2025 brought steady progress across the additive manufacturing landscape, along with new startups worth watching. We spotlighted a standout startup each month, highlighting innovations that ranged from personalized medical solutions to unique manufacturing technologies. In December, we brought together the twelve finalists for our Startup of the Year award and invited our readers to vote. After weeks of anticipation, the verdict is in: with 193 of 729 votes, 3D Architech has officially claimed the title!
Operating across the United States and Japan, 3D Architech has developed a proprietary gel-based metal 3D printing process that sets it apart. The approach begins with a lithography-based method to fabricate gel structures with highly precise architectures. These structures are then transformed, through a specialized process, into fully metallic or alloy components.
According to founder and CEO Kai Narita, the technology’s key strengths lie in its ability to produce micron-scale features as small as 10 microns through advanced microarchitecture design, while also delivering significant cost reductions and high throughput. This combination enables a seamless transition from R&D to optimized designs for specific applications, and ultimately to the mass production of customized, high-performance parts. The process also offers exceptional material versatility, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. At present, 3D Architech is focusing on the cooling, energy, and manufacturing sectors.
Congratulations to all the startups that participated in this year’s challenge. Special recognition also goes to our runner-ups. First is AM3L, a French metal additive manufacturing startup dedicated to producing structures with customized, controlled, and verified architectures, prioritizing precise control over porosity rather than density. Our second runner-up is also French: Signature & Authentification des Matériaux (S.A.M). This company is tackling counterfeiting and data protection through the use of 3D printed authentication “tokens.”
What do you think of our Startup of the Year 2025? Did you vote for 3D Architech? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*All Photo Credits: 3D Architech