Solideon
Solideon builds autonomous deployable micro-factories (Aperture System and JAMC) combining wire-arc additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and inspection into a single autonomous cell, serving U.S. and allied defense, aerospace, and maritime customers including the U.S. Navy, shipbuilders, and AUKUS partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Solideon does
Solideon is a Berkeley, California–based hardware-technology company (founded 2021 as Additive Space Technologies, rebranded September 2023) that develops autonomous deployable micro-factories for defense, aerospace, and maritime customers. Its core product is the Aperture System — a collaborative robotic platform that integrates wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), CNC milling, subcomponent assembly, and inspection into a single autonomous manufacturing cell, with the company claiming it removes over 90% of human intervention and eliminates traditional 4+ month tooling lead times. The platform is complemented by the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC), a mobile, forward-deployed variant demonstrated in the U.S. Navy's Trident Warrior 25 exercise across 8,000+ miles.
The company's go-to-market is enterprise and government-led, focused on direct sales to the U.S. Department of Defense (via AFWERX SBIR and STTR programs), the U.S. shipbuilding ecosystem (through the Solideon Defense subsidiary launched in Norfolk, VA in October 2025), and allied defense partners such as ACUA Ocean under the AUKUS framework. Revenue mechanics currently rely on a mix of non-dilutive government contracts, partnership-funded demonstrations, and an emerging licensing/deployment model for the Aperture platform, with no public commercial pricing disclosed. Strategic partnerships with LEAP71 (space hardware), Naval Postgraduate School's CAMRE consortium, FLEETWERX, and the Techstars accelerator round out a defense-and-aerospace-centric business model.
Solideon has raised approximately $8 million in disclosed equity funding (notably a 2024 oversubscribed seed round led by 8090 Industries with participation from 1517 Fund, Boost VC, Stellar Ventures, and Techstars), a $1.25 million AFWERX SBIR contract, and an undisclosed investment from defense-focused Leonid Capital Partners in October 2025. The company is led by Founder & CEO Oluseun Taiwo (formerly Rocket Lab, Argonne National Lab, Virgin Orbit, and 3D Systems; Forbes 30 Under 30) and CTO Joel Ilfill (founder of DASH Systems, 5 patents in precision aerial delivery), with operations in Berkeley, CA and Norfolk, VA.
Solideon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Solideon
- Legal name
- Solideon
- Website
- https://solideon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Solideon builds autonomous deployable micro-factories (Aperture System and JAMC) combining wire-arc additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and inspection into a single autonomous cell, serving U.S. and allied defense, aerospace, and maritime customers including the U.S. Navy, shipbuilders, and AUKUS partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Solideon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Manufacturing Systems
- NAICS
- Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)
- SIC
- Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines) (IMAHAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Factory Automation & Control Systems (PLC/SCADA/DCS) (IMAIAMAA), Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)
Keywords
Where Solideon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Solideon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Government Defense Contracts: Solideon secures government contracts including SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) awards from agencies such as AFWERX and DoD for developing deployable manufacturing cells and defense-related production.
- Autonomous Manufacturing Services: Direct engagement with defense and aerospace manufacturers to provide on-demand manufacturing using the Aperture system, producing mission-critical components for shipbuilding, aerospace, and maritime applications.
- Technology Licensing & Deployment: Licensing and deployment of the Aperture autonomous manufacturing platform to allied partners and defense manufacturers for co-located production cells.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Solideon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Solideon builds autonomous micro-factories centered on its Aperture System, a collaborative robotic platform that combines wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), CNC machining, and subcomponent assembly with advanced inspection in a single autonomous cell. These deployable units produce, assemble, and inspect aerospace- and defense-grade structures with minimal human intervention, and are delivered through direct sales, government contracting, and forward-deployed mobile teams (JAMC).
Product overview
Solideon is an autonomous manufacturing platform company that builds deployable micro-factories capable of producing complex, mission-ready hardware anywhere in the world. The company's flagship product is the Aperture System, a collaborative robotic platform that combines wire-arc additive manufacturing with CNC machining and advanced inspection in a single autonomous workflow. The platform is complemented by the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC), a mobile manufacturing unit designed for forward-deployed defense applications. Solideon's modular systems transform existing facilities or empty fields into high-throughput production lines, with a specialized defense division (Solideon Defense) focused on maritime and naval manufacturing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aperture: Solideon's collaborative robotic system integrating wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), CNC machining, and advanced inspection features for aerospace component production.
- Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC)
Products and services
- Aperture System Collaborative robotic system that combines wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM / 3D printing) with CNC machining and advanced inspection features, enabling swift production of intricate aerospace structures with fewer parts, less waste, and greater precision. Designed for aerospace and defense manufacturers seeking to remove 90%+ of human intervention and eliminate 4+ month tooling lead times.
- Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC) Mobile, forward-deployed manufacturing team that produces mission-critical parts on demand using 3D printing, machining, and augmented reality across distributed locations. Developed in partnership with Naval Postgraduate School's CAMRE and FLEETWERX; deployed for maritime and contested-environment defense operations.
