Y Combinator Winter 2025 standout Adam just closed a $4.1 million seed round led by TQ Ventures, bringing its viral text-to-3D app into the professional engineering world.
The startup attracted over 10 million social media impressions after launching its consumer tool, generating more than 1 million 3D models and proving that AI-powered design tools have massive market appeal.​
Adam Investment Breakdown
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Round | Seed |
| Amount Raised | $4.1M |
| Lead Investor | TQ Ventures |
| Participating VCs | 468 Capital, Pioneer, Script Capital, Transpose Platform |
| Notable Angels | Tim Glaser (PostHog), Trevor Blackwell (YC), Theo Browne (T3 Chat) |
| Previous Funding | Undisclosed (YC funding) |
| Total Raised | $4.1M+ |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA |
| YC Batch | Winter 2025 |
From Berkeley Thesis to Funded Startup
CEO Zach Dive and CPO Aaron Li, both UC Berkeley Master of Design graduates, founded Adam in 2024 after Dive developed the initial prototype as his thesis project.
What started as a laptop-hosted app to generate printable CAD models quickly evolved into a full-fledged platform when the founders realized AI could accelerate hardware development at scale.
The funding process moved faster than expected. Investors sent term sheets via email without requesting meetings, drawn to Adam's viral traction and clear product-market fit. The team chose TQ Ventures because they aligned on strategy: build consumer trust first, then expand to enterprise.
Why Text-to-3D Isn't Enough?
Adam's initial tool lowered barriers for hobbyists and makers who lacked CAD skills, but early users revealed a critical insight: text prompts alone don't work well for complex 3D interactions.
This feedback pushed the team to develop a multi-modal copilot that lets users select 3D object components and converse with AI to make precise edits.
The enterprise copilot launches by December 2025, starting with Onshape integration. It targets mechanical engineers who waste hours applying repetitive changes across multiple CAD files.
Adam won't replace engineers but will handle time-consuming tasks, letting them focus on creative problem-solving.
The startup already serves tens of thousands of users on its $5.99 standard and $17.99 pro monthly plans. Enterprise testers are validating features ahead of monetization.
Connect With Adam
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| Website | adam.new |
| LinkedIn (CEO) | linkedin.com/in/zacharydive |
| LinkedIn (CPO) | linkedin.com/in/_aaron-li |
| Careers | adam.new/careers |
What Comes Next?
Adam faces stiff competition in the AI copilot space from tools like MecAgent, but its viral launch gives it a hiring and marketing advantage that few startups achieve. The company actively recruits AI and engineering talent to improve spatial reasoning capabilities.
Vercel founder Guillermo Rauch called Adam “the v0 of CAD,” comparing it to Vercel's AI web creation platform. The endorsement signals industry recognition that Adam could reshape how engineers interact with design software.​
The jump from helping makers print Pikachus to supporting professional engineers is significant, but Adam's consumer traction proves the underlying technology works.
If the enterprise copilot delivers on speed and accuracy, the startup could redefine CAD workflows the same way cloud platforms like Onshape modernized software delivery.
