Manufacturing shops will be able to move faster from quote to production as CloudNC deploys a $20 million funding extension to push wider uptake of its AI CAM Assist and to ship a pricing product, Quote Agent, next month. The round raises the company’s lifetime financing to $128 million and is intended to accelerate sales, product rollout and geographic expansion.
Founded in 2015 by Theo Saville and Chris Emery, the U.K. startup builds software that automates parts of the Computer Numerical Control workflow, the set of steps machinists use to cut and shape components for sectors such as automotive, defence and consumer hardware. CloudNC says more than 1,000 machine shops worldwide use CAM Assist, and that 80% of its customers are in the U.S. The company employs 80 people.
CloudNC describes CAM Assist as a system that selects appropriate tools, approach directions, and cutting feeds and speeds, then produces the code a CNC machine needs, with users reviewing, editing and approving the output. Saville framed the software as complementary to experienced programmers, saying, “Traditional CAM systems are powerful, but in most workflows, they are still tools that allow programmers to manually specify how a part should be machined.” He said CAM Assist automates much of first-pass thinking and repetitive setup so programmers can focus on review and improvement.
Quote Agent targets a different bottleneck: estimating cost and risk on prospective jobs so shops can decide to accept or decline work faster. CloudNC links the product’s timing to reshoring trends and a shortage of skilled manufacturing workers, pressures that force shops to quote, program and deliver more with existing staff and equipment.
Investors in the extension include Nimble Ventures, which led the round, Calculus Venture Capital, Entrepreneur First, LM Capital and Lockheed Martin’s venture arm. CloudNC’s leadership says the new capital will convert demonstrated product usage into broader commercial traction by scaling sales teams, expanding into current and new territories, and developing further products that sit alongside CAM Assist and Quote Agent.
