The digitisation of how we manufacture goods, via the automation of information and data exchange, is known to industry experts as the transition to industry 4.0. What does that mean and what was industry 3.0? In 1970, computers were introduced to the manufacturing process, speeding up the planning, design, and building process for all. Just 5 short decades later, we’ve arrived at the next stage, version 4.0, of industry. Enter: Full Speed Automation which enables production agility with its intelligent automation software.
We’re excited to join Full Speed Automation on their journey in a $3.2m seed round led by our friends at HCVC (Hardware Club), with participation from Catapult Ventures, Serena Capital, Kima Ventures, Diaspora Ventures, and angel investors entrenched in the manufacturing industry. When we met Luc Leroy, Founder & CEO of Full Speed Automation, it was immediately clear to us that he knew the in and outs of this industry. After all, Luc was the man who drove the Core Automation Engineering team at Tesla to solve the Model 3 “automation hell”, helping make production profitable. While at Tesla, he also developed the team and set up the new controls and software architectures for Gigafactory Shanghai, battery cells, and Model Y production lines. In our minds, there is no one better placed to tackle this issue and accelerate the transition to industry 4.0.
Full Speed’s first product, VITESSE, is the world’s first no-code automated manufacturing platform, allowing fast production bring-ups and rapid iterations on existing production lines as well as new ones. In addition to bringing agility to factories, VITESSE simplifies data acquisition and enables production monitoring with real-time telemetry. The platform increases quality and working conditions; it also boosts productivity, traceability, and takes a step in protecting our planet by decentralizing production and redistributing supply chains.
“Industry 4.0 represents a big shift in the way data and information is used to manufacture things from everyday products to the most complex of tools,” remarks Seedcamp Managing Partner Carlos Espinal. “We’ve backed Luc and the team at Full Speed Automation in their goal to help shape this modern day industrial revolution with their software platform VITESSE. We’re excited to be joining them on this breakneck pace journey to empower the manufacturing industry to not only use all their data and information, but to also protect our supply chains which have never been more under stress and at risk.”
“Full Speed’s vision of enabling the ‘autonomous factory’ of the future was hugely inspiring to us at Seedcamp, and we couldn’t imagine a team better-placed to deliver on that in terms of industry knowledge, experience and ambition,” adds Kyran Schmidt from our investment team. “They are already blazing ahead commercially and becoming a real magnet for strong talent. We’re delighted to be joining them on their journey.”
No one stresses the need to make the transition more than the team at Full Speed Automation.
“It has become critical to accelerate the transition to industry 4.0,” comments Founder and CEO Luc Leroy. “While initiating pilots with brands in Automotive, Smart Warehousing, Biotech and Greentech, we met incredible traction from customers which attracted investors and motivated them to close fundraising quickly. To enable production agility with smart automation is key for a better future; our platform increases quality and working conditions; it also boosts productivity, traceability and is essential to protect our planet by decentralising production and redistributing supply chains. VITESSE is the missing universal automation operating system that will support this transformation, and we are thrilled to have passionate venture capital partners and experts on board to help us on this journey.”
The team will be using the seed funding to charge full speed ahead in the development of VITESSE, hiring people in the US & Europe. Interested in being part of the manufacturing revolution? Apply to join the team here.