to finally bridge the gap towards industrial, series production,” said Carlo Germano Ravina, Managing Director of NovaCapital.

“UpNano achieved technology leadership in the high-precision 3D printing market very early on and has managed to defend this position ever since. Now, at a stage where industry is beginning to integrate this powerful technology into their production processes, we believe it is the right time to provide UpNano with a solid financial position for further market penetration and the innovative R&D that has become a hallmark of the company,” said Iris Ortner, CEO of IGO Innovation.

“We are delighted that our existing technology, IP position, and marketing strategy have been externally evaluated by experienced investors, and that they agree on the great potential of our company. The new investment of EUR 7 million as well as the extensive experience of our investors in supporting young and successful companies on their growth path are great assets for UpNano,” said Bernhard Küenburg, CEO of UpNano.