A female-founded advanced manufacturing business has raised £600k of investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) to scale-up the solutions it provides to manufacturers across the world.
Liverpool-based Atomik-AM, which creates sustainable materials and patented technologies to support scalable and efficient advanced manufacturing, was founded in October 2022 by Professor Kate Black, a professor of manufacturing at the University of Liverpool.
Since then, the business has scaled to a team of 10 people, working in partnership with multi-nationals Unilever and Ricoh, as well as developing and patenting its own IP.
Atomik-AM has raised the money from NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, to grow its Liverpool City Region-based team by 40% and explore larger premises, as it looks to scale further in region.
Currently, the firm is in the process of patenting a series of new and innovative manufacturing products, including its Universal Binder, a “glue” used specifically in 3D metal printing to help companies in the automotive, aerospace and energy sectors produce key parts at scale.
The company has delivered solutions to help companies remove unnecessary resources like water out of their manufacturing processes, with water a scarce commodity in parts of the world.
This latest funding also follows a £125k investment from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority-backed LYVA Labs, who invested in the business earlier this year.
“At Atomik-AM, we believe that true innovation starts with putting materials and sustainability first. This investment will allow us to grow our team and scale our patented technologies, accelerating our ability to deliver cleaner, more efficient manufacturing solutions,” said Black.
“From our base in Liverpool, we’re proud to lead this transformation and work with global partners to set a new benchmark for sustainable, materials-led innovation in advanced manufacturing.”
Louise Chapman, NPIF II Fund principal at Praetura Ventures, added: “Atomik-AM prides itself on a solutions-focused way of working. In other words, taking a holistic approach to vastly improve existing processes instead of fixing individual problems.
“Kate’s enthusiasm and determination to make the advanced manufacturing space truly sustainable is reflected in the incredible work done by Atomik-AM so far.
“Because of this, we jumped at the opportunity to support a female founder scaling a business of this nature from the Liverpool City Region, an area with a long history and reputation for manufacturing.”
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