YC alum Adam raises $4.1M to turn viral text-to-3D tool into AI copilot

Adam, a standout startup from Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 cohort, has successfully raised $4.1 million in seed funding to advance its ambitious projects. The company gained significant attention after its text-to-3D model app captured over 10 million impressions on social media, paving the way for a flurry of investor interest. CEO Zach Dive shared that they received numerous term sheets via email, often without the need for meetings. The startup chose TQ Ventures as its lead investor, aligning on a vision for the future of computer-aided design (CAD) and agreeing on a consumer-first approach before expanding to enterprise solutions. Dive emphasized the importance of this strategy, noting that Adam’s initial success with a mainstream product has set the stage for its upcoming professional-grade CAD copilot. While Adam initially targeted makers rather than engineers, the rapid advancement of AI technology has shifted their focus back to B2B solutions. The startup aims to introduce its copilot by the year's end, enhancing its tools that allow users without CAD expertise to create 3D models from text prompts. However, early feedback indicated that text-based interactions were not always optimal for 3D modeling. To address this, Adam plans to incorporate various interaction methods, such as allowing users to select parts of a 3D object and communicate with it directly. In a competitive landscape where other AI copilot solutions like MecAgent exist, Adam is poised to leverage its viral momentum to attract talent and resources. Dive and co-founder Aaron Li, both graduates of UC Berkeley’s Master of Design program, are actively seeking more AI and engineering specialists to enhance their models for spatial reasoning. With support from TQ Ventures and several other investors, including angel backers like Tim Glaser and Trevor Blackwell, Adam is gaining traction. Vercel founder Guillermo Rauch referred to the startup as "the v0 of CAD," highlighting its simplicity and speed in reaching a wider audience. Currently, Adam boasts tens of thousands of individual users and an expanding customer base for its subscription plans, priced at $5.99 and $17.99 per month. Although the enterprise offering is still in testing, Dive noted that the startup is validating various features to ensure a seamless transition from aiding casual users to supporting professional engineers. The focus will initially be on mechanical engineering, with plans to enable the creation of intricate parametric designs in leading CAD programs like Onshape, foreshadowing the transformative impact of AI in the field.