Barlassina (MB), March 3, 2023: Caracol, leader in industrial large format 3D printing,
closes a €10.6 million Series A investment round, with CDP Venture Capital, Neva SGR,
Venture Capital from Intesa Sanpaolo Group, and Primo Space Fund and EUREKA! Venture
SGR – already investors in Caracol.
This round culminates the swift growth Caracol experienced in the past years, tripling its
turnover in 2022. It affirms both the company’s leading role and the relevance of its
technological solution Heron AM, the large format additive manufacturing platform, setting
the grounds for an international expansion. The deal was completed successfully thanks to the support and coordination provided by the financial advisor Growth Capital, together with law firms Fieldfisher, HiLex, Almasta, and Linklaters.
The funds will propel Caracol towards a global future, supporting its ability to accomplish the
demanding objectives set in its strategic plan.
“This round is the crowning achievement in our journey of tremendous growth, that has led prominent companies in sectors such as Aerospace and Marine to validate our technology. Thanks to the trust bestowed by major Italian funds and the great support received by our advisors, coordinated by Growth Capital, we’ll now have the possibility to accelerate the presence of our solutions in global markets, continuing to develop and consolidate the technology that will accelerate a more efficient and sustainable future for the manufacturing world” comments Caracol’s CEO and Co-founder, Francesco De Stefano.
Caracol will expand the presence of its technology, Heron AM, on an international scale.
Following the product’s launch in September last year, the objective is to equip manufacturing companies with a cutting-edge machine that can help overcome existing limits in traditional production processes in terms of efficiency, sustainability, and flexibility. The funding round will support the company’s further development of its partners network both for the technical progress and for the commercialization of Heron AM in key European and global markets. Additionally, to consolidate its presence in key regions, Caracol will be opening two new hubs in North America and in the Middle East, with dedicated local teams. This operation will lead the company’s team to triple in around two years, to about 120 employees in 2024.
This expansion will be backed by investments in Research & Development, that account for
40% of revenues, on which the company built its technological leadership through the years.
The aim is to continue developing the turnkey large format solution Heron AM, both in terms
of hardware and software, expanding the range of materials processed, broadening potential
applications produced, and improving the technical performance of the offered solution.
“We are very happy to support Caracol’s growth” comments Enrico Filì, Head of the Industry Tech division for the fund Corporate Partners I of CDP Venture Capital, “This is a further operation for IndustryTech division, launched together with large industrial groups like Adler Group, Camozzi, Bolton and Marcegaglia. This investment represents a great example of Italian technology that intercepts the needs of the manufacturing sector, central strategy for our fund, and rewards a firstrate team with ambitious objectives in terms of growth in international markets”.
“Neva SGR continues investing in Italy and does so in a sector that has always been central for the country’s economy, that of manufacturing Industry 4.0. The investment in Caracol, in its technology and in its care for sustainability and circular economy, go in the direction of recognizing an example of Italian excellence, ready to grow in international markets” – states Mario Costantini, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Neva SGR.
Matteo Cascinari, General Partner of Primo Space Fund: “In a very short time, Caracol has been capable of affirming its solutions in different sectors and particularly in space, notoriously a very complex and technologically advanced market, also with an eye to sustainability. Together with other qualified investors we’ll finance the continued growth and international expansion of the company, confident that its founders and all its team will be able to meet the challenge with skill and resolve.”
Stefano Peroncini, CEO EUREKA! Venture SGR, “Thanks to this new important investment round we renew Eureka!’s trust in Caracol and its brilliant team, that has proved its ability in effectively implementing an ambitious technological and entrepreneurial plan, integrating and enhancing robotics and additive manufacturing, with a distinctive approach to circularity and sustainability.”
CARACOL
Caracol was founded at the end of 2017, with the vision of pushing the limits of additive manufacturing in terms of scale, efficiency, and sustainability. The company accomplished this by developing an integrated technological platform, including both hardware and software, to produce advanced large-scale components. Through the integration of a patented extrusion head, the development of a dedicated software, and the use of robotic arms as movement support, Caracol offers an additive manufacturing technology for advanced components for customers in industries such as aerospace, marine, energy, design, and architecture. For example, the company manufactures jigs and molds for the production of aircraft components for large international groups, finished parts for yacht and boat superstructures for leading companies in the marine industry, and also revolutionary projects to initiate virtuous circular economy processes in sectors such as energy or design. Today the company has opened the largest LFAM production center in Europe and has a core team of more than 40 young professionals highly specialized in areas such as mechanical engineering, automation, computational design, design for additive, and advanced manufacturing processes.
