With sugar consumption on the rise and dental care costs increasing, nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide suffer from oral diseases. The dental industry is under pressure to improve manufacturing efficiency, especially in markets moving toward centralized production.
Novenda Technologies has secured $6.1 million in funding to transform dental product manufacturing through its groundbreaking multi-material 3D printing technology. This innovation aims to make dental care more affordable, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing without compromising quality.
The $6.1 million Series A funding round was led by Brightlands Venture Partners. Other investors included KBC Focus Fund (Belgium), Borski Fund (Netherlands), Limburg Business Development Fund/LIOF (Netherlands), a group of angel investors, and an Innovation Credit from RVO.
Founded in 2019 by Klaas Wiertzema, Petra Doelman, and Joost Anne Veerman, Novenda Technologies emerged from thorough market research and close collaboration with dental professionals. The founders consulted dentists, dental technicians, and other experts to create a solution that truly fits market needs. By 2021, Novenda had installed its first printer at Eindhoven’s High Tech Campus. Using proprietary software and materials, the company achieved its first multi-material print. This milestone led to further development and a successful proof of concept for nightguards and dentures in 2023.
Novenda’s full-stack technology produces dental products that are both comfortable and natural-looking. The system combines hard materials for protection with soft materials for comfort — all printed as one piece. This approach marks a major shift from traditional manufacturing, which requires manual assembly and post-processing. Novenda’s platform prints multiple materials in a single run and uses water-soluble supports that dissolve simply with tap water. Importantly, the company developed smart print modes that allow precise layer control without using mechanical rollers. These rollers can cause ink contamination and limit color options in other systems.
Klaas Wiertzema, CEO and co-founder of Novenda Technologies, said, “Our combination of water-soluble supports and the elimination of mechanical adjustments delivers unmatched long-term accuracy. It also reduces the need for extensive post-processing, which is crucial as dental technicians become more scarce and expensive.”
The platform already shows strong results. Its advanced color management algorithm creates unlimited color variations from just a few base colors. At the same time, the printed products maintain excellent mechanical strength and durability.
The system can produce up to 15 nightguards and 8 dentures per hour, making it suitable for medium and large dental labs.
Novenda’s LD100 printer requires only a one-time investment. However, it works exclusively with Novenda’s own materials to guarantee quality and biocompatibility. This creates recurring revenue while upholding strict quality standards.