Tallinn-based precious metal 3D printing startup Cloud Factory has raised a €2 million seed round led by Change Ventures, the first pan-Baltic seed VC fund. The round attracted other investors including Superhero Capital, a Finnish seed-stage VC firm based in Finland, and angel investors Artis Kehris (Cofounder of Printify) and Andrius Šlimas (Cofounder and CEO of Oberlo). Cloud Factory is the world’s first company to use direct metal 3D printing to scalably manufacture fine jewellery in a cost-effective and sustainable way.
Co-founded in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2018 by Taavi Kikas (CEO), Kati Kask (COO), Marek Jõeleht (CTO) and Erik Karu, Cloud Factory will use the investment to increase its manufacturing capacities and further develop its online platform for product creation and effortless order management integrations in order to meet the demand and needs of the new era of celebrities and brands.
By bringing green tech to the jewellery industry, Cloud Factory is the first zero waste jewellery factory in the world using resource-efficient 3D printing technology. In the process of making the 3D printed jewellery, through an on-demand manufacturing model, only natural and sustainable materials and 100% recycled precious metals are used.
Cloud Factory helps musicians, brands, and celebrities create their own branded jewellery merchandise through a fully managed service that offers concept building, manufacturing, branded packaging, and drop-shipping. Its innovative production method uses direct metal 3D printing which minimises the usual production cost and time to produce fine quality jewellery.
Kati Kask, Co-Founder and COO of Cloud Factory, comments: “Currently there is no other company in the world offering the same manufacturing model as the one we’ve developed. Our unique in-house printing processes, and post-production operations, enables us to use metal 3D printing for volume manufacturing of high quality jewellery products in a cost-efficient and sustainable way.
We are bringing a new dimension to an often outdated sector by simplifying the processes of creating and launching personal jewellery products.”
Cloud Factory is digitalizing fine jewellery creation as it aims to build a manufacturing network of fully automated on-demand printing hubs around the globe that offer fast, affordable sustainable and local service for celebrities and ecommerce brands. The company is also launching its first jewellery NFTs in collaboration with several global celebrities to bridge between digital and tangible jewellery products.
“We are really excited to live in the era of the metaverse and we are able to bring a really old and traditional industry into this game by producing both physical products and NFTs of the exquisite jewellery for leading brands and celebrities,” adds Cloud Factory Founder and CEO, Taavi Kikas.
According to a recent report from luxury brand consultants Matter of Form, the jewellery industry is set to be worth $480.5B by 2025, and this is despite a 25% dip in sales for watch and jewellery makers in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloud Factory was able to avoid a drop in sales during the pandemic as most of the processes involved in the creation and manufacturing of 3D jewellery can be done remotely. While physical jewellery productions across the globe temporarily closed, Cloud Factory’s online orders kept growing as it saw a 213% increase in sales across 2020 in comparison to 2019.
“The jewellery industry is a lucrative one, and Cloud Factory has brought a new dynamism to it,” adds Rait Ojasaar, Investment Partner at Change Ventures.
“Most traditional jewellers have long lead times, aren’t hugely sustainable, and don’t offer the hands-on experience that Cloud Factory provides – from initial design ideas, to branding and direct shipping to customers. It’s a business that’s ideally placed for those artists, musicians, and celebrities who are looking for a way to create prime quality and high volume trendy statement jewellery for their fans.”