London-based Ai Build, a pioneering additive manufacturing (3D printing) software company, has successfully raised $8.5 million in a Series A funding round. Leading the charge was IQ Capital, notable for its investments in Signaloid, AccelerComm, and Apperio. Joining this strategic investment was Japanese optical technology giant Nikon, alongside Ai Build's existing supporters, including SuperSeed, ACT Venture Partners, Atlas Ventures, and Seedcamp.
Ai Build plans to leverage this funding to supercharge its product roadmap, enhancing its offerings with elevated levels of automation and AI capabilities. This boost will facilitate their expansion into North America and further growth across Europe.
Founded in 2015 by architects Daghan Cam and Michail Desyllas, Ai Build is on a mission to make manufacturing accessible, intelligent, sustainable, and cost-effective with the aid of artificial intelligence. Their cloud-based solution is designed to revolutionize additive manufacturing by reducing costs and minimizing material wastage, previously a challenge riddled with labor and errors.
Already, Ai Build has formed partnerships with industry giants like Boeing, aiming to propel additive manufacturing into large-scale industrial applications within sectors such as energy and aerospace. The initial results are promising, with Ai Build's early customers experiencing a remarkable 65% reduction in production failures and a substantial 90% boost in overall production efficiency.
As Ai Build continues to integrate more machines, users, and manufacturing data into its platform, the level of automation and capabilities are set to soar. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate human-induced inefficiencies, making the manufacturing process smarter, more sustainable, and more cost-effective.
Daghan Cam, Co-founder and CEO of Ai Build, expressed, “We believe that automation and intelligent data usage are the keys to making additive manufacturing an industrial reality. Our collaboration with Nikon and IQ Capital, both visionary supporters of our vision for the future of manufacturing, positions us well to achieve our goal of automating the factories of the future.”
Michail Desyllas, Co-founder and COO of Ai Build, also added, "We are consistently enhancing the Ai Build platform to align with the rapidly growing market. This funding round arrives at an opportune moment for us to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing at scale and to innovate collaboratively with our clients, partners, and investors."
Mason Sinclair, Principal of IQ Capital, highlighted the industry's transformative potential, saying, “AM represents a $16 billion segment of the manufacturing industry and is growing rapidly at over 20% per annum. This is an exciting time of transformation for the industry, and we believe that Ai Build will play a critical role in unlocking its potential.”
Yuichi Shibazaki, Corporate Vice President and Officer in charge of the Next Generation Project Division at Nikon, emphasized their shared vision: "Ai Build offers extensive solutions that enable automated workflows, bringing efficiency and sustainability to the field of AM. In tandem with Nikon's capabilities, together we will deliver innovative solutions that revolutionize AM."
Ai Build's successful funding round is a significant step towards reshaping the future of manufacturing, and their partnerships with industry leaders indicate a promising path ahead.
