UK-based industrial software firm CloudNC has secured a $20 million “extension round” today, bringing its total capital raised to $128 million. This marks the first major financing since 2022. The funding arrives as the company works to scale its efforts to streamline CNC machining workflows using AI.
What CloudNC Does
CloudNC provides a software tool called CAM Assist, which integrates with established CAM systems—like Autodesk Fusion or Mastercam—to take on tasks normally performed by machinists or CAM programmers. These tasks include selecting tools, determining approach paths, and choosing cutting speeds and feeds, then generating the codes needed to instruct CNC machines. While traditional CAM tools give strong feature modeling, they leave much of the “expert decision-making” to humans. CAM Assist aims to fill that gap by automating much of the initial planning, leaving the expert to review and refine.
As of now, more than 1,000 machine shops use CloudNC’s technology. Roughly 80% of its users are based in the U.S., and the company has about 80 employees. The latest financing will help the company accelerate growth, tackle new markets, deepen its sales operations, and introduce new products.
New Product & Industry Headwinds
Alongside scaling CAM Assist, CloudNC is preparing to launch a new product next month called Quote Agent. This tool helps manufacturers rapidly assess the cost and risk profile for incoming jobs—letting them decide faster whether to bid or pass. The product arrives amid trends like manufacturing reshoring to North America and a widespread shortage of skilled CNC operators. Companies are under increasing pressure to improve throughput without hiring new experts.
Investment in this round includes participation from Nimble Ventures (which led the round), Calculus Venture Capital, Entrepreneur First, LM Capital, and Lockheed Martin’s venture arm. One of the driving forces behind this raise is CloudNC’s view that current market forces—reshoring supply chains, skills gaps, and demand for quicker quoting—make the timing advantageous for adoption of its automation tools.
CloudNC began in 2015, founded by Theo Saville (CEO) and Chris Emery (its chief science officer). Their work has focused on marrying hands-on machining experience with software that can learn from and automate decisions that would otherwise require human judgment. It’s a long road to automate complex manufacturing workflows, but CloudNC believes its time has come.
Analytical takeaway: CloudNC’s fresh funding isn’t just about more cash—it signals that what once seemed specialized tech is edging toward mainstream industrial use. Automating CNC programming and quoting aligns with broader moves toward smart manufacturing and AI-powered decision support. Key to watch: how CAM Assist integrates with legacy systems in machine shops, and whether Quote Agent can deliver trust-worthy cost and risk estimates fast enough to shift how manufacturers bid and operate.
