Who founded Materialise?

Materialise was founded by Fried Vancraen in 1990.

Who are Materialise's investors?

Materialise's investors include AI Capital.

Where is Materialise headquartered?

Materialise is headquartered in Leuven, BE.

Materialise

Leuven, BE · Founded 1990 · 1,926 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors

Find your way into Materialise

11 people in our graph share verified history with the Materialise team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Jürgen Ingelsunlockedknows Fried Vancraen · together at Materialise (overlapped)

×10knows the team · via Materialise

Materialise provides 3D printing technology, software, and manufacturing services for medical, industrial, and dental applications. The company operates across three business units and serves customers in 21 countries.

Advanced Manufacturing Hardware Healthtech Medical Devices

Founders & leadership

Materialise was founded in 1990 by Fried Vancraen.

Fried Vancraen inFounder and Chairman of the BoardFounder and Chairman of Materialise, which provides 3D printing technology, software, and manufacturing services for medical, industrial, and dental applications.

Investors · 1

AI CapitalDenver

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Materialise went on to found or lead other companies.

Brandon BusuitoBiomedical Engineering ConsultantFounded CoVerified Peter MortierCardiac business line directorFounded FEops

Competitors · 7

by search overlap

Xometry803 shared keywordsXometry operates an on-demand manufacturing marketplace connecting buyers—from startups to global enterprises—with a vetted global network of suppliers for precision components across prototyping and high-volume production. It offers an instant quoting engine and supply chain tools for custom parts from design through final delivery.

Shapeways664 shared keywordsShapeways provides digital manufacturing services including 3D printing, injection molding, and CNC machining for hardware teams building robotics, drones, medtech, electronics, and defense products. The platform enables production from prototype to scale without tooling delays and offers design optimization, lifecycle support, and global fulfillment capabilities.

Somerville, MA614 shared keywordsFormlabs designs and manufactures professional desktop 3D printers using stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) technologies, along with proprietary materials and software. Its customers span industries including medical research, footwear, automotive and aerospace manufacturing, as well as entrepreneurs and small businesses.

CGTrader586 shared keywordsCGTrader is a global marketplace where 3D designers sell digital models to creators and enterprises in film, gaming, architecture, and 3D printing industries. The platform hosts over 2 million models and 12 million users, serving independent artists and Fortune 500 companies.

Autodesk507 shared keywordsAutodesk is a publicly traded developer of design, engineering, and entertainment software, best known for AutoCAD.

HUBS467 shared keywordsProtolabs Network operates a digital platform connecting product designers and engineers with a global network of over 250 manufacturing partners to accelerate time-to-market for innovations. The company serves the manufacturing and industrial product development sectors with on-demand manufacturing services.

3D Systems463 shared keywords3D Systems provides 3D printing solutions—including printers and materials—for producing wax and plastic patterns used in metal investment casting, aimed at eliminating tooling and reducing costs in prototyping and production workflows. It serves manufacturers and foundries producing metal components across industrial casting applications.

Companies competing with Materialise for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Acquisitions · 1

Early investors' stakes continue via these deals

Identify3D

Identify3D developed software that encrypted and digitally watermarked 3D-printing/CAD files, embedding production rules to protect IP and verify authorized machines across manufacturing supply chains.

Frequently asked questions

What does Materialise do?: Materialise provides 3D printing technology, software, and manufacturing services for medical, industrial, and dental applications. The company operates across three business units and serves customers in 21 countries.
Who founded Materialise?: Materialise was founded by Fried Vancraen in 1990.
Who are Materialise's investors?: Materialise's investors include AI Capital.
Where is Materialise headquartered?: Materialise is headquartered in Leuven, BE.