As manufacturing continues to evolve with new technologies and approaches, several innovative startups are reshaping the industry’s future. From revolutionizing battery technology and automated production to advancing virtual reality (VR) interfaces and sustainable manufacturing, these companies are tackling diverse challenges across the manufacturing landscape. Here are the top manufacturing startups that are introducing groundbreaking solutions to modernize how we design, build, and maintain products.
Best Manufacturing Startups to Follow
Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation, tech, and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the top manufacturing startups of 2024 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow.
Disclaimer: With so many exciting manufacturing startups launching and growing, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups listed below aren’t officially ranked and appear in no particular order.
1. Lumafield
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Founder(s): Eduardo Torrealba
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series B, $67.5 Million
- Investors Include: Kleiner Perkins, DCVC, Spark Capital
Lumafield develops industrial, CT scanning technology and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software that allows manufacturers to see inside their products non-destructively. The company’s Neptune scanner and Voyager analysis platform help companies inspect parts, optimize designs, and solve quality issues by creating detailed 3D views of internal structures. This capability enables engineers to analyze everything from injection molding defects to assembly verification.
2. Afference
- Location: Boulder, Colorado
- Founder(s): Jacob Segil, Dustin Tyler
- Founded In: 2022
- Funding: Seed, $5 Million
- Investors Include: Hannah Grey Ventures, Konvoy Ventures, Samsung Next
Afference manufactures wearable technology that creates artificial tactile sensations through neural stimulation, bridging the gap between digital and physical experiences. The company’s technology enables users to feel realistic touch feedback while using VR, augmented reality (AR), and gaming devices thereby providing a more immersive interaction across both physical and digital environments.
3. Molg
- Location: Chantilly, Virginia
- Founder(s): Rob Lawson-Shanks, Mark Lyons
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Seed, $5.55 Million
- Investors Include: Closed Loop Partners, Overture Climate VC, TechFounders
Molg is a circular manufacturing company that combines AI and robotics to create autonomous micro-factories focused on both assembly and disassembly of products. The startup’s platform is designed to make manufacturing more sustainable by enabling the automated production of circular products while providing companies with enhanced transparency and opportunities to recover value from their materials. Molg’s approach aims to advance the circular economy through smart, automated manufacturing processes.
4. Pure Lithium
- Location: Charlestown, Massachusetts
- Founder(s): Emilie Bodoin, Dr. Donald R. Sadoway
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series B, $35.2 Million
- Investors Include: Energy Capital Group, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, WS Investments
Pure Lithium is a battery technology company that has developed an innovative approach to manufacturing lithium metal batteries, focusing on clean and sustainable energy storage solutions. This startup’s technology stands out for producing battery-ready electrodes in just one day while eliminating the need for traditional materials like cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite. Pure Lithium’s batteries deliver high discharge current density comparable to Li-ion batteries, but with significant advantages in charging duration and reduced weight for better portability.
5. Re:Build Manufacturing
- Location: Framingham, Massachusetts
- Founder(s): Miles Arnone, Jeff Wilke
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Early Stage VC, $656 Million
- Investors Include: General Catalyst, HighSage Ventures, 75 & Sunny
Re:Build Manufacturing is a manufacturing company with the mission of revitalizing American manufacturing. The company takes a hybrid approach — both acquiring existing manufacturing facilities and building new ones — with a focus on advanced manufacturing technologies that include additive manufacturing, automation, and digital manufacturing systems. The company operates across multiple sectors, including aerospace, medical devices, and consumer products, and has been actively expanding through acquisitions of specialized manufacturing facilities across the United States.
6. Squint
- Location: Silicon Valley (San Jose, California)
- Founder(s): Devin Bhushan
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Series A, $19 Million
- Investors Include: Plug and Play Tech Center, Sequoia Capital, Menlo Ventures
Squint is a manufacturing technology company that develops systems to digitize and streamline factory operations by attaching digital work instructions to physical objects. This startup’s platform guides operators through each step of standard operating procedures (SOPs) while simultaneously collecting data on task completion and providing manufacturers with real-time visibility into their factory floor activities and workforce performance.
7. Addionics
- Location: London, England
- Founder(s): Moshiel Biton, Farid Tariq, Vladimir Yufit
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series B, $78.6 Million
- Investors Include: Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Prieto Battery, EnerSys
Addionics is a battery technology company that develops 3D electrode architectures for electric vehicle and energy storage batteries. The startup’s approach involves redesigning the internal structure of batteries with a patented 3D metal fabrication method, which aims to improve battery performance, charging speed, and energy density when compared to traditional 2D battery designs.
8. Arc Boat Company
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Founder(s): Mitch Lee, Ryan Cook
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Series B, $104.25 Million
- Investors Include: Menlo Ventures, Dreamers VC, WndrCo
Arc Boat Company (or Arc) manufactures high-performance electric watercraft. The company’s flagship product, the Arc One, is a luxury speedboat that combines high-end design with electric propulsion technology. Arc aims to bring the electric vehicle revolution to the marine industry by creating boats that deliver powerful performance while being environmentally friendly and quieter than traditional, gas-powered vessels.
9. Hadrian
- Location: Torrance, California
- Founder(s): Chris Power
- Founded In: 2020
- Funding: Private Equity Growth, $220 Million
- Investors Include: Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Caffeinated Capital
Hadrian is an automated precision manufacturing company focused on revolutionizing aerospace and defense manufacturing. The startup builds highly automated factories (often called “autonomous factories”) to produce precision parts for aerospace, defense, and space applications. Hadrian’s goal is to modernize the precision components supply chain by using advanced robotics and software to automate the machining of complex metal parts that traditionally required skilled manual labor.
10. Manufactured
- Location: West Hollywood, California
- Founder(s): Pranay Srinivasan
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series A, $54.6 Million
- Investors Include: Tenacity Venture Capital, Umami Capital, Sequoia Capital
Manufactured provides inventory financing and manufacturing solutions for business-to-business (B2B) and direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses, helping them manage cash flow, handle purchase orders, and optimize their supply chain and manufacturing processes. The startup’s platform combines financial services, such as for inventory and purchase order (PO) financing, with sourcing and supply chain management tools.