3D Printed Footwear Startup Koobz Lands $7.2M in Seed Round

California-based Koobz is focused on reshoring the U.S. footwear supply chain with advanced manufacturing processes, including 3D printing. The startup just announced that it has added $6 million to its seed round, which now totals $7.2 million, factoring in the amount the company initially raised last fall. The funding round was led by Silicon Valley’s Uncork Capital, with participation from a number of other VC firms.

Koobz was founded in 2023 by Polish immigrant to the U.S., Kuba Graczyk, who also serves as the company’s CEO. Graczyk previously founded NXT Factory, which was ultimately acquired by Nexa3D, where Graczyk also worked prior to founding Koobz.

According to Graczyk, Koobz plans to use the seed round funds to support a significant amount of expansion over the next two years, a strategy that includes more than doubling the company’s personnel from 15 to 40, and nearly doubling its fleet of 3D printers by the end of 2025, to a total of 100. Koobz will manage that growth by moving into a 10,000 square foot factory, a precursor to an anticipated move into an even larger facility that can fit 4,000-5,000 machines.

In an interview about Koobz’s $7.2 million seed round with Sourcing Journal’s Kate Nishimura, Graczyk cited new tariffs as a major driver behind investors’ increased interest in the company: “‘Liberation Day’ happened, and I would say it was a pivotal moment in our philosophy, in accelerating us into making a decision on fundraising. We received so many calls and so many emails. My phone was red hot from the companies that wanted to work with us to help them navigate through [the tariffs], to have some manufacturing capacity in the United States.

“Many good projects started in that week or two weeks. And that further emphasized that the market is there, demand is there. We’ve gained confidence in the fact that this is a scalable business, and we can create a massive dent in the universe and U.S. manufacturing.”

Prior to the tariff bomb dropped by President Trump, there were already a number of reasons why additive manufacturing (AM) had picked up steam in the footwear space. In addition to other societal concerns like sustainability, the footwear industry has also been empowered by AM’s ability to facilitate uniquely shaped sneakers in low-volume runs for high-fashion brands like Zellerfeld.

Trump has emphasized that his administration is pushing for U.S. reshoring in order to support domestic production of high-value, high-tech items — “We want to make military equipment. …We are looking to do chips and computers…” —  and not “sneakers and T-shirts”. However, heightened investor attention on a company like Koobz illustrates that, while Trump may have the power to impose higher tariffs on foreign economies (unless courts ultimately decide otherwise), and especially China, the president has far less control over how the market responds to those tariffs.

If the market eventually decides that the price difference between footwear imported from overseas and footwear produced domestically isn’t enough of a factor to keep them from trying new brands, the new brands will gain increasing market share. That possibility is all the greater in an industry where consumer taste is, in the end, likely to be the deciding factor.

Images courtesy of Koobz via Sourcing Journal