Squint Raises $40 Million at $265 Million Valuation to Modernize Manufacturing

Squint, a startup leveraging artificial intelligence and augmented reality to modernize industrial manufacturing, has secured a $40 million Series B funding round at a $265 million valuation [1]. The round was led by The Westly Group and TCV, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital and Menlo Ventures. The company, founded in 2021, now serves major clients including PepsiCo, Michelin, and Ford across hundreds of factories and tens of thousands of operators.

Squint’s platform is designed to extract and document the expertise of seasoned factory workers by observing their tasks and using AI to auto-generate procedures. This allows for the democratization of industrial knowledge, enabling less experienced workers to perform complex tasks with the guidance of AI-generated instructions. According to founder and CEO Devin Bhushan, the manufacturing sector remains underserved by the tech industry, and traditional methods such as physical binders still dominate the field. Bhushan emphasized the need to modernize this “forgotten industry,” leveraging AI to enhance efficiency, safety, and scalability.

The timing of the funding aligns with a global push for increased factory productivity, driven by geopolitical tensions and the increasing adoption of AI. Steve Westly, managing partner at The Westly Group, noted that many industrial companies are seeking ways to keep their workforce competitive, particularly in the face of rising global uncertainties. Jess Lee of Sequoia Capital echoed these sentiments, highlighting the strategic importance of returning manufacturing to domestic markets and the role of technology in achieving this goal.

Lee, who previously worked with Bhushan at Yahoo, pointed out that while the tech world has largely focused on digital transformation, the physical domain of manufacturing remains largely untouched by innovation. She sees Squint as part of a broader wave of tech disruption in industrial sectors and believes that the next generation of major tech companies will emerge from this space.

Bhushan, who previously worked on Yahoo’s fantasy sports platform, continues to use sports analogies to describe Squint’s mission. He explained the company’s internal mantra, “Dunk the three,” referencing the fictional dunk by Michael Jordan in Space Jam—a metaphor for doing something previously thought impossible. This ethos reflects the company’s ambition to push the boundaries of industrial AI application.

The funding follows a growing trend of AI-driven solutions entering the industrial space, with Squint competing against both traditional methods and emerging tech rivals. With its strong client base and strategic backing from top-tier venture firms, the company is positioned to play a pivotal role in the transformation of global manufacturing.

Source: [1]Exclusive: Squint raises $40 million at $265 million valuation to modernize manufacturing for companies like Pepsi and Michelin (https://fortune.com/2025/08/12/exclusive-squint-raises-40-million-at-265-million-valuation-to-modernize-manufacturing-for-companies-like-pepsi-and-michelin/)