Continuum secures $36M in funding
November 17, 2022

Metal alloy powder producer Continuum, Los Gatos, California, USA, has raised a total of $36 million in funding led by Ara Partners. This investment is intended to fund the accelerated expansion of 100% recycled commercial metal powder production to meet customer demand for sustainable materials. Ara’s partnership is expected to support Continuum’s international growth and continued research into adjacent technologies and customer applications.
“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” stated 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 new commercial arm of MolyWorks Materials Corporation, emphasises the critical role the company plays in accelerating the adoption of circular manufacturing. Continuum intends to address 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.
“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,” added Cory Steffek, partner at Ara. “We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to help Continuum scale and address these enormous hurdles.”
Continuum’s Optipowder has complete traceability and maximum purity, is ISO/AS certified and engineered for multiple applications including Additive Manufacturing, Metal Injection Moulding, cold spray AM and more. To date, over thirty different alloys and thousands of variations have been produced.