The startup is building an intelligence platform for companies developing aircraft, spacecraft, robotics and other complex machines, with more than 80 organizations already using its software.
Nominal has raised $240 million in a Series C led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and co-led by Insight Partners, valuing the hardware intelligence startup at $3 billion.
The financing, announced November 9, includes participation from Lux Capital, Sequoia, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Salesforce Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures and other investors.
Nominal has more than 80 commercial and government customers, including five of the seven largest US defense contractors.
The new valuation is three times the $1 billion figure established in March 2026.
AI for Engineering in the Physical World
Software engineers have gained access to increasingly powerful AI coding assistants.
Hardware engineers face a different problem.
Developing an aircraft, robot or energy system requires understanding information produced by physical tests, sensors, simulations and manufacturing equipment.
That information often lives across multiple disconnected tools.
Nominal brings engineering data and operational context into a common platform, allowing teams to investigate problems and make decisions using a more complete picture of their systems.
Its technology supports telemetry, logs, video, simulation data and test results.
The company is also introducing AI agents that can analyze those datasets and investigate engineering questions.
Its Nominal Analyst agent produces results that engineers can trace back to underlying evidence.
Customers Include Anduril and Major Defense Contractors
Nominal reports significant adoption in demanding engineering environments.
At Anduril, more than 300 engineers use Nominal across different programs.
The company says analysis that previously required five to six hours can now be performed in near real time.
HII, the defense shipbuilder, has reported reductions in analysis time and certain production testing steps.
Hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus also uses Nominal to accelerate engineering data analysis.
These are customer-reported results, and performance improvements depend on the workflows involved.
Built by Engineers and Defense Operators
Nominal was founded by Cameron McCord, Bryce Strauss and Jason Hoch.
The founding team brings experience in defense, engineering and enterprise software.
McCord, the CEO, previously served in the US Navy and worked in defense technology.
The company's broader strategy is to become the operating infrastructure through which engineering teams manage tests, validate machines and develop future products.
The Challenge Ahead
Hardware development has strict reliability requirements.
AI-generated conclusions must be supported by actual evidence, particularly in aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure.
Nominal will need to demonstrate that its intelligence platform can support increasingly complex engineering workflows without compromising traceability and control.
At $3 billion, investors are betting that the application layer connecting AI to physical engineering will become a major software market of its own.
Sources: Nominal announcement · GlobeNewswire — investors and customers