Continuum Secures $36 Million in Funding Led by Ara Partners

Continuum, a company vested in sustainable metal recycling and supply and a producer of additive manufacturing material, has raised a total of $36 million in funding led by Ara Partners. The investment will fund accelerated expansion of 100% recycled commercial metal powder production to meet demand for sustainable materials.

Ara's partnership will also support the international growth of the company and continued research into adjacent technologies and customer applications. Continuum is advancing the world of additive manufacturing and metallurgy industries by providing quality ISO/AS certified metal alloy powders using its proprietary process.

“The additive manufacturing powder market is expected to more than triple over the next five years as the 3D printing industry hits a commercial inflection point. Ara's investment allows us to supply the industry's growth with a sustainable solution,” says Phil Ward, Continuum's CEO. “Ara has demonstrated experience scaling businesses that support the transition to a circular economy, and we look forward to working with them as a strategic and financial partner.”

Continuum, the newly minted commercial arm of MolyWorks Materials Corp., focuses on accelerating the adoption of circular manufacturing. Continuum addresses the missing link in the circular metal supply chain through its ability to produce high-quality materials for engineered parts through 100% recycled and responsibly sourced materials, the company expolains.

“Creating a circular metals economy is critical to meeting the world's sustainability goals. Titanium, stainless steel and Inconel alone account for tens of millions of tons of scrap metal each year that will need to be repurposed in the new sustainable economy,” says Cory Steffek, partner at Ara. 

Continuum's Optipowder has complete traceability and maximum purity, is ISO/AS certified and engineered for multiple applications including additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, cold spray and more. To date, more than 30 different alloys and thousands of variations have been produced. Continuum is headquartered in Los Gatos, CA.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.