factorymaker raises €1.1 million to transform industrial facility planning with AI
factorymaker has closed a €1.1 million pre-seed round to accelerate the development of its AI-powered platform for industrial facility and production layout planning. The round was led by Berlin-based 2bX and joined by XISTA Science Ventures, closing in January 2026. The investment comes at a pivotal moment. European manufacturers are under growing pressure to build and adapt facilities for Industry 4.0, the green transition and reshoring, and traditional planning methods simply cannot keep pace. The problem factorymaker is solving Conventional industrial facility planning is slow, complex, and error-prone. Manually drafting a single factory floor layout costs on average €70,000 and requires 100 workdays, making it impractical to adapt layouts to changing demands. Siloed workstreams and fragmented tools add further complexity, leading to costly planning errors down the line. Minutes instead of weeks Using AI-powered design agents and a proprietary database of real-world projects, factorymaker automates design work that typically takes weeks. Where industrial planners could previously explore only two or three design variants for a layout, the platform evaluates and ranks 100,000 options in minutes, allowing planners to choose the best-performing ones and removing a major barrier to replanning. Each design variant is assessed across cost, workflow efficiency, and environmental impact. The platform is used throughout the facility lifecycle, from conceptual planning to ongoing factory layout adaptations. Clients report 82% less planning time, 21% lower building costs, 36% reduced material transport flow, and significant carbon footprint reductions. The platform is already used by industrial enterprises, including Siemens Energy, Schaeffler, and Hilti. The right partners for the journey ahead factorymaker is grateful to have found investors who share its vision for the future of industrial planning. “The response from leading investment funds underscores the urgency of transforming industrial facility and production layout planning through automation,” said Maria Zahlbruckner, co-founder of factorymaker. “We were in the lucky position to choose the best partners for us.” Mark Harré, General Partner at 2bX, noted: “Industrial facility planning is a multi-billion euro market that still runs largely on manual processes – for us, that signals a massive opportunity for disruption. Maria and Julia bring a rare combination of deep domain expertise and product vision, they’re building the platform this industry has been waiting for.” Dr. Annu Gmeiner, Principal at XISTA Science Ventures, added: “Planning and replanning industrial buildings and production layouts is a manual, labor-intensive process where, according to various sources, 90% of project errors originate, leading to billions in annual rework costs. factorymaker addresses this through Automated Design Agents and Integrated Optimization for both new builds and existing facility adaptation. The platform’s use by industry leaders like Siemens Energy, Hilti, and Schaeffler validates the urgent need for this technology. We’re excited to partner with exceptional co-founders Maria and Julia as they transform industrial facility planning.” The funding will be used to accelerate factorymaker’s market expansion and product development. “We’re able to scale at a critical moment,” said Dr. Julia Reisinger, co-founder of factorymaker. “European manufacturers face unprecedented pressure to build and adapt their facilities due to shifting pressures and demands. Traditional planning methods can’t keep up. That’s the bottleneck we’re solving.” —- About 2bX 2bX is a Berlin-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage UrbanTech and deep-tech companies across Europe. About XISTA Science Ventures XISTA Science Ventures is an Austria-based venture fund investing in early-stage life science and deeptech startups across Europe. With a deep understanding of both scientific and investor perspectives, XISTA is an active partner to its portfolio companies, providing support for founders in realizing deep-tech ideas and scaling enterprises. The fund’s diverse portfolio spans the full breadth of science, in fields such as biotechnology, medtech, materials science and software. XISTA is embedded in the innovation system around the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). About factorymaker factorymaker began as a research project by Dr. Julia Reisinger at TU Wien in 2020. Founded in 2024, factorymaker is an AI-powered platform for industrial facility and production layout planning. The company serves industrial enterprises and consultancies across Europe in greenfield and brownfield projects. Its co-founders are Maria Zahlbruckner and Dr. Julia Reisinger, and its CTO is Leonardo Lino.
factorymaker wins 3rd place at Innovation World Cup
factorymaker was awarded 3rd place and the public vote at the Smart Building Smart Construction Innovation World Cup at BIM World MUNICH 2025. The competition brought together startups driving innovation in construction and the built environment. The recognition reflects both the problem and the potential in how industrial capacities are planned, and acknowledges our work to transform this space. Thank you to the factorymaker team for making this happen! Congratulations to VESTIGAS, who took 1st place, and to Optocycle, who took 2nd place, as well as to all the startups competing at Innovation World Cup. We’re grateful to Innovation World Cup and BIM World MUNICH for the recognition and genuinely helpful feedback, and thank you to everyone who supported us with their votes!
