LONDON, UK and SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA, Jan 2, 2026 — Aibuild, the software company for autonomous manufacturing, announced a strategic investment round to drive the industrialization of AI agents in manufacturing.
Led by existing investor IQ Capital, the round welcomes new strategic partners 212 NexT and Driventure, Ford Otosan’s corporate venture capital arm, alongside continued support from ACT Venture Partners, Force Over Mass Capital, and Atlas Ventures.
This capital injection validates Aibuild’s mission to bridge the gap between digital design and physical parts. By embedding a decade of manufacturing know-how into a flexible digital infrastructure, Aibuild is replacing manual, error-prone processes with “Physical AI” that understands the real world manufacturing constraints.
Entering the Era of Physical AI
The investment signals a shift in the industrial sector: major players are now betting on software, not just hardware, to unlock scalability.
“This funding accelerates our transition into a new era where AI agents leave the screen and enter the factory floor,” said Daghan Cam, Co-founder and CEO of Aibuild. “For too long, additive manufacturing has been held back by a reliance on tacit engineering knowledge. We are breaking these barriers. By empowering engineers to deploy AI directly into their workflows, we are enabling large enterprises to solve their most complex production challenges, drastically reducing lead times and increasing throughput.”
Michail Desyllas, Co-founder and COO, added: “This isn’t just capital; it is strategic validation. Having partners like Driventure and 212 NexT onboard allows us to integrate deeper into the industrial supply chain and deliver the intelligent, secure manufacturing solutions our enterprise clients require to compete.”
Strategic Industry Backing
The addition of Driventure and 212 NexT signals that major industrial players are betting on software to unlock manufacturing scalability.
Commenting on the decision to back the company, Caglar Urcan, General Partner at 212 NexT, said: “Aibuild delivers exceptional automation and quality assurance in large-scale additive manufacturing, earning rapid adoption from leading industrial groups. We are very happy to join this round to back Daghan and Michail and to support Aibuild in expanding its industrial reach through our industrial investor base and wider industry network.”
İlknur İlkyaz Gül, General Manager at Driventure, added: “To fully unlock the potential of next-generation manufacturing, bridging the gap between large industrial enterprises and digital innovation is more important than ever. Supporting next-generation technologies is a key priority for us at Driventure. Aibuild’s platform provides the physical AI infrastructure that simplifies complex additive manufacturing workflows and drives true digital transformation. Aibuild is already being utilized for 3D part production at Ford Otosan’s Yeniköy Plant, and this investment represents a step toward deepening this collaboration. As Driventure, we are proud to invest in this venture, which offers an efficient and sustainable solution for additive manufacturing processes and the industry at scale.”
US Expansion in Critical Industries
Already serving industrial leaders like Boeing and Ford, Aibuild is leveraging this investment to scale its US operations in response to surging demand from the aerospace, defense, and energy sectors. The company’s recently established Silicon Valley headquarters will function as the central hub for this expansion.
To support the sensitive nature of these industries, Aibuild has implemented secure, air-gapped infrastructure capabilities. This allows for ‘dark factory’ operations that function entirely off-the-grid, meeting the rigorous security standards required for defense and national security applications.
Advancing the Manufacturing Operating System
The funding will also advance the platform’s “Hardware Agnostic” capabilities, exemplified by Aibuild’s recent partnership with Nikon. Key technical roadmap items include:
- Fast Physics Simulations: Predicting and mitigating defects digitally before physical production begins.
- Hybrid Manufacturing: Seamlessly managing additive and CNC milling workflows in a single interface.
- Knowledge Automation: Allowing partners to encapsulate and protect their proprietary IP within Aibuild’s infrastructure.
Aibuild will reveal a major update at Additive Manufacturing Strategies in NYC, Feb 24-26 2026.
About 212 NexT
Launched in late 2023 by 212, 212 NexT is Turkey’s first vertically focused deep-tech fund, dedicated to investing in advanced materials technologies. 212 NexT aims to create value by connecting companies across sectors, from chemicals to automotive, with innovative material technologies. With Akkök Holding as its anchor investor, 212 NexT continues to expand its fund by welcoming investors from new sectors. For more information, visit https://212next.fund.
About Driventure
Driventure is the corporate venture capital arm of Ford Otosan. It suppports that make a difference in the fields of mobility, sustainability, and next-generation technologies. Established in 2019, Driventure aims not only to foster the growth of the startups it invests in but also to ensure their integration with Ford Otosan and the mobility ecosystem. Supporting startups in areas ranging from autonomous systems to artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing solutions to next-generation logistics approaches, Driventure strives to create value by bringing together ideas that shape the future of mobility. For more information, visit https://driventure.vc.
About Aibuild
Aibuild is the leading software platform for autonomous additive manufacturing, based in the UK and US. We empower engineers to automate the production of complex parts with robotic and gantry systems. By combining advanced geometrical algorithms with fast physics simulations and AI, Aibuild makes additive manufacturing scalable, reliable, and accessible for critical applications in aerospace, automotive, energy, and construction. For more information, visit https://ai-build.com.
