Deep-tech startup Linexa has successfully closed a €2 million pre-seed funding round to advance its AI-powered industrial automation platform. The investment was led by venture capital firm Project A, with participation from notable angel investors including Thomas Böck, Bastian Nominacher, and Christian Schlögel. Founded in late 2025 by Viktor Stryczek, Alexandros Vassiliadis, and Tobias Drees, the company aims to modernize European manufacturing by decoding complex legacy systems and enabling autonomous production optimization.
Addressing a Fragmented Industrial Landscape
The European manufacturing sector is currently facing significant structural challenges, including job cuts and intense global competition from highly automated markets. Many factories operate on intricate control systems built over decades, often combining incompatible technologies from various vendors. This fragmentation creates operational blind spots and makes system modifications difficult, with unplanned downtime costing companies up to $2.3 million per hour.
A Novel Approach to Automation
Linexa confronts these issues by operating directly at the level of machine control systems, a departure from solutions focused on business processes or sensor data. Its platform decodes proprietary Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) code from different vendors, translating it into a unified and accessible data model. This provides manufacturers with a comprehensive and transparent view of their entire production logic for the first time.
This innovative approach allows AI agents to monitor and autonomously optimize production lines in real time, enhancing both efficiency and resilience. For instance, a cosmetics manufacturer can use Linexa to analyze control logic when switching a filling line from one product to another. The system proactively identifies potential risks before they cause disruptions, thereby significantly reducing costly changeover times and improving operational agility.
Strategic Vision and Market Positioning
While incumbents like Siemens and PTC address industrial challenges through business-process layers, Linexa differentiates itself by tackling the technically complex task of decoding legacy PLC code. This focus on the foundational machine level, where critical operational information resides, gives it a unique advantage. Newer entrants in the analytics space, such as Sight Machine and Aspentech, also operate on a different layer of the technology stack.
Co-founder Viktor Stryczek emphasized the company's mission, stating, "A strong manufacturing industry is the foundation of our prosperity; Linexa gives manufacturers control over their own operations again." Florian Heinemann, General Partner at Project A, added, "European manufacturing is the backbone of the continent's economy, and we back Linexa because they make shop floor modernisation fast enough to keep pace with global competition."
Funding and Future Outlook
The €2 million in pre-seed funding will be instrumental in scaling Linexa's platform and expanding its team. The company, which originated at Wayra, the Telefónica innovation hub in Munich, has already achieved significant early traction. It has successfully deployed its technology with one of Germany's largest food manufacturers, securing its first live industrial customer even before its public announcement.
With this new capital, Linexa plans to further develop its technology to support a broader range of manufacturers navigating an increasingly competitive global landscape. The company's ability to make opaque production environments more transparent and adaptable is key to its strategy. This will empower industrial players to modernize their operations, improve resilience, and strengthen their market position.
Ultimately, Linexa's technology represents a critical step forward in revitalizing Europe's industrial base by transforming legacy infrastructure into a competitive advantage. By providing manufacturers with unprecedented control and insight into their operations, the company is poised to drive a new wave of efficiency and innovation. This investment underscores the growing recognition of deep-tech solutions in securing the future of European manufacturing.