Stockholm-based Encube has launched its AI platform for hardware development with fresh funding, aiming to expand operations in Europe and the US.
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Stockholm-based Encube, a visual collaboration platform, announced its official launch with $23M (nearly €19.73M) in funding. The funding is aimed at expanding the company’s commercial operations and increasing investments in AI to support European and US industrial activity.
Encube develops an AI platform for hardware teams that identifies which product design choices increase manufacturing complexity and provides ways to reduce it.
The platform is validated by companies including Volvo Group, Beyond Gravity, and Scania. By providing insights into design decisions, it helps teams shorten time to market, reduce production costs, and the ability to test more design options.
Hugo Nordell, CEO and co-founder of Encube, says, “Hardware development is a balancing act between how a product looks, functions and what it costs to produce. In Europe, we excel at the first two, but our manufacturing know-how is disappearing.”
“At Sandvik and Aker, I saw firsthand how quickly production costs ballooned and competitive edge eroded when early design decisions weren’t made with manufacturing in mind. We built Encube to change that.”
Ralf Usinger, Global Head of Engineering Applications at Beyond Gravity, adds, “Encube is one of the most promising innovations I’ve seen in hardware engineering in the last 30 years. The software’s ease of use and the speed of its simulations represent a major leap forward.”
AI tools to streamline hardware development
Manufacturing across Europe is being reshaped by geopolitical realignment, a tightening labour market, and the transition toward sustainable production. These shifts are changing how industrial economies build, produce, and compete.
As supply chains evolve and regulations strengthen, manufacturers face new challenges in design, production, and workforce management. This is where Encube looks to make a difference.
Encube was founded in 2021 by Hugo Nordell and Johnny Bigert to improve efficiency in hardware design and production. It develops AI-based tools and a collaborative software platform that enables organisations to make informed product decisions directly in the browser and on any device.
Its platform includes AI capabilities that automate and improve tasks in hardware design and production. These include identifying design changes over time, assessing how design choices affect manufacturing complexity, and detecting potential risks in the development process.
Encube’s work focuses on linking design and production decisions to help teams manage cost, process efficiency, and environmental impact early in the product cycle.
Encube addresses challenges in hardware development using two main methods. First, it provides a collaborative software platform that allows teams across an organisation to coordinate and make product decisions directly in the browser on any device. Second, it integrates AI tools within the platform to remove common bottlenecks in development projects.
Examples of these bottlenecks include manually tracking design changes over time to identify potential issues and analysing how design choices affect manufacturing complexity. These tasks are necessary but time-consuming. Encube’s platform automates and scales these workflows, enabling teams to detect problems earlier and make decisions more efficiently.
The platform has been tested in R&D programs with partners such as Volvo Group, Scania, Beyond Gravity, and Cognibotics. Results from these programs show reductions in time to market, lower production costs, and increases in engineering productivity.
Capital utilisation
Tatiana Shalalvand, Investment Director at Kinnevik, says, “AI is fundamentally transforming how products are designed, enabling engineering teams to simulate, iterate and collaborate at unprecedented speed. Encube is pioneering this shift by embedding manufacturing intelligence directly into the engineering workflow, shaping the future of product development. We’re excited to partner with Hugo and the team on this journey.”
Encube plans to use its new funding to expand operations across Europe, strengthen current partnerships, and increase investment in AI for hardware development. The company aims to support European industrial competitiveness and increase the adoption of its AI tools in hardware projects.
Adrian Arnsvik Bjurefalk, Principal at Inventure, adds, “We’re incredibly proud to have been the first investors in Encube, and our growing conviction in this stellar team has only been outpaced by the speed of their progress. We’re convinced that Encube is going to accomplish for industrial manufacturing what Figma did for web design and redefine how physical products are made.”
