Podium Automation, a Brooklyn-based manufacturer of industrial control panels, has raised $18M in Series A funding led by Construct Capital. The company uses proprietary software to cut lead times for UL 508A certified custom control cabinets from the industry standard of 12+ weeks to under 4 weeks. The capital will support expansion to new US factories.
Reshoring Wave Hits Control Panels
The timing comes amid US manufacturing reshoring and labor shortages in skilled trades. Cates Control Systems is investing $8.5M in a new facility. Podium's software-first approach addresses the gap by connecting customer requirements to automated fabrication and quality assurance.
Legacy Shops Face Labor Crisis
The US customized control panels market was valued at $2.1B in 2024 and is projected to reach $3.5B by 2033. Traditional panel shops rely on veteran technicians retiring at scale, with manual processes leading to inconsistent quality and long delays. per Custom Market Insights
Software Automates Design to Build
Podium's platform automates design verification for UL compliance within 24 hours and handles over 80% of wiring via automated processing, cutting labor by 50%. Unlike traditional builders, it offers a design-only flat-fee model where customers own the IP.
"Control panels are everywhere, but the way they're designed and built hasn't fundamentally changed in decades." — Jamie Niu Serota, CEO
Construct Leads Industrial Tech Bet
Construct Capital led the round with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Transition Ventures, Sunflower Capital, and Banter Capital, bringing total funding above $23M. The syndicate reflects conviction in modernizing foundational manufacturing infrastructure, with Construct's Dayna Grayson joining the board.
$15.5B Market Draws Software Disruption
The broader industrial control panel market stands at $15.5B in 2026 and is projected to reach $21.7B by 2033 at 4.9% CAGR. per Persistence Market Research Competitors include traditional shops and earlier software players like Blitzpanel, but Podium's venture backing and Fortune 500 customers like Redwood Materials and Symbotic position it to scale automated production.
Tesla and Blue Origin Alumni Lead
Founders Jamie Niu Serota and Jacob Buser bring experience from Tesla, Blue Origin, Bowery Farming, and Walmart, having built the vendor they wished existed as former panel buyers.
Factories to Expand Nationally
With positive factory-level economics at its Brooklyn site and 200+ panels shipped, Podium plans expansion to additional US factories alongside ongoing hiring in software, electrical engineering, and operations.