LineWise (YC X25) Raises $1.1M Pre-Seed Funding to End Costly Factory Downtime and Yield Loss

LineWise, the US-based AI-powered "virtual engineer" for manufacturers, has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding from A2D Ventures, Y Combinator, Exitfund, REMUS Capital, SBXi Fund, and Team Ignite Ventures. The funding will accelerate LineWise's mission to eliminate two of the most expensive problems in manufacturing: unplanned downtime and yield loss caused by defects.

Tackling Manufacturing's Twin Problems: Downtime and Defects

Factory stoppages can cost manufacturers over $100,000 per hour, with cascading effects across production and supply chains. At the same time, defective output on high-speed lines—such as can makers and packagers—creates massive hidden costs. Wrinkles, leakers, false seams, and misfeeds not only waste materials but also strain downstream processes and force costly rework. LineWise addresses both challenges by acting as a 24/7 AI engineer. Its multi-agent AI system is trained to think like seasoned process and maintenance engineers, ingesting sensor data, event logs, OEM manuals, and past fixes to provide rapid root-cause analysis and step-by-step defect troubleshooting guidance. The result: fewer line stoppages, faster recovery from issues like leaks or false seams, reduced rework, and higher yields—without waiting for senior engineers to manually sift through records.

Real-World Impact

Secured 5 paid pilots with large manufacturers, including NASDAQ-listed leaders across packaging, food & beverage, and consumer electronics.

Early deployments show measurable reductions in downtime and defect-driven yield loss—proving ROI within weeks.

A Founding Team Built for Industry 4.0

• Tanachart (James) Kujareevanich, CEO – MIT MBA; former McKinsey consultant with deep experience in fragile production systems.
• Zhichu Ren, CTO – MIT PhD; developed autonomous robotics for materials research.
• Wenbo Zhang, CPO – MSE in AI & Robotics (UPenn GRASP Lab); former founding engineer at Greyscale AI and Bestmow, with a patent in industrial automation.

Together, the founding teams bring technical rigor, operational expertise, and robotics know-how–building the right mix to tackle downtime and defects with AI.

LineWise's momentum and defensible technology have attracted top-tier global investors:

• Y Combinator – The world's most recognized accelerator for breakthrough AI startups.
• A2D Ventures – Southeast Asia's largest angel syndicate and early-stage VC, backing transformative entrepreneurs.
• Exitfund, REMUS Capital, SBXi Fund, Team Ignite Ventures – Strategic and institutional backers supporting industrial AI at scale.

Ankit Upadhyay, Founder & General Partner at A2D Ventures, said: "LineWise is solving two of the biggest hidden costs in the global economy: downtime and yield loss. Their AI-powered virtual engineer delivers immediate ROI by helping factories troubleshoot defects faster, prevent rework, and keep production online." James Kujareevanich, CEO of LineWise, added: "Every minute of uptime and every defect-free unit matters. With this funding, we're scaling our platform so every factory has a 24/7 AI engineer—cutting losses, protecting yields, and freeing teams to focus on innovation instead of firefighting."

Looking Ahead With this investment, LineWise will expand across North America and Asia, scale its AI engineering team, and deepen support for defect prevention and troubleshooting—starting with can-making and packaging lines. The company aims to become the industrial AI backbone for manufacturers navigating Industry 4.0.