How much funding has Carbon raised?

Carbon has raised $742M in total funding. Key investors include Sequoia China (红杉中国), Silver Lake, adidas, Baillie Gifford, Madrone Capital Partners, Northgate Capital, Google Ventures, Temasek, Arkema, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Fidelity Management & Research Company, JSR Corporation.

Who is the CEO of Carbon?

Craig Carlson and Philip DeSimone (Office of the CEO) is the CEO of Carbon. The company was founded in 2013.

Where is Carbon located?

Carbon is headquartered in Redwood City, CA, USA.

What funding stage is Carbon at?

Carbon is currently at the Active stage.

How many employees does Carbon have?

Carbon has approximately 201-500 employees.

Carbon

Name: AM Companies Database
Creator: AMPulse
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

HardwareRedwood City, CA, USAFounded 2013· One of 1708 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology using continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) for high-resolution, engineering-grade polymer parts.

CEO / Founder: Craig Carlson and Philip DeSimone (Office of the CEO)
Team Size: 201-500
Stage: Active
Total Funding: $742M
Latest Round: Venture Round
Key Investors: Sequoia China (红杉中国), Silver Lake, adidas, Baillie Gifford, Madrone Capital Partners, Northgate Capital, Google Ventures, Temasek, Arkema, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Fidelity Management & Research Company, JSR Corporation

Technology & Products

Key Products

Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology using Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP); EPU Pro Platform; engineering-grade parts for consumer, medtech, oral health, industrial, and automotive industries.

Technological Advantage

Verified 25-100x speed advantage over standard 3D printers; 10x durability improvement in specific applications like blender nozzles; enables direct production of end-use parts.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Produces engineering-grade end-use parts up to 100x faster than traditional additive manufacturing with injection-molding-like properties, eliminating tooling costs.

How They Differentiate

Proprietary DLS process achieves injection-molding-like mechanical properties and surface finish at speeds significantly higher than traditional resin-based processes like SLA. They differentiate by focusing on integrated design-to-production workflows for serial manufacturing in high-growth verticals such as dental and sports equipment.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Consumer products, healthcare, and industrial manufacturers requiring high-volume production of engineering-grade polymer parts.

Industry Verticals

Consumer products; Footwear; Eyewear; Healthcare; Dental; Industrial; Automotive

Competitors

Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS, Markforged

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

500K+ bike saddles produced; millions of dental parts weekly; #1 most reliable 3D printer by NADL for 6 years; #1 NFL/NFLPA helmet safety testing for 6 years; approaching cash-flow positive (2025); 38 institutional investors

Major Milestones

2013: Founded by Joseph DeSimone, Philip DeSimone, Alex Ermoshkin, and Edward Samulski based on UNC Chapel Hill research; 2014: Series A ($11M) and Series B ($31M); 2015: Joseph DeSimone TED talk on CLIP technology goes viral; M1 printer launch; 2016: Series C ($181M, $1.1B valuation); 2017: adidas partnership for 4D midsole production begins; 2018: Series D ($200M); 2019: Series E ($260M, $2.4B valuation); L1 large-format printer launch; 2022: Phil DeSimone & Craig Carlson appointed Office of the CEO; 2025: $60M growth round; approaching cash-flow positive; 6 of top 10 Tour de France riders on Carbon saddles; 500K+ bike saddles produced

Notable Customers

Adidas, Dinsmore Inc., Midwest Prototyping, Argen

https://www.carbon3d.com

Recent coverage of Carbon

Why this company matters

Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology, built on continuous liquid interface production (CLIP), targets the gap between prototyping and serial manufacturing of polymer end-use parts. By using oxygen-permeable optics and dual-cure programmable liquid resins, the process achieves injection-molding-like mechanical properties and surface finish without the upfront tooling costs. This positions the company as a digital manufacturing platform rather than a conventional 3D printer vendor.

The core technology uses a continuous photopolymerization process where an oxygen-permeable window creates a dead zone, preventing layer adhesion and enabling continuous part growth. Dual-cure resins provide a secondary thermal cure that delivers isotropic mechanical properties. The EPU Pro Platform and other materials support applications requiring durability, such as blender nozzles where Carbon claims 10x improvement over standard printed parts.

Carbon serves consumer products, healthcare, dental, industrial, and automotive verticals. Notable customers include Adidas for 4D midsoles, Riddell for football helmets, Specialized for bike saddles, and Vitamix for blender components. The company has produced over 500,000 bike saddles and millions of dental parts weekly. The Carbon Production Network extends manufacturing capacity through partners like Jabil.

Carbon's strategic moat rests on its proprietary DLS process, integrated design-to-production software workflow, and a material ecosystem co-developed with partners like Arkema. The company has raised $742 million from investors including Sequoia Capital, Silver Lake, and Google Ventures. Approaching cash-flow positive in 2025, Carbon faces competition from Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS, and Markforged, but differentiates through speed and focus on serial production in high-growth verticals like dental and sports equipment.