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CoLab Software just threw down a $72M Series C that hits harder than a factory floor at full power. Led by Intrepid Growth Partners, with Insight Partners going super pro rata and Y Combinator, Pelorus VC, Killick Capital Inc., and Spider Software Capital all running it back for a 3rd round, this isn't just funding. It's validation that CoLab isn't a startup anymore. It's infrastructure for the next era of #engineering. When your early believers keep stacking chips on you, that's not hype. That's proof you're building something the market refuses to live without. Adam Keating and Jeremy Andrews, two #mechanicalengineers from Newfoundland & Labrador, didn't chase the Valley dream, they built their own. After placing 2nd globally in the 2017 SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, they realized mechanical engineers were working with tools that looked like they hadn't seen daylight since Windows XP. So they went home and built CoLab, a platform that actually gets how engineers think, how they argue over tolerance stack-ups, and how they make magic out of metal. Today, CoLab's EngineeringOS is the AI-powered backbone for mechanical and hardware teams everywhere. Ford Pro, Lockheed Martin, GE Appliances, a Haier company, Johnson Controls, Komatsu, Schaeffler, Hyundai MOBIS, Polaris Partners, and iRobot are already in. These aren't trials, they're transformations. Teams are cutting #designcycles by 30–50%, trimming BOM costs by 50%, and pulling products to market faster than their supply chains can blink. That's not software, that's torque for business. AutoReview, their breakout AI agent launched June '25, is already rewriting how engineers work, 47K+ engineers jumped on the waitlist to let it audit their designs. It checks #2D drawings, #3D models, and flags issues before a single prototype gets machined. It's not the AI future everyone's pitching, it's here, and it's saving time, money, and sanity. CoLab's not replacing engineers; it's giving them superpowers. With revenue set to nearly 3x this year and a $500M valuation, CoLab landed #19 on Deloitte Ventures Canada's Tech Fast 50 with 1,730% growth over 3 years. Insight Partners' Joshua Fredberg keeps his board seat, joined now by Intrepid's Mark Shulgan, both men who know a scaling rocket when they see one. Adam Keating and Jeremy Andrews turned a late-night student project into an AI powerhouse sitting at the intersection of design, data, and decision-making. From St. John's, Newfoundland, not Silicon Valley, CoLab's proving that world-changing innovation doesn't need a California zip code, just clarity, conviction, and one hell of a CoLab. #Startups #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #SeriesC #AI #AIAgents #Automation #Engineering #MechanicalEngineering #HardwareDevelopment #Infrastructure #Data #DataDriven #Technology #Innovation #TechEcosystem #StartupEcosystem If software engineering peace of mind is what you crave, Vention is your zen.

Adam Raises $4.1 Million in Seed Round Adam, a San Francisco, CA-based company building an AI-powered computer-aided design (CAD) tool, has raised $4.1 million in Seed funding. #AI #3DModeling #CAD #ComputerAidedDesign #ProductDesign #Engineering #SeedRound #Funding https://lnkd.in/g_Ea78wd

In the startup or innovation space, things move lightning fast. In fact, waiting just a week for the next iteration of your customized circuit board to be printed could be a significant setback. “Startups move fast, and innovators need their circuit boards as quickly as possible. Waiting weeks for a specialized board isn’t an option. Convexity Electronics’ goal is to be more local and convenient,” shares Calla Scotch, Founder and Lead Technical Developer of Convexity Electronics. 👉 Read the full story about how a Georgia Institute of Technology student-founded startup, Convexity Electronics, is empowering innovators: https://buff.ly/ESCHleZ ⚡ Convexity Electronics Team: Calla Scotch (Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering), Anuj Pandey (George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering), and Atharva Lele (Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) 🐝 Georgia Tech College of Engineering, Dr. Blair Brettmann (Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering), Georgia Tech CREATE-X

Convexity Electronics' creativity knows no limits, so it's no surprise that their 3D-printed circuit boards are expanding design possibilities for innovators, designers, and makers as well. It was inspiring to work on this story with Convexity and learn about the team's iterative approach, dedication to research, development of creative solutions, and the intentional focus on the needs of those they are designing for. The story is now live! You can read more to learn about this Georgia Tech student-founded startup that is empowering innovators to be as creative as possible.

We've already made additive PCBs for prototyping, but we're thinking bigger. Check out this recent article from Tech Square ATL to see how we're tackling scalability!

