EDBI joins dental 3D printing firm's latest funding round

Singapore

SINGAPORE Economic Development Board corporate investment arm EDBI is among the investors in dental 3D printing firm Structo's latest funding round, which closes on Oct 15, EDBI told The Business Times without disclosing the amount.

Other participating investors include GGV Capital, Wavemaker Partners and Pavilion Capital.

Headquartered in Singapore, Structo develops additive manufacturing solutions for the global dental and orthodontic industry. It builds dental 3D printers, control systems and software, and formulates its own materials for use in 3D printing.

"Structo is developing capabilities in Singapore such as engineering, product development, manufacturing, assembly and resin formulation, which enhance the additive manufacturing capabilities in Singapore," EDBI chief executive officer and president Chu Swee Yeok told The Business Times. Such deeptech firms are a key focus of the EDBI, forming over a third of its current portfolio.

Structo was founded in 2014 as a project out of the National University of Singapore. Its printers are now installed across five continents, producing hundreds of thousands of dental appliances per month. It has presence in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, though all engineering and development still takes place in Singapore.

"Structo is a great example of how an idea born in our local university can reach the global market with government-linked and private investors working closely together to provide funding at different stages of its growth," said Ms Chu.

"Such support is especially important in nurturing deep tech startups and ensuring a vibrant innovation ecosystem in Singapore."

"EDBI's support has allowed our team to develop capabilities in Singapore in engineering, product development, material sciences and manufacturing," said Structo co-founder and CEO Huub van Esbroeck.

"By leveraging EBDI's strategic industry partners, investor community and network of talent, we were able to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing."

Structo said that it will use the latest round of funding "to help them continue pushing the envelope of digital additive manufacturing solutions specifically for the dental industry, and launch new products that focus on leveraging automation to enable mass production of custom patient-specific products."

Mr van Esbroeck noted a recent rise in consumer demand for clear aligners, an orthodontic appliance that can only be produced through additive manufacturing. This has accelerated the demand for more novel and customised solutions, he added.