Omni Ventures Closes Oversubscribed Fund I to Advance Digitization of Manufacturing Technology

Amid the global race to digitize industrial manufacturing capabilities, Omni is writing $700k-$1M pre-seed checks into startups focused on unlocking proprietary data from factory floors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omni Ventures, the Manufacturing Tech VC, announced it has closed its oversubscribed $33 million Fund I to invest in startups leading the digitization of manufacturing technology. Led by general partners Simon Lancaster and Sabrina Paseman, two former Apple product and manufacturing engineers turned founders, Omni is investing $700,000 to $1 million into pre-seed startups building software, AI, robotics, automation, and connected industrial systems for the manufacturing economy.

The fund is anchored by Allocator One, a fund of funds backing top emerging venture managers, and includes LPs across 14 countries. Omni has already backed companies including Uptool, with portfolio companies attracting participation from Khosla Ventures, Eclipse Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Kleiner Perkins.

“The race to modernize industrial manufacturing is one of the defining economic stories of this decade,” said Michael Ströck, Founding Partner, Allocator One. “We anchored Omni because we believe Simon and Sabrina combine deep technical operating experience with a differentiated network in one of the most under-digitized sectors of the economy. This is the right team, at the right time, in a market that is only going to accelerate.”

Why Manufacturing Tech, Why Now

“Manufacturing is entering a new era of global dynamism,” said Lancaster. “Countries and companies are racing to build more resilient, competitive, and software-enabled industrial bases. Nearly every major sector of the economy has already been transformed by software. Manufacturing is the next great frontier, and AI is finally making that transformation possible.”

“When we think about which industries AI will transform most, it comes down to data density,” said Paseman. “Manufacturing has decades of it, but until now it’s been trapped in machines, factory floors, tribal knowledge, spreadsheets, and legacy on-prem systems. AI has finally made it possible to put that data to work. That’s the inflection point we built Omni around.”

That shift is already enabling a new generation of applications around predictive maintenance, supply chain traceability, computer-aided design, simulation tools, and advanced robotics, and legacy industrials companies feel the pressure acutely, racing to keep pace with global competitors. The pool of large potential acquirers for startups building these solutions is vast and hungry.

One of Omni’s first investments, Uptool, provides an AI-powered quoting platform for small, high-mix manufacturers like machine and fabrication shops, so they can quote faster, win more business, and meet the demands of global hardware innovation.

“Small and midsize manufacturers are the backbone of our industrial economy, but many still rely on manual, legacy workflows and systems that create a ton of inefficiency,” said Benny Buller, co-founder and CEO of Uptool. “Uptool uses AI to help machine and fabrication shops quote faster, win more business, and focus on the work that matters. Omni understood the complexity of the manufacturing operations from day one, and that experience has made them an invaluable partner.”

Operator-Led, Network-Driven Investing

Lancaster and Paseman bring more than 30 years of collective experience operating and investing in industrial and manufacturing technology companies. Prior to founding Omni, the two spent nearly twenty years combined on the ground overseeing manufacturing operations across Apple’s global supply chain. They’ve also previously worked at Google, Blackberry, Arris Composites, and Boston Scientific.

Since leaving Apple, they have spent the last five years cultivating a highly-curated network of over 32,000 industry executives, engineers, and entrepreneurs to create a self-reinforcing cycle of knowledge sharing and company building that founders can tap into. As manufacturing tech has its breakout moment in venture, Omni is creating a vital feedback and product validation system to help early-stage founders take advantage of the industrial arms race momentum.

“The next industrial revolution will be built by founders who understand both software and the realities of production,” said Yukai Lin, Chief Investment Officer of Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd., and a limited partner in Omni Ventures. “Omni has identified a compelling opportunity at the earliest stage of manufacturing technology, where technical insight, customer access, and industrial expertise can meaningfully shape company outcomes.”

About Omni Ventures

Omni Ventures is a first-check venture capital firm investing in manufacturing technology. Led by former Apple product and manufacturing engineers Simon Lancaster and Sabrina Paseman, Omni backs pre-seed founders building software, AI, automation, robotics, and connected industrial systems that unlock productivity across the manufacturing value chain.

Omni was founded on the belief that manufacturing is entering a new era of global dynamism, as companies and nations race to build more resilient, competitive, and technology-enabled industrial bases. The firm invests with high-conviction into category-defining teams and supports founders with deep operating experience, technical insight, and a global network of industrial executives, engineers, and strategic partners.

With LPs across 14 countries and relationships spanning leading venture firms and industrial technology investors, Omni Ventures brings aligned capital and sector-specific expertise to founders building the next generation of manufacturing technology companies.