Swellcycle Secures $1M Pre-Seed Round Led by Thirdsphere

Swellcycle team standing next to their surfboards out at sea. From left to right: Pol Riera, Nathan Jackrazi, Patricio Guerrero.

Surfer Eric Baker holding a green glowing Swellcycle surf board.

Content provided by Swellcycle

We’re thrilled to announce that Swellcycle has closed its $1M pre-seed funding round, led by Third Sphere, a top 1% ranked climate and deeptech investor. This funding marks a pivotal moment in our journey, accelerating our vision to redefine manufacturing with 3D-printed, high-performance surfboard cores and scalable microfactories.

Revolutionizing Surfboard Technology

We recently achieved a major breakthrough—a 3D-printed core weighing just 4lbs, matching the weight of a traditional foam blank. This represents a 25% weight reduction from our previous 6lb lattice, all while improving strength and maintaining an engineered, performance-tuned structure. The result? A more durable, high-performance core that redefines what’s possible in surfboard construction.

Innovation in surfboard materials has historically been slow. The development of polyurethane foam for surfboard blanks began in the mid-1950s, with key figures like Gordon "Grubby" Clark and Hobie Alter experimenting with different formulations and molding techniques. After years of refining the process, the material was successfully commercialized around 1958, marking a major shift in surfboard manufacturing. At Swellcycle, we are moving faster than ever, leveraging advanced additive manufacturing to engineer surfboard cores that outperform conventional foam in both durability and performance.

Our flagship model, the Eddie, a 5’7”, 30L board shaped by Spina, has been the foundation of this development. This milestone proves that 3D-printed surfboards can now meet and exceed the weight and performance of traditional foam boards, paving the way for broader adoption within the industry.

A blue glowing kayak in production in Swellcycle’s 3d printer

Beyond Surfboards: The Bigger Vision

While our surfboards showcase what’s possible, Third Sphere’s investment isn’t just about surfboards—it’s about the technology stack powering them. Swellcycle is building the hardware, software, and manufacturing processes that will enable microfactories to produce custom, high-performance objects across multiple industries. 

Our goal is to provide turnkey production solutions for a wide range of designers in areas like water sports, automotive, and aerospace. We want to make it easy for designers to focus on shapes, and we handle the heavy lifting to translate that into sustainable, automated production without sacrificing performance.

What’s Next?

With this funding, we are expanding our team, ramping up board production, and strengthening sustainability partnerships in Northern California. Our vision extends far beyond surfboards—we are laying the foundation for turnkey microfactories that empower manufacturers and designers across industries.

If you're an engineer looking to work on cutting-edge sustainable manufacturing, a shaper interested in incorporating 3D-printed board cores into your designs, or an investor looking to be part of this movement before we close our round, we’d love to hear from you.

Thank you to Third Sphere and all our supporters for believing in this vision. The future of surfboard manufacturing is here—let’s build it together.