Frigate AI Raises $1.5 Billion Seed Funding to Transform Global Manufacturing Landscape

Tiruchi-based cloud manufacturing startup Frigate AI has successfully raised $1.5 million in a seed funding round led by Arali Ventures. The fresh procurement of capital enables Frigate to expand its digital manufacturing ecosystem and serve its growing global customer base.

Founded in 2021 by a team of visionary entrepreneurs, including Dr. Tamizhinian Vasanthan, Iniyavan Vasanthan, Karthikeyan Prakash, and Chandrasekar C, Frigate AI offers a complete one-stop solution for all manufacturing services to medium and large-scale companies across various industries.

How does Frigate AI function?

Tamazhinian, in an interview, explained the birth of Frigate, from starting as a prototype firm and developing today into a manufacturing and supply chain enabler. By carefully analyzing the marketplace and clients’ needs, Frigate founders saw the space to work on designing products for businesses and making them available as physical products, either through factory manufacturing or 3-D printing.

Frigate aims to reshape the manufacturing landscape globally by providing competitive pricing, improved lead times and unmatched manufacturing quality through its B2B cloud manufacturing platform. With a motto to “Make Manufacturing Easy”, its AI-enabled digital platform is at the center of Frigate’s operations. The digitalization was done to form a platform cultivator that would produce physical results per the customer’s demands. The platform supports demand-supply matching and standardization, reflecting partners’ capacity and availability. Frigate’s tech solution ensures complete transparency, from sales to order fulfillment.

The startup specializes in projects within the New Energy & Power, Infrastructure, Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Automotive sectors, focusing on Heavy Fabrication, Sheet Metal, Castings, Forgings, and Injection Molding.

Empowering Global Customers

Frigate AI has positioned itself as a Manufacturing-as-a-Service provider, catering to global customers who view the startup as an extended supply chain partner. With a stronghold over the network of local supply chains in Tier-II cities of India, Frigate provides manufacturing assistance and product placement in the markets, ready for sale.

Additionally, the startup assists customers abroad interested in establishing a manufacturing base in India. Frigate’s approach involves diversifying business activities into emerging economies like India to incorporate the “China+1” strategy and reduce reliance on investments solely in China.

Strategic Partnerships

Frigate AI has formed partnerships with over 200 manufacturing partners, referred to as “Frigaters,” located in Tier 2 cities such as Coimbatore, Trichy, Hosur, Jamnagar, Ludhiana, Kolhapur, and Kolar. Employing spare capacity through technology, Frigate AI helps these partners increase customer revenue worldwide. This collaborative model promotes growth and benefits for all stakeholders involved, strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem.

Investor Confidence and Market Potential

Leading investors, including Arali Ventures, Capital-A, and Java Capital, have recognized the favorable conditions driving India’s manufacturing sector forward. They compare Frigate’s cloud-based manufacturing approach and cloud infrastructure adoption in IT services. By targeting a large market with young founders, these investors express confidence in Frigate’s potential to unlock growth opportunities.

This seed funding round marks Frigate’s second successful fundraising effort, following a pre-seed round of $185,000 raised in April 2022. The expansion will further enhance Frigate’s ability to deliver on its mission of making manufacturing easy for industrial Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and product companies worldwide.

Frigate’s successful funding round highlights the growing recognition and support for innovative manufacturing startups in India. Frigate aims to create economic opportunities and establish India as a manufacturing powerhouse.

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