Dallas-based Balerion Space Ventures has invested in Machina Labs’ Series C financing and the development of Machina’s first large-scale “intelligent factory.” The Series C for the L.A.-based company totaled $124 million; the amount of Balerion’s investment was not disclosed.

Also investing in the round were Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture arm, Lockheed Martin Ventures, and the Strategic Development Fund.

A leader in advanced manufacturing and robotics, Machina Labs said it’s scaling “from breakthrough manufacturing technology to deploying software-defined production infrastructure capable of supporting mission-critical metal structures across defense, aerospace, and advanced mobility.”

Building ‘manufacturing backbone’ for modern defense systems

Phil Scully, co-founder and general partner at Balerion Space Ventures, said modern defense systems “are often limited not by design, but by how fast they can be manufactured.”

“Machina Labs is building the manufacturing backbone required to close that gap and operate as a true Tier 1 partner,” Scully added in a statement.

Edward Mehr, Machina’s CEO and co-founder, said “the world’s most advanced designs are being held back by 20th-century factories.”

“This round allows us to scale manufacturing infrastructure that moves at the speed of software,” Mehr added. “We’re not just making parts—we’re reprogramming the factory itself to serve defense, aerospace, and automotive customers who can’t afford to wait.”

Launching its first large-scale intelligent factory in the U.S.

A “significant portion” of the newly raised capital will be used to launch Machina Labs’ first large-scale Intelligent Factory in the U.S.—a 200,000-square-foot, production-ready facility that will house up to 50 of the company’s RoboCraftsman cells and produce thousands of complex structural assemblies annually for defense and aerospace customers, the company said.

From missile structures to airframes, Machina Labs’ intelligent factory is designed to manufacture “a wide range of complex metal structures,” without significant retooling or reconfiguration. Powered by Machina Labs’ RoboCraftsman platform, the intelligent factory will enable customers to move from digital design to production inside the same facility, “compressing timelines from months to days,” Machina said.

Latest of several Balerion investments

Balerion Space Ventures co-founders, left to right: Phil Scully, Daniel Kleinmann, and Daniel Wallman [Photos: Balerion Space Ventures]

Balerion—a Dallas “frontier tech capital firm” backing the infrastructure of the emerging space and national security economy—has been on something of a buying spree lately. A week ago, the firm announced its investment in El Segundo, California-based Northwood Space’s  $100 million Series B round. 

In December, Balerion announced investments in three pioneering technology companies that the company said are at the center of “a fundamental shift” in how America builds, powers, and operates critical infrastructure beyond Earth’s surface: Antares Industries, Samara Aerospace, and Valar Atomics.

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