Manufacturing start-up Phasio raises $3.8m for its Google Docs-like collaborative platform

A start-up which allows both the manufacturer and the client to look at, edit and comments on 3D parts has raised $3.8m to expand its footprint.

Phasio co-founder Sudharshan Raman and Harry Conor Lucas.

An Australian start-up that provides a Google Docs-like editing ability for parts manufacturing has raised $3.8m in capital.

Phasio, which was founded by mechanical engineers Harry Conor Lucas and Sudharshan Raman, raised the funds in a seed round led by local venture capital firm AirTree.

The start-up, which employs nine people including the founders, was built to solve the issue of people having to request edits externally to design platforms.

Mr Lucas, who is also chief executive, said most manufacturers still sent images back and forth on messaging platforms and that there had to be a better way to develop parts.

“Often these conversations between clients and manufacturers are actually just Whats­App groups where both parties are taking screenshots of files and then drawing on those screenshots,” Mr Lucas told The Australian.

“Usually the designer will have some CAD software on their computer and, I kid you not, they’ll take a photo of the screen, then they’ll circle something using the WhatsApp draw function.”

Phasio’s platform, he said, was a bit like Google Docs with both the client and manufacturer able to view, edit and make comments on their product in a three-dimensional format.

It works by a customer initially reaching out to the manufacturer who will then develop a CAD file, upload it into the platform and invite the customer to collaborate, comment and edit the part in real time.

Mr Raman, also Phasio’s chief product officer, said the idea behind the platform was to not just build a manufacturing tool but an entire ecosystem.

“It‘s a carefully designed ecosystem rooted in a deep understanding of the challenges that both manufacturers and customers face,” he said.

The start-up was also looking to build out the ability for different manufacturers to work together and collaborate on projects.

That co-operative ability would allow the manufacturers of different parts and materials to collaborate with ease within the platform, with real-time visibility of product and pricing, Mr Lucas said.

AirTree Ventures partner James Cameron said: “It would be easy to build technology for the manufacturing sector that brings incremental efficiency improvements but Harry and Raman have been thoughtful about how to go beyond these immediate pain points. The manufacturing future Phasio’s building is not just needed but an inevitability for the industry.”

While Vishal Harnal, a managing partner at 500 Global which also participated in the round, said Phasio’s platform would help bolster a better connection across the manufacturing industry.

“Phasio’s commitment to foster hyper-local and hyper-connected manufacturing catapults not only their customers but the people and economies dependent on these industries,” he said.

Mr Raman said the new funds would allow the company to expand and go public while building out its technology stack.