- Autonomous Deployable Factories Modular, self-contained manufacturing platforms built around the Aperture System that transform existing facilities or empty fields into high-throughput production lines capable of producing, assembling, and inspecting entire structures without human intervention.
Quantifiable outcome
- Removes 90%+ of human intervention required in manufacturing
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Solideon
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Solideon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Solideon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- ACUA Ocean TechflagshipSolideon and ACUA Ocean signed a strategic MOU to tackle scalable, dual-use production for AUKUS-aligned defense and industrial resilience. The partnership integrates Solideon's AI-driven robotic assembly platform with ACUA's subsea and offshore expertise, creating rapidly deployable reconfigurable manufacturing cells. Joint commercialization spans the U.S. and U.K., including co-development of design-to-deployment workflows and printable blueprints for fast-turnaround builds.
- LEAP71coreSolideon and LEAP71 signed a strategic agreement to design and produce multi-meter-scale hardware for space applications. The collaboration interfaces LEAP71's Computational Engineering Models (CEM) — generative frameworks for building sophisticated physical objects — with Solideon's large-size collaborative robotic metal manufacturing technology (Aperture), enabling production of objects at unprecedented scale with the eventual goal of off-planet manufacturing.
- FLEETWERX / Naval Postgraduate School (CAMRE)coreSolideon partnered with Naval Postgraduate School's Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) and FLEETWERX for Trident Warrior 25, the largest distributed manufacturing demonstration in DoD history. The JAMC (Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell) demonstrated production of mission-critical parts on demand across 8,000+ miles and two continents in a live maritime operational context.
- AFWERXcoreAFWERX selected Solideon for a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract worth $1.25 million to develop a deployable, single-pallet additive manufacturing cell. This represents the company's largest government contract and validates its defense-related technology development.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights9 records
Solideon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hadrian: Hadrian builds automated, software-defined factories that machine precision aerospace and defense components at scale. Direct competitor in autonomous metal manufacturing for defense/aerospace customers with substantially more capital raised.
- VulcanForms: VulcanForms manufactures fully integrated, digitally controlled metal additive manufacturing systems for industrial production. Comparable in deploying end-to-end automated additive manufacturing platforms, including integration with CNC post-processing.
- Velo3D: Velo3D develops metal additive manufacturing systems for high-value aerospace and defense parts with integrated process control software. Comparable in targeting mission-critical aerospace and defense production using advanced metal AM.
Broad incumbents
- Markforged: Markforged produces industrial metal and composite 3D printers with an integrated software platform for distributed manufacturing. An established incumbent in industrial additive manufacturing serving aerospace and defense, though Solideon differentiates via robotic cells rather than standalone printers.
- Desktop Metal: Desktop Metal offers a broad portfolio of metal and composite additive manufacturing systems for industrial end markets. Overlaps with Solideon on metal 3D printing for industrial and aerospace customers, though primarily a printer manufacturer rather than an integrated robotic-cell provider.
- 3D Systems: 3D Systems is a long-established 3D printing and additive manufacturing company serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Relevant as both a potential partner and incumbent competitor, and notably a prior employer of Solideon's founder.
Emerging players
- Arris Composites: Arris Composites builds high-volume, automated composite manufacturing for aerospace and consumer products. Shares Solideon's focus on automation and high-throughput advanced materials production, though focused on composites rather than WAAM metals.
- Orbital Composites: Orbital Composites develops robotic additive manufacturing and assembly systems for large structures, including space and aerospace applications. Closely aligned with Solideon's Aperture concept of robotic cells that print, machine, and assemble.
- Inkbit: Inkbit provides multi-material additive manufacturing systems with machine-learning-driven process control. Comparable in fusing AI/ML with additive manufacturing for production-grade parts.
Regional players
- Relativity Space: Relativity Space builds largely 3D-printed rockets with a heavily automated factory approach. While focused on launch vehicles rather than generic manufacturing cells, it is a comparable adjacent player in using AM and automation to disrupt aerospace manufacturing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Solideon social profiles
Digital presenceSolideon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Solideon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Solideon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Solideon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Solideon
What does Solideon do?
Solideon builds autonomous micro-factories centered on its Aperture System, a collaborative robotic platform that combines wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), CNC machining, and subcomponent assembly with advanced inspection in a single autonomous cell. These deployable units produce, assemble, and inspect aerospace- and defense-grade structures with minimal human intervention, and are delivered through direct sales, government contracting, and forward-deployed mobile teams (JAMC).
Is Solideon a public or private company?
Solideon is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Solideon founded?
Solideon was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Solideon based?
Solideon is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Solideon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Defense Contracts are the primary driver. The others are autonomous Manufacturing Services and technology Licensing & Deployment.
Who are Solideon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hadrian, VulcanForms and Velo3D. Broad incumbents are Markforged, Desktop Metal and 3D Systems. Emerging players are Arris Composites, Orbital Composites and Inkbit. Relativity Space is listed as a regional player.
Does Solideon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Solideon.
What industry is Solideon in?
Solideon's product category is Autonomous Manufacturing Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAHAL, Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines), with a secondary code of IMAIAMAA, Factory Automation & Control Systems (PLC/SCADA/DCS). Its NAICS code is 3332 and its SIC code is 3559.