Hestus has raised $7.4 million in a seed round, bringing the San Mateo-based startup’s total funding to $8.9 million, with the round dated October 2, 2026. The company builds AI tools for mechanical engineering, offering an assistant that integrates with computer-aided design (CAD) software to automate repetitive tasks and help engineers convert design intent into manufacturable models.
Hestus product and technical focus
Hestus provides an AI-powered, autocomplete-style assistant that works inside CAD environments such as Autodesk Fusion. The tool proposes geometry changes, streamlines workflow interactions, and aims to capture the judgment required for manufacturing—what the company describes as “Mechanical Intelligence.” Its primary goal is to reduce manual, repetitive work and help engineers produce manufacturable models more efficiently.
Funding and investors
The seed round was led by Insight Partners, with participation from Chalfen Ventures, Rock Yard Ventures, and Garage Capital. Hestus plans to use the new capital to expand its engineering team—specifically to hire machine learning engineers and software developers—while advancing its AI model and accelerating its product development roadmap.
Hestus was founded by Sohrab Haghighat and Kevin Chu, who previously worked together at Cruise Automation. Company websites listed are https://hestus.co and https://hestus.com.
