Introducing Nominal: Tools and Data Infrastructure for Complex Hardware Development
In the heartlands of American ingenuity, a revolution is underway. It’s not just a resurgence; it’s a renaissance, driven by visionary founders and audacious entrepreneurs who refuse to be bound by convention. They’re rewriting the narrative of critical industries like aerospace, defense, transportation, manufacturing, and energy, infusing them with the transformative power of advanced hardware technology and cutting-edge software.
At the forefront of this revolution stand names that resonate with innovation and progress: Cameron McCord, Bryce Strauss, and Jason Hoch. These are the trailblazers who’ve dared to dream bigger, to think bolder, and to pioneer the future others have only imagined. And now, they’ve chosen to partner with us to bring their vision to life.
Today, we proudly unveil Nominal, emerging with $27.5 million in financing from Lux Capital, General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Haystack VC, Human Capital, XYZ Ventures, Box Group, and Overmatch. Lux Capital stands as a founding investor, and I am honored to serve as a founding board member. Having collaborated closely with Cameron across multiple groundbreaking ventures (Anduril, Applied Intuition, Saildrone) and at Lux, I’ve witnessed firsthand his unparalleled drive and relentless pursuit of excellence. When he introduced me to Bryce (an inter-planetary systems engineer at Lockheed Martin among other things) and Jason (Palantir and Vercel alum and a sophisticated engineering maven), the sparks flew, igniting a fire of innovation that would soon become Nominal.
Nominal didn’t just spring forth from the ether; it was born of meticulous research and a deep understanding of the technological landscape in hardware engineering, product development, and testing, by the team. We scoured the industry, engaging with dozens of leaders and operators, uncovering what could be critical technology gaps holding back progress. And what we found was a labyrinth of outdated processes and inefficiencies plaguing development of mission critical systems, starting with the testing and validation of industrial hardware, and particularly in high-stakes industries like aerospace, defense, industrials, transportation, etc.
Product development cycles are under intense pressure to accelerate, but tools and infrastructure haven’t kept up to allow for this to happen safely and swiftly. Over the last decade, hardware has become much more software-defined, but sector still lacks a unified system to develop data workflows, and track and analyze the vast amounts of data that are generated.
But where others saw obstacles, we saw opportunity. Nominal is our answer to the call for a revolution in industrial software, where hardware engineers will be empowered by the world’s most advanced tools. Nomical is encoding the best practices in test engineering to change how teams leverage high-scale machine data, and continuously validