HardwareEl Segundo, CA, USAFounded 2024· One of 1757 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse
Develops high-energy laser additive manufacturing systems to modernize the aerospace and defense industrial base by rapidly producing large-scale metal components, replacing traditional castings and forgings.
CEO / Founder
Winston Tri
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$10M
Latest Round
Seed
Key Investors
Shield Capital; 8VC; Founders Fund
Technology & Products
Key Products
High-energy laser metal additive manufacturing systems; Large-format structural aerospace components
Technological Advantage
Claimed: High-throughput deposition of aerospace-grade alloys. Defensible: Proprietary laser control systems and thermal management for large-scale builds.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces lead times for critical large-scale metal components from 12-18 months to under 4 weeks, enabling domestic production of parts that currently rely on a constrained global casting and forging supply chain.
How They Differentiate
Focuses on high-energy laser deposition specifically for heavy industrial defense applications, aiming for higher throughput than LPBF and better precision than WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing).
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace and defense OEMs; US Department of Defense; Defense prime contractors
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Defense
Competitors
Relativity Space; VulcanForms; Norsk Titanium
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
No funding, revenue, employee counts, or growth data available from search results.
Major Milestones
2024: Founded; 2024: Secured Seed funding led by Shield Capital
Winston builds high-energy laser directed energy deposition (DED-LB) systems aimed at replacing traditional castings and forgings for large-scale metal components in aerospace and defense. Founded in 2024 and based in El Segundo, California, the company targets a constrained global supply chain for critical structural parts by offering a domestic production alternative that reduces lead times from 12–18 months to under four weeks.
The core technology is a proprietary high-energy laser architecture optimized for extreme deposition rates — claimed to be 10x faster than standard laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) — while maintaining material integrity for flight-critical applications. The systems process aerospace-grade alloys and are designed for large-format builds, with defensible IP in laser control and thermal management.
Winston's target customers include aerospace and defense OEMs, the US Department of Defense, and prime contractors. The company is pre-revenue and operating in stealth mode, positioning itself as a supply chain reshoring play for heavy industrial defense applications. It differentiates from competitors like Relativity Space, VulcanForms, and Norsk Titanium by focusing on higher throughput than LPBF and better precision than wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM).
The company raised $10 million in seed funding from Shield Capital, 8VC, and Founders Fund. CEO Winston Tri, a former SpaceX lead engineer and Anduril Industries veteran, leads a team of 11–50. The key open question is whether the high-energy DED approach can achieve the repeatability and certification required for flight-critical components at scale.