Bari, Italy-based Roboze, an industrial 3D printing company that opened a facility in Houston in late 2020, raised new funding to fuel its growth.
Roboze said it received the investment from a group of international investors, including Nova Capital, Lagfin and several individual contributors. Roboze declined to disclose the size of the investment but said it had raised several million dollars.
"This further fundraising will accelerate our momentum in the United States and will enhance our investments in research and development," said Alessio Lorusso, founder and CEO of Roboze. "Specifically, the funding will assist in the creation of new super material in our Italian R&D center, where we are building a new chemistry laboratory."
Roboze specializes in 3D printing high-performance polymers, composites and custom materials for customers in aerospace, energy, transportation and life sciences. The firm also develops large and medium-sized 3D printers for production and prototyping by industrial customers.
Founded in 2015, Roboze now has more than 100 employees in total. With the new funding, the company said it plans to hire 60 new employees across its footprints in Italy, Germany and the U.S. over the next 12 to 18 months. Of those 60, half will be U.S.-based roles in material science, chemistry, business development, field and applications engineering and more.
Last year, Roboze announced moving its U.S. operations from Chicago to Houston. The company leased space in northwest Houston for a manufacturing facility, office space and warehousing space.
Roboze moved from Chicago to Houston for several reasons, Lorusso said at the time. The firm works with a number of clients in energy, aerospace and medical devices. Roboze also wanted to attract strong engineering, science and business development talent with its relocation to the Bayou City market.
The company said it is currently working with Siemens Energy, which was spun off from Siemens AG in September 2020, to manufacture on-demand parts and to provide warehousing. Siemens Energy has hundreds of employees working in Houston.
