Uptool

Cover Block

Name	Uptool
Tagline	AI-powered quoting software for machine and fabrication shops to accelerate sales and manufacturing. [Uptool]
Headquarters	San Mateo, United States [Crunchbase]
Founded	2024 [Crunchbase]
Stage	Seed [Startup Weekly, February 2026]
Business Model	SaaS
Industry	Other (Manufacturing Software)
Technology	AI / Machine Learning
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding Label	Seed
Total Disclosed	~$6,000,000 [Startup Weekly, February 2026]

Links

• Website: https://uptool.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/full-stack-engineer-at-uptool-4203850524

Summary and Signal

Uptool is an AI software startup applying large language models to the quoting workflow for small, high-mix machine and fabrication shops [Startup Weekly]. The company's founding story is rooted in the founders' direct experience with manufacturing inefficiencies; Benny Buller, formerly CEO of metal additive manufacturing firm Velo3D, and Alex Huckstepp, a veteran of Applied Materials and Carbon, launched the venture in 2024 [PR Newswire, November 2025]. Its core product is an AI-powered platform that ingests customer RFQs, CAD files, and emails to automatically extract and pre-fill estimate data [Modern Machine Shop].

Backed by a $6,000,000 seed round closed in February 2026 from a syndicate including Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Kleiner Perkins, the company operates on a SaaS business model targeting small and midsize manufacturers [Crunchbase].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key company details confirmed by multiple sources; specific traction metrics and some founder details rely on single-source or company statements.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Value
Stage	Seed
Business Model	SaaS
Industry / Vertical	Other
Technology Type	AI / Machine Learning
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding	Seed (total disclosed ~$6,000,000)

Company Overview

Uptool launched from stealth in November 2025 as an AI software startup, with its formal founding year listed as 2024 [PR Newswire, November 2025]. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California [3DPrint.com, November 2025]. The founding narrative centers on addressing operational bottlenecks in manufacturing, a pain point the co-founders, Benny Buller and Alex Huckstepp, observed during their combined decades in the industry at companies like Velo3D and Applied Materials [PR Newswire, November 2025].

The company's first significant public milestone was its emergence from stealth alongside the announcement of a $6,000,000 seed round in February 2026 [Startup Weekly]. This funding round attracted a notable syndicate of venture firms including Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, and Eclipse Ventures [3DPrint.com, November 2025].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core details (founding, HQ, launch, funding) are corroborated across multiple press releases and news reports.

The Product and the Stack

Uptool's product is a focused application of generative AI to a specific, high-friction workflow. The company's first and only publicly announced product is an AI-powered quoting platform designed for machine and fabrication shops [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The core proposition is to automate the extraction and organization of data from customer requests for quotation (RFQs), which typically arrive as a mix of CAD files, drawings, and emails, and to pre-fill the structured data required for an estimate [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The company claims this can reduce a process that traditionally takes hours or days of manual back-and-forth to a matter of minutes [Modern Machine Shop].

• Implementation and security. The company markets a low-friction onboarding process, stating the software can be implemented in an hour with no upfront cost [Uptool]. For security, Uptool publicly commits to hosting all customer data on AWS Gov Cloud and adhering to ITAR and SOC 2 standards [Uptool].
• Performance claims. Public traction claims are directional. The company states it automates 90% of the estimating and quoting workflow [Uptool]. In a third-party interview, a company representative said customers are quoting in about one minute per part [Xometry Pro].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are consistent across company website and press interviews, but specific performance metrics and technical architecture details are sourced solely from the company.

The Market They Are Entering

The market for software that accelerates manufacturing workflows is expanding, driven by a persistent need for small and midsize shops to improve productivity without adding headcount.

Metric	Value
MES Market (2023)	$13,200,000,000
CAM Software Market (2022)	$2,800,000,000

Demand drivers for a solution like Uptool's are well-documented in industry coverage. A primary tailwind is the ongoing skilled labor shortage in manufacturing [PR Newswire, November 2025]. The rise of high-mix, low-volume production runs, common in aerospace, defense, and medical device prototyping, increases the frequency and complexity of quoting [Xometry Pro]. Furthermore, a macro push toward onshoring and strengthening U.S. manufacturing supply chains creates urgency for domestic shops to operate more competitively [Startup Weekly].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is drawn from analogous, third-party industry reports. Direct TAM for the specific product category is not confirmed.

The Competitive Field

Uptool enters a fragmented market for manufacturing quoting software, competing on the specificity of its AI for high-mix, small-batch production environments.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator	Source
Uptool	AI quoting platform for machine and fab shops.	Seed stage, $6,000,000 raised (2026).	Focus on AI-driven, minute-level quote generation for high-mix shops; founders' additive manufacturing background.	[Startup Weekly]
Paperless Parts	Cloud-based quoting and CPQ platform for custom manufacturers.	Later stage; $25,000,000 Series B (2021).	Established brand, comprehensive platform for RFQ management and e-commerce.	[Crunchbase]
Digifabster	Online quoting and order management for manufacturing.	Venture-backed; $3,000,000+ raised.	Strong focus on 3D printing and CNC machining shops with automated instant quoting.	[Crunchbase]
Machine Research	Data and market intelligence platform for industrial equipment.	Bootstrapped / early stage.	Competitive intelligence and pricing data, not a direct quoting workflow tool.	[Crunchbase]
PrototypeHubs	Manufacturing marketplace connecting buyers to machine shops.	Marketplace model.	Network of suppliers; quoting is a feature of the procurement process, not a standalone product.	[Crunchbase]

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor profiles and funding stages are confirmed via Crunchbase; Uptool's differentiation is based on public positioning from its website and launch coverage.

Opportunity

If Uptool successfully executes its wedge-and-expand strategy, the prize is a foundational software layer for a manufacturing sector that has historically underinvested in digital tools.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Growth scenarios are extrapolated from stated company strategy and market structure; specific catalysts are not yet public.

Sources

1. [Uptool] Uptool | https://uptool.com/
2. [Crunchbase] Uptool - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/uptool
3. [Startup Weekly, February 2026] Uptool emerges from stealth with $6m seed round to accelerate U.S. manufacturing - Startup Weekly | https://www.startup-weekly.com/Uptool-emerges-from-stealth-with-6m-seed-round-to-accelerate-US-manufacturing/
4. [PR Newswire, November 2025] Uptool Launches from Stealth with AI Platform to Accelerate U.S. Manufacturing | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uptool-launches-from-stealth-with-ai-platform-to-accelerate-us-manufacturing-302678518.html
5. [Modern Machine Shop] Industry Quoting 2.0: Harnessing AI for Fast Manufacturing Solutions, with Alex Huckstepp of Uptool | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmBRkq6Wnp4
6. [Xometry Pro] The AI-Powered Operating System for Machine and Fab Shops - Uptool | https://xometry.pro/en/articles/ai-interviews-uptool/
7. [3DPrint.com, November 2025] Uptool Emerges from Stealth | https://3dprint.com/323862/uptool-emerges-from-stealth/
8. [Grand View Research] Manufacturing Execution Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report | https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/manufacturing-execution-systems-mes-market