ZURICH, Switzerland, Feb 6, 2025 – As global supply chains face growing challenges and rising costs, manufacturing is at a turning point. Industries like aerospace, automotive and construction experience long lead times and high costs for large-format components. These sectors depend on fragmented supply networks and labor-intensive processes. Manufacturing automation business SAEKI announced a $6.7M funding round to address the challenges through its innovative approach to digital manufacturing.
The seed round was led by Lightbird with participation from Founderful, 2100VC, Danobat, and multiple high-profile business angels.
SAEKI combines large-scale additive manufacturing with precision CNC machining in a unified production system. The hybrid approach enables the company to deliver precision-engineered components in days rather than weeks, while maintaining the top quality standards through automated inspection processes. By incorporating automated quality assurance, SAEKI ensures every part meets stringent industry standards, enabling faster delivery times and improved cost efficiency for large-format components.
SAEKI is also announcing the launch of its breakthrough instant quoting platform, enabling customers to upload designs, configure requirements, and receive immediate pricing for precision-engineered parts. By eliminating traditional quoting bottlenecks, SAEKI has reduced the procurement cycle from days to minutes.
“There’s an exponential and widening divide between what we can design and what we can actually build,” commented Andrea Perissinotto, co-founder and CEO of SAEKI. “While engineers can now use AI to create hundreds of optimized designs, legacy manufacturing simply can’t deliver these components cost-effectively. Automating the entire process, from quoting to final inspection, will make these advanced designs manufacturable at scale. Our mission at SAEKI is to make manufacturing faster, more efficient, and more reliable. By integrating additive manufacturing with CNC machining and quality assurance, we’re giving industries the tools they need to innovate without constraints. This isn’t just about making parts; it’s about reshaping the way industries approach production. This is a defining moment for European manufacturing as we set out to build a future with fully autonomous factories.”
SAEKI’s origins are deeply rooted in hands-on manufacturing experience. The company’s CEO, Andrea Perissinotto, began his journey in his uncle’s workshop, where he witnessed firsthand how traditional production relied heavily on scarce, skilled craftsmen with decades of experience. “We saw an opportunity to integrate advanced manufacturing technologies to overcome these limitations and scale production efficiently,” said Perissinotto. “The existing processes demand decades of experience and are incredibly hard to scale. With AI and robotics, we’re now able to abstract and automate these skills.”
SAEKI was founded by Perissinotto (CEO), Oliver Harley (CTO) and Dr. Matthias Leschok (COO) during their studies at ETH Zürich. The trio identified a unique opportunity to bring industrial-scale efficiency to large-format additive manufacturing and CNC machining, making the process faster and more cost-effective. SAEKI’s technology-driven approach helps reshore critical manufacturing capabilities to Europe. Moreover, by minimizing reliance on overseas suppliers, the company aligns with broader industry trends toward sustainability and supply-chain resilience.
“The company’s focus on large-format manufacturing is particularly timely, as sectors like aerospace and construction face increasing demand for complex, high-performance parts,” said Thomas Meier, partner at Lightbird. “Global supply chains are under pressure, with rising costs and delays becoming the norm. We believe that SAEKI’s ability to deliver high-quality components quickly and reliably sets a new standard for the industry.”
The investment will accelerate SAEKI’s development of autonomous factories that integrate quoting, 3D printing, machining, and inspection into a seamless process. “We share SAEKI’s vision of European dynamism and strengthening Switzerland’s manufacturing position,” said Alex Stöckl, partner at Founderful. “Their interdisciplinary team has shown remarkable progress, demonstrating the potential to reshape industrial production.”
About SAEKI
SAEKI, founded in 2021, is a Swiss company specializing in large-format additive manufacturing, offering on-demand 3D printing services for sizable, complex components. Their proprietary process integrates robotics, 3D printing, milling, post-processing, and 3D scanning to produce large-scale parts efficiently and cost-effectively. SAEKI serves industries such as automotive, construction, aerospace, and industrial sectors. Headquartered in Lupfig, Switzerland, the company has secured approximately $9 million in funding over three rounds, with the latest being a $6.7 million seed round in February 2025.
