Manex AI, which offers AI-driven quality management software for industrial customers, has raised €8m in seed capital led by Lightspeed and Blue Yard Capital.
Capmont Technology and the venture fund of the Munich-based Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) — an elite business programme of which Manex AI CEO Nathan Gruber is an alum — also participated in the round.
CDTM is an elite business programme known for breeding unicorn founders such as Personio’s Hanno Renner and Forto’s Michael Wax. It set up an €8m venture fund in February to back promising startups out of CDTM.
Manufacturing companies are feeling the squeeze amid global macroeconomic instability and labour shortages. Many are seeking to implement AI to boost efficiency, improve safety and reduce costs. As of 2024, 49% of advanced manufacturing companies globally were investing in AI-driven innovation, according to a report from EY.
Manex AI’s platform, dubbed Qualitatio, uses AI to optimise quality assurance processes in industrial settings, paving the way for autonomous factories. The company says it will use the funding to develop a new series of agents devoted to optimising such processes.
The company says its platform integrates across the entire manufacturing process, helping customers like BMW, Stellantis, Henkel, and TDK improve quality, efficiency and operational performance.
“The use of artificial intelligence supports the digital transformation of BMW Group production towards an intelligently connected factory – for example, we are using AI for quality control in vehicle assembly. In this way, we are optimising our production processes and creating added value for our products and, ultimately, for our customers” said Armin Ebner, Plant Manager atBMW Group Plant Regensburg in a statement.
The startup was founded early in 2023 by 24-year old Nathan Gruber, CRO Dr Andreas Schoch, CPTO Fabian Gruber and CTO Tim Hajek.
