Opdo Secures $2.3 Million to Develop Its AI Platform

The Los Angeles and Berlin-based startup aims to automate optical engineering by connecting design tools to production data. A $2.3 million pre-seed round, led by Angular Ventures, is set to accelerate the development of its platform and support new client projects.

Investors Highlight a Bottleneck in Optics

Jerry Dischler, a partner at Angular Ventures, believes that optics remains one of the last deep engineering disciplines largely untouched by AI, despite its support for major technologies. Alexander Lange, founding partner at Opdo, considers that the next step for applied AI will involve the physical world and describes Opdo's approach as a feedback loop between design and manufacturing, with transformative potential for optical engineering. The sector faces slow and demanding design and manufacturing processes, with a shortage of specialized engineers creating bottlenecks across multiple industries.

A Platform Connecting AI Simulation and Workshop Data

Opdo is developing a self-improving system that links AI-driven design and simulation to data from actual manufacturing. The data collected on manufactured and tested components is reintegrated into AI models to optimize subsequent iterations. The goal is to combine digital design with tangible manufacturing and gradually automate the entire process, from initial specifications to optical systems ready for production.

Compatibility with Zemax and CODE V Without Changing Tools

Opdo's technology works with established optical design software, including Zemax and CODE V. Jerry Dischler emphasizes that this approach does not require engineers to abandon their tools or expertise but aims to enhance their productivity. Projects combine AI agents and specialized engineering, with design input from Opdo's teams and, if necessary, the provision of prototypes and finished components.

Covered Use Cases and Claimed Time Savings

Opdo's client projects include laser systems, imaging, micro-optics, and nanostructured surfaces. The company claims to have already reduced development and manufacturing cycles from several months to just a few weeks, after over a year of collaboration with clients to design complex optical systems. Stephan Kuehr, co-founder and CEO, states that AI handles heavy tasks, significantly reducing time to market. The sectors involved range from quantum computing to aerospace, augmented/virtual reality, defense, and advanced detection. Interested companies can submit their use cases at opdo.ai.

Governance, Background, and Project Funding

Opdo was founded by Stephan Kuehr and Yousef Arzhangnia, CTO, whose experiences encompass industrial production, optical engineering, AI, and automation. Stephan Kuehr previously co-founded 3YOURMIND, a company whose software is used by the U.S. Department of Defense, Ford, and Bosch to identify and reconfigure parts using AI, maintain digital plans, and offer automated on-demand manufacturing across interconnected sites. According to Kuehr, every hardware team encountered faces an unresolved optical challenge, with skilled engineers in this field becoming scarce and tools being outdated. Opdo has raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding, a round led by Angular Ventures with participation from Inflection and Tiny.vc. The funds will be used to expand engineering capabilities, develop AI tools, and support more client projects. The company operates from Los Angeles and Berlin and aims for the gradual automation of optical engineering, from initial design to finished components.