BIM World Munich 2025
See you at BIM World MUNICH 2025 We’re heading to the International Congress Center Munich on 26-27 November 2025 to join the leaders driving digitalisation in construction and the built environment. factorymaker will be taking the stage twice during the event to share how AI-powered planning is transforming industrial facility design: Innovation World Cup Pitch Innovation Stage | 26 November at 3:30 PM BIM Town Pitch Innovation Stage | 27 November at 1:55 PM Whether you’re exploring integrated planning solutions for industrial facilities, looking to optimise your manufacturing assets, or simply want to continue the conversation after our pitches, we’d love to connect. Find us at BIM Town – booth 20. Drop us a message and we’ll arrange a time to meet. Coffee’s on us.
factorymaker recognised among Austria’s leading startups
factorymaker has been ranked 27th in the GEWINN Jungunternehmer:innen-Wettbewerb 2025, placing us among Austria’s top startups. The award celebrates entrepreneurs who combine technological depth, resilient business models and long-term impact across the Austrian economy. We’re grateful to GEWINN, VERBUND and the jury for the recognition and for shining a spotlight on ambitious founders. Congratulations to all startups honoured this year. We’re proud to contribute to a strong and growing ecosystem with our AI-powered approach to industrial planning. Learn more about the competition here. Full rankings are listed below.
factorymaker wins at BEGIS BIM Awards
At BIM-Dialog trifft Innovation in Düsseldorf, factorymaker took 3rd place at the BEGIS BIM Awards. The awards recognise practical, forward-looking BIM applications across the AEC ecosystem. Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner represented factorymaker, highlighting our work at the intersection of digital planning and industrial building projects. Read more about the event here.
factorymaker named Female Startup of the Year 2025!
We’re proud to share that factorymaker was recognised as Female Startup of the Year 2025 in the #glaubandich CHALLENGE. The acknowledgement reflects the team’s sustained effort and the growing interest in digital approaches to early-stage industrial planning. It highlights the momentum around our work and the broader conversation on the role of technology in construction. We’re grateful for the recognition and for the support from partners and peers along the way. Read the Trending Topics article here.
Curing Frustration with Innovation — factorymaker’s Founding Story
Female Founders profiled factorymaker’s origins with co-founders Julia Reisinger and Maria Zahlbruckner. The article traces the initial problem space, early development steps and formative experiences that shaped the company’s direction. It reflects on the practicalities of building from first principles while staying close to real-world planning needs. The piece offers a clear snapshot of how the founding team approached the journey from idea to organisation. Read the story here.
der brutkasten: factorymaker receives aws funding
der brutkasten reported that factorymaker—a Vienna-based Deep-Tech SaaS for automated industrial building planning—secured an aws Preseed grant of €300,000 for a 1.5-year project. It introduces the core team around founder Julia Reisinger, with co-founders Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner, Thomas Reisinger, and Leonardo Lino (CTO). The piece states that the funding will be used to take the prototype to market readiness, with a focus on paid pilots and commercialisation of a cloud platform using AI/generative design for early-phase planning decisions. Read it here.
aws Pressed Funding
factorymaker has received funding through the aws Preseed program from Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws)! With the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour and Economy (BMAW) and the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), we are advancing our applied research and development project. This funding will enable us to develop a market-ready prototype and pave the way for successful commercialization.
Julia Reisinger nominated for MINERVA 2024
factorymaker co-founder Julia Reisinger has been nominated for the MINERVA 2024 award in the Start Up/Shooting Stars category. The Sheconomy feature profiles Julia’s role in building factorymaker’s digital planning platform for industrial buildings, outlining her founder background and the company’s mission. Read the profile here.