Lovable backs company bringing vibe coding to hardware
▼ Summary
– Lovable, an AI app-building platform, led an $800,000 pre-seed round for hardware startup Atech, which also included a16z’s scout fund, Sequoia Scout Fund, and Nordic Makers.
– Atech’s platform lets users buy a starter hardware kit, then describe their concept to an AI chatbot, which generates code to build a working prototype.
– Atech’s user base ranges from four-year-olds building cars to a hydrogen synthesis plant needing precise voltage sensing, according to head of customer experience Gustav Hugod.
– The company aims to democratize hardware by collapsing the accessibility gap, similar to what happened with software, as building prototypes currently requires decades of experience or expensive engineers.
– The new funding will be used for research and development, marketing, and hiring.
Lovable, the AI-driven platform for building apps, has invested in a Danish hardware startup called Atech, which aims to bring “vibe coding” into the physical world of hardware creation. The investment was part of an $800,000 pre-seed round that also attracted participation from a16z’s scout fund, the Sequoia Scout Fund, and Nordic Makers.
Gustav Hugod, Atech’s head of customer experience, explained to TechCrunch that the platform operates with remarkable simplicity. Users begin by purchasing a starter hardware kit from Atech’s website, tailored to whatever project they have in mind. From there, they open a browser tab, speak with an AI chatbot, and describe the hardware concept they want to build. The AI then generates the code needed to assemble a working prototype. According to Hugod, Atech’s user base is already impressively diverse, ranging from “four-year-olds building cars to a hydrogen synthesis plant that needs precise voltage sensing.”
Traditionally, designing a hardware prototype demands either decades of hands-on experience or the budget to hire costly, highly skilled engineers. Hugod argues that just as the accessibility gap in software has collapsed, the same democratization is now coming to hardware. “Hardware, in a democratized world, has to be available to everyone,” he said. The startup plans to channel its new funding into research and development, marketing efforts, and expanding its team.
(Source: TechCrunch)
