CADDi

CADDi describes itself as "a global manufacturing technology company driven by the vision to accelerate physical innovation tenfold." It sells an AI data platform that takes the drawings, CAD files and production data manufacturers keep in separate systems, structures them, and makes them usable by engineers and AI agents for decisions such as reusing parts, reviewing designs and choosing suppliers.^[1],[2]

Yushiro Kato and Aki Kobashi founded CADDi in 2017. Kato, the CEO, is a former McKinsey & Company consultant; Kobashi previously worked as an engineer at Lockheed Martin and Apple and was CTO as of TechCrunch's 2023 report. The company says it is headquartered in Chicago and Tokyo. Fortune reported in September 2026 that its headcount had grown to about 900 staffers, up from 600 in early 2025.^[1],[3],[2]

In 2021, TechCrunch reported that CADDi's valuation was estimated at $450 million at its Series B, citing sources familiar with the deal. On July 5, 2023, TechCrunch reported a $89 million Series C, saying it brought CADDi's total capital to $164 million. Existing investors Globis Capital Partners, DCM Ventures, Global Brain, World Innovation Lab, JAFCO and Minerva Growth Partners took part, along with new investors including SMBC Venture Capital and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. CADDi did not disclose that round's valuation.^[3],[2]

SiliconANGLE reports that Atomico led a $38 million Series C extension in March 2025, at which CADDi reported a $470 million valuation. Atomico is therefore an existing investor, not a new one, in the 2026 round.^[4],[2]

On September 16, 2026, CADDi announced definitive agreements for $114 million in Series D funding at a $1.2 billion valuation. No lead was named. New investors were Moore Strategic Ventures, Coreline Ventures, HR Tech Fund (a corporate venture entity of Recruit Holdings), Woven Capital and Salesforce Ventures; existing investors Atomico, Globis Capital Partners and JPS Growth Investment Limited Partnership returned. The JPS Growth funds are managed by a subsidiary of Japan Post Bank Asset Management Co., Ltd.^[1],[2]

CADDi says the Series D brings its total funding to $234 million. That figure does not reconcile with TechCrunch's $164 million total after the 2023 Series C plus the later rounds, and the sources do not explain the difference; this profile uses the company's figure.^[1],[3],[2]

CADDi's first product, CADDi Drawer, addressed a common problem: manufacturers buy many similar parts from different suppliers. It ingested technical drawings and searched a customer's own databases for similar or identical parts already bought or in inventory, along with their defect rates. The next-generation version is now called CADDi Explorer. The company has added CADDi Agent, an AI agent that analyzes manufacturing data, makes decisions and takes action, and says it will offer six domain-specific workflow products, including CADDi Design Review, which flags likely errors in new drawings based on problems with similar past parts.^[2],[1]

Kato told Fortune that CADDi uses its own AI model for drawings and CAD files and general-purpose large language models for documents and spreadsheets. "I've never seen anybody who uses LLMs to do design reviews because it doesn't understand drawings or CAD," he said. He also said more than 80% of the knowledge about manufacturing work processes is never recorded anywhere, and that automakers typically go through about 20 design review cycles for a single product.^[2]

CADDi does not disclose revenue or customer numbers. Kato told Fortune that sales are more than doubling year over year, that CADDi has customers in 22 countries, and that more than half of Japan's 100 largest manufacturers use it. The company employs more than 100 customer success staff, which outnumber its salespeople. Its stated goal is to accelerate physical innovation tenfold by 2035, which for a car would mean four to five months from planning to delivery.^[2]

The sources on CADDi's 2026 raise do not name competing software vendors. Kato frames the market around manufacturers, such as automakers competing with Chinese rivals, that he says need measurable gains like lower direct material costs and shorter engineering lead times.^[2]

CADDi announced its next-generation Manufacturing AI Data Platform in Japan in August 2026 and, with the Series D in September 2026, its official U.S. launch, which the company calls a full-scale expansion into the world's second-largest manufacturing market. It plans to spend the new money on proprietary AI development, the data platform, global operations centered on North America, and hiring.^[1]

CADDi's reported valuation rose from $470 million in March 2025 to $1.2 billion in September 2026 without any disclosed revenue. The U.S. launch is the test of whether a business built in Japanese manufacturing travels, and whether strategic investors such as Woven Capital, Salesforce Ventures and Recruit's HR Tech Fund become distribution partners.^[4],[1],[2]