# Davide Asnaghi

> Davide Asnaghi is the co-founder and CEO of Diode Computers, a startup rebuilding how printed circuit boards are designed and manufactured. An Italian-born engineer trained at UC Berkeley, he spent years building hardware at Apple's Special Projects Group and medical-device companies before starting Diode to replace legacy EDA tools with open-source, AI-friendly software: a Python design language backed by a Rust compiler that turns requirements into manufacturable circuit boards in a fraction of the usual time. Diode raised an $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and partners with Anthropic to make Claude a more capable electrical engineer.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Diode Computers, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Diode Computers, Inc., Apple (Special Projects Group), Butterfly Network, Chromatic, Project Sparthan, UC Berkeley
- **From:** Northern Italy
- **Nationality:** Italian
- **Education:** Master's, engineering (prosthetic devices, brain-machine interfaces), UC Berkeley, Engineering (exchange to UC Berkeley), Politecnico di Milano
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Diode Computers, an AI-driven PCB design and manufacturing startup, Raised an $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (total funding ~$11.53M), Built an open-source, Python-based PCB design platform with a Rust compiler backend

## Career timeline

- **2017** — Founded Pluteus, an early hardware venture
- **2018** — Co-founded Project Sparthan, an open-source effort making affordable 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children (UC Berkeley + HKUST)
- **2019** — Completed master's at UC Berkeley, focused on prosthetics and brain-machine interfaces
- **2019-2021** — Worked on robotics hardware at Apple's Special Projects Group
- **2021-2024** — Built hardware at medical-device companies including Butterfly Network and Chromatic; studied manufacturing in Hong Kong and Shenzhen
- **2024** — Co-founded Diode Computers with Lenny Khazan; joined Y Combinator
- **2025** — Raised $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz
- **2026** — Announced partnership with Anthropic to make Claude a better electrical engineer

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Diode Computers, an AI-driven PCB design and manufacturing startup
- Raised an $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (total funding ~$11.53M)
- Built an open-source, Python-based PCB design platform with a Rust compiler backend
- Landed Physical Intelligence and Saronic as early customers
- Partnered with Anthropic to improve Claude's electrical-engineering capabilities
- Co-created Project Sparthan, open-source 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children
- Worked on robotics at Apple's Special Projects Group

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Featured discussing the renaissance of American PCB manufacturing and Diode's vision.
- **2026** — Announced a partnership with Anthropic focused on teaching Claude to design circuit boards that ship.
- **2025-07** — Diode closed an $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz.

## Links

- Website: https://asnaghi.me
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/d-asnaghi/
- GitHub: https://github.com/d-asnaghi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/davide-asnaghi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-20