aPriori Technologies is a Concord, Massachusetts software company that turns 3D CAD designs into instant manufacturing cost, manufacturability, and carbon-footprint insights. Founded in 2003 out of University of Illinois research, its cloud Manufacturing Insights Platform - aP Design, aP Pro, and aP Generate - lets engineers, sourcing teams, and cost analysts simulate how a part will be built, what it should cost across regions, and how much CO2e it will emit, before tooling is ever cut. Manufacturers such as GE Aerospace, Carrier, Alstom, Flex, and Whirlpool use it to catch cost and design problems early and negotiate with suppliers from data rather than guesswork.
Diode Computers is a New York-based startup building an AI-powered, code-first platform for designing and manufacturing custom printed circuit boards. Its open-source toolchain - a Rust-based PCB compiler that treats schematics as Python-readable code - lets AI agents and engineers generate, validate, and manufacture boards in days rather than months, with human-in-the-loop verification. Founded in 2024 and backed by a $11.4M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, Diode serves hardware teams in aerospace, robotics, and defense.