Skip to main content

Printful

Print-on-Demand ManufacturingFounded 2013
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Printful?

Lauris Liberts, Davis Siksnans · Founded 2013 · HQ today: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States (FYUL group HQ: Riga, Latvia)

Who founded Printful?

Printful was founded by Lauris Liberts, Davis Siksnans in 2013. It is now led by Alex Saltonstall.

Founders
Lauris Liberts, Davis Siksnans
Founded
2013
Headquarters
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States (FYUL group HQ: Riga, Latvia)
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Alex Saltonstall (since 2022)
Where was Printful founded?
Printful was founded in Riga, Latvia in 2013.
When was Printful founded?
Printful was founded in 2013.
Who started Printful?
Printful was founded by Lauris Liberts and Davis Siksnans.
How old is Printful?
Printful is 13 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Printful came out of Draugiem Group, the Latvian incubator behind social network Draugiem.lv. The team ran online poster and quote shops such as Startup Vitamins and Behappy.me and struggled to find a printer that would fulfil single orders automatically. In 2013 they built that service themselves, launching Printful on July 16, 2013 in California with an API-driven dropshipping model.

Background

Latvian entrepreneur and co-founder of Draugiem Group, the company behind social network Draugiem.lv and products such as DeskTime and Startup Vitamins.

Role at Printful

Lauris Liberts co-founded Printful in 2013 as a Draugiem Group venture after the group's own poster and quote shops needed automated printing and shipping. He served as chairman of Printful's board and helped steer it to unicorn status in 2021. Lauris Liberts was born in 1981.

Background

Joined Draugiem Group early in his career and became Printful's founding CEO.

Role at Printful

Davis Siksnans co-founded Printful and was its CEO from 2013 to 2022, growing it past $289 million in revenue and leading the 2021 Bregal Sagemount round. He has been CEO of fleet-telematics company Mapon since 2024. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Printful: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Anastasija Oleinika

President and Head of Platform (merged company)

2024 – Present

As Co-CEO (and former CFO), she acts as the absolute financial backbone of the merged entity, heavily focusing on profitability and operational efficiency.

Alex Saltonstall

Chief Executive Officer (Printful; FYUL)

2022 – Present

As CEO, the former Wayfair executive manages the massive global scaling and supply chain integration required to fiercely battle custom apparel giants like Custom Ink.

Davis Siksnans

Co-Founder and former CEO

2013 – 2022

As Co-Founder and former CEO, he built the tiny Latvian startup into a massive global unicorn, deeply embedding it into the Shopify ecosystem before stepping down into an advisory role.

Keep researching Printful

Who Founded Printful? FAQ

Who founded Printful?

Lauris Liberts and Davis Siksnans, in 2013, as a Draugiem Group venture.

Why was Printful started?

Draugiem Group's own shops, such as Startup Vitamins and Behappy.me, needed a printer that would automatically fulfil single orders, so the team built one.

What is Davis Siksnans doing now?

He was Printful's CEO from 2013 to 2022 and has been CEO of Mapon since 2024.

What was Draugiem Group prior to launching Printful?

Draugiem Group was founded by Lauris Liberts and Agris Tamanis in 2004, initially creating Draugiem.lv—Latvia’s premier social network that famously outcompeted Facebook within Latvia for many years—before branching into international software ventures.

What specific business gave birth to Printful?

In 2011, Lauris Liberts launched Startup Vitamins, an e-commerce store selling motivational poster quotes to startup founders in Silicon Valley; encountering unreliable fulfillment suppliers, Liberts and Tamanis created Printful in 2013 to handle manufacturing in-house.

What were the initial startup costs and equipment for Printful?

Printful began inside Lauris Liberts’ living room and small California workshop with a single commercial wide-format poster printer and an initial investment of less than $100,000 funded entirely by Draugiem Group profits.

What technical contributions did Agris Tamanis make?

Agris Tamanis provided early IT architecture, server infrastructure, and software engineering leadership, ensuring that Draugiem Group’s robust software engineering standards were embedded into Printful’s automated printing workflows.

How did the founders cultivate the tech ecosystem in Latvia?

Liberts and Tamanis catalyzed Latvia’s modern tech startup hub, investing personal wealth into local universities, mentorship programs, and fostering a generation of software developers and digital creators in Riga.

Are the founders still involved in Printful today?

Lauris Liberts and Agris Tamanis remain major shareholders and strategic advisors across the FYUL Group and Draugiem Group ecosystem, while professional executives manage day-to-day operations.

What is the founding philosophy that guided Printful’s expansion?

The founders adhered to the principle of "test before investing": launching software first, validating real customer demand, and only purchasing costly physical manufacturing hardware when cash flow and order volumes justified it.

Related Founder Profiles

Compare founding stories, origins, and entrepreneurial journeys

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.