“Manufacturers are in the midst of a digital transition, particularly to optimize their costs. And 3D scanning is becoming a big issue for them. » Between 2020 and 2030, the global market is expected to increase from 3.7 billion dollars to 16.7.
Strong growth, anticipated from 2013 in the laboratories of the national scientific research center. “Three researchers had developed 3D data compression technology, which they sought to commercialize. Together, we defined a product, which we then industrialized,” confides Dominique Poulinquen. This is how the Cintoo company, which he manages, was born.
“Millions of dollars at stake”
Today the scale-up specializes in the field of digital twins. “Schematically, we create a virtual 3D copy of a physical space. It could be a factory for the automobile industry, an oil platform or a construction site,” specifies the manager who works mainly for these three sectors of activity. Its tool therefore makes it possible to check the relevance of certain arrangements or their compliance, in order to avoid errors and time wasted on site. “In construction, non-compliance is extremely expensive and causes a lot of delay. Thanks to our tool, we anticipate these problems, for which there are millions of dollars at stake,” continues the leader.
At the same time, the company relied on its 3D data compression technology to make the data – very heavy for this type of project – available on the cloud, to all project stakeholders. “This allows everyone to follow the progress of the construction site,” specifies Dominique Poulinquen.
Integrate more AI
Thanks to its tool, Cintoo has already attracted 500 companies in around forty countries. To accelerate, it has just announced a $37 million Series B, led by Partech, with its historic investors Amavi Capital and Armilar Venture Partners. In 2022, the company completed a $6 million Series A round to develop its platform.
This time, these funds will allow it to continue improving its platform, by doubling its investments to provide cutting-edge applications for the construction and industrial sectors but also by integrating more artificial intelligence. “The challenge is to improve the understanding of installations, thanks to an AI capable of determining the different types of equipment installed and their functions”specifies the manager.
For the scale-up, this round of funding also aims to strengthen its position in the United States, where Cintoo generates 60% of its turnover, but also in Europe. To do this, the company plans to double its workforce from 50 to 100 employees in the coming months. “We are going to structure our sales teams. We have a lot of prospects on the French market in particular,” continues the leader. Ultimately, Cintoo hopes “to seek contracts in Asia, the Pacific but also in South America” because “the market is global. »
