Podium Automation Raises $18M in Series A Funding

The round also saw participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Transition Ventures, Sunflower Capital, and Banter Capital. The raise brought total funding to more than $23 million.

The company plans to use the funds to increase manufacturing capacity, expand its engineering and operations teams and further develop the software platform that supports it's design and fabrication processes.

Industrial control panels act as the central system for automated production and infrastructure. They control how equipment starts, stops, communicates, and operates safely.

In the past, designing and building these panels has been slow and complex, with lead times often longer than 12 weeks and quality relying heavily on experienced technicians.

Podium speeds up this process by designing and manufacturing control panels in under 4 weeks using a software-driven approach that reduces delays and errors. Digital models replace hand-drawn schematics, automated fabrication supports assembly, and every panel is fully tested in Podium’s UL 508A certified facility before shipping.

Podium’s proprietary software simplifies the full panel design and build process by linking customer requirements, eCAD design tools, and shop floor instructions. Instead of depending on an electrical engineer’s deep knowledge of many components, the software automatically selects and connects electrical parts based on customer needs and UL requirements. It also ensures panels are designed for easy manufacturing, while considering component availability and supply chain speed.

"Control panels are everywhere, but the way they're designed and built hasn't fundamentally changed in decades," said Jamie Niu Serota, Co-Founder and CEO of Podium Automation. "We founded Podium to build the vendor we always wished we had. Ordering a control panel should be fast, accurate, and transparent. At Podium, faster and better are the same thing."

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"The industrial economy runs on essential components like control panels, and the legacy supply chain behind them is exactly the kind of foundational infrastructure Construct was built to invest in," said Dayna Grayson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Construct Capital. "Jamie, Jacob, and the Podium team have created the modern vendor this category has been waiting for, and the demand they're already seeing makes it clear how much the market needs what they're building."

"Podium is an excellent example of what happens when world-class software meets a foundational industrial category," said Oliver Hsu, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. "Jamie and Jacob are founders who understand both the legacy world of control panel manufacturing and how to rebuild it from first principles. The result is a combination of product and operational excellence that meets the current moment for American reindustrialization."

About Podium Automation

Founded in 2024 by Jamie Niu Serota and Jacob Buser and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, Podium Automation is one of the fastest UL 508A control panel manufacturers in the United States. It serves companies that need high quality panels delivered quickly and efficiently. Podium’s software platform helps deliver speed, quality and transparency across the entire process from initial quote to final delivery.

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