Dear Shapeways community,
I co-founded Shapeways in 2007 with the goal of democratizing digital manufacturing for individuals and businesses. As former COO, I led Shapeways through the launch of the world’s first upload-to-3D-print service, ultimately building the company into the largest 3D printing marketplace in the world and a series of factories that pushed the envelope of agile digital manufacturing for our customers. This would have been impossible without the resounding enthusiasm, engagement, and support we received from you – the customers and community that developed around us. In 2014, I left to create and lead a series of manufacturing startups. I was disheartened to watch Shapeways’ mounting financial struggles in recent years, culminating in bankruptcy this past summer.
Today, I am delighted to announce my return to steward Shapeways into its next chapter. I am joined by original co-founder Robert Schouwenburg – who left Shapeways in 2012 to found and develop other technology startups – as well as the highly skilled leadership team from our Eindhoven factory – Jules Witte, Tiago Sao Jose, and Job van de Laar. Together, we are passionate about bringing back a stable, sustainable Shapeways that delivers for our customers.
Inspired by your ever-evolving needs, Shapeways was able to build an exceptional digital manufacturing engine – a combination of dedicated, skilled people, cutting-edge machinery and sophisticated software – adept at producing one-of-a-kind and small series products alike. After pouring so much of our combined energy and passion into building this engine, and seeing the damage the bankruptcy caused our stakeholders, we knew we had to save what we could. And so we have stepped in to resurrect the company, and retain the value of the engine we built together with you, our community and other stakeholders.
Rebuilding is a large task, and we have much to do. Our first focus for Shapeways is creating stability and an ongoing supply for the customers of the defunct organization. Many were left without a comparable alternative. Our team has worked day and night to retain and welcome back all of these relationships, delivering the high-quality parts they were accustomed to. While factory operations continue smoothly, unfortunately the marketplace won’t be available in the way it existed before July 2024. All marketplace data was lost in the bankruptcy, and the software we were able to acquire is outdated and not scalable. This is a big loss for Shapeways and our community. We are actively seeking alternative solutions and we humbly ask for your patience and support as we do so.
In this new chapter, Shapeways will enhance and expand our digital manufacturing engine to deliver B2B solutions tailored to custom products, spare parts management, machinery lifespan optimization, and supply chain efficiency. Through strategic partnerships, we aim to bring these solutions closer to all of our customers, ensuring maximum accessibility and impact.
Moving forward, as we did in our early days, we will put our customers’ success at the center of all we do. Thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Marleen Vogelaar
CEO