Here's what stood out in the AEC World: > New Innovations and Partnerships \\ Exodigo launches engineering services for AI-driven project delivery. The company introduces a new engineering services division aimed at enhancing AI-driven project delivery capabilities across construction projects. \\ TOPDON launched the ArtiDiag HD, a diagnostic tool covering 60+ brands of trucks and construction equipment with full system diagnostics and real-time sensor data. The device includes two years of software updates and supports advanced functions like DPF regeneration and injector coding. > Funding Rounds and M&A Activity Hong Kong-based Riverchain raises $5 million in Series A funding to enhance its construction finance technology platform. The fintech company plans to use the funding for regional expansion into Southeast Asia markets. ✅ Subscribe for the full drop: https://lnkd.in/dWtSj_hQ --- The Daily Blueprint is Foundamental's daily newsletter covering what's shaping the future of construction - from AEC tech and robotics to 3D/CAD and supply chains. Built by the leading global VC in project-based industries. Want to chat or collaborate? Reach out to Nina. #AEC #ConTech #Architecture #Design #ConstructionTech #VC #startup

An AI startup out of St.John's Newfoundland just raised $72M for their AI agent! 🍁 Canadian tech companies are quietly reshaping how huge companes like Ford and Johnson & Johnson get work done. Read about it in the Built Canadian newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eTCajr5D

Why Most Projects Die Between Prototype Phases (Part 1 - The PoC Stage) A lot of amazing projects die in the prototype phase, not because their builders are bad or inexperienced, but because of a bad transition between prototype stages. Let’s talk about these stages real quick. We have four major prototype phases: 1️⃣ Proof of Concept (PoC) 2️⃣ Engineering Prototype 3️⃣ Pre-production Prototype / Alpha Model 4️⃣ Production Prototype 1. The Proof of Concept (PoC) Stage This is where your idea first comes alive. Say you come up with something like an autonomous seeder — a robot that ploughs, waters, and plants automatically. Sounds dope, right? So you build a miniature version to test your idea. Now, here’s where things start to get funny. At that small size, you’re probably sourcing parts from Arduino or robotics learning kits, and you quickly realize some components simply don’t exist at that scale. You won’t find a mini plough, so you either skip it or improvise, either way, it’ll come back to haunt you 😅. But somehow, you make it work. You’ve got your first “toy” version. It moves, it seeds, it kinda works. You take it to a few hackathons, maybe even win a couple. Now you’re convinced (or at least hopeful) that your idea is going to change the world — or at least change Nigeria first 😅. So naturally, you decide: “Time to build the big one.” And that’s where the real wahala starts. Next: Part 2 — The Engineering Prototype Stage That’s where most projects die quietly, between “the toy” that works and the “real deal” that breaks. Stay tuned for Part 2. #engineering #prototyping #hardware #innovation #NigeriaTech #startups

Why Most Projects Die Between Prototype Phases (Part 2 — The Engineering Stage) If you’ve survived the PoC stage and decided to scale up. welcome to the real world. 🌍 This is where most projects die quietly. You decide to build the real deal and suddenly, reality hits you: You actually need a 3D model of your robot. God help you if you’ve never opened Fusion 360 before 😭. But you push through, watch tutorials, and make it happen. Then you realize this phase makes you rethink everything. The things you got away with in your mini version suddenly look ridiculous when scaled up. After designing, you’re pumped and ready to start building. Then the first big question hits: “Where do I get the money for this thing?” Your hackathon money don finish 😅. No investor wants to touch you yet. You’re relying on friends, family, or stubborn belief. Let’s say you sort funding somehow. Next up: materials. Steel? Aluminum? Titanium? (Nothing bad in being delusional 🥲.) Then your welder, who definitely didn’t look at your 3D model twice goes ahead and murders your design 😩. Fine. You move on. You start sourcing motors, batteries, sensors. You’ll buy the wrong parts a few times (don’t worry, we all did 😅). Then boom, you hit the Scaling Problem. The Scaling Problem When you scale up, everything changes, and not linearly. Torque, load, power draw, inertia all multiply unpredictably. Double the size, and you might need four times the power and still get half the expected output. That’s when your PoC logic collapses. Now you need real engineering. God help you if you forgot everything from Strength of Materials or Mechanics of Machines (you only read to pass, abi 🌝). If you survive this, congrats 🎉 You’ve got your Engineering Prototype. But sadly, that’s not the story for most builders, especially here in Nigeria, where the ecosystem isn’t kind to young, ambitious engineers. Still, it’s not all bad. There’s something magical about seeing your full-size frame stand for the first time, or watching your logic control a real machine. 💡 In the next post, I’ll share some tips on how to make a smoother transition from PoC → Engineering smoother and more sustainable. Till then 👉 What challenges hit you hardest at this stage? #engineering #prototyping #hardware #builders #NigeriaTech #startups

CoLab: $72 Million Series C Raised To Advance AI For Engineering Design Workflows: CoLab has raised $72 million in Series C financing as the company expands its role in applying AI to complex engineering and hardware development. The round was led by Intrepid Growth Partners, with participation from existing investors, including Insight Partners, which increased its stake through a super-pro rata investment, along with Y Combinator, Pelorus VC, Killick Capital, and Spider Capital. This marks the third consecutive round in which these investors have backed the company, reflecting continued confidence in CoLab’s momentum and market position. The post CoLab: $72 Million Series C Raised To Advance AI For Engineering Design Workflows appeared first on Pulse 2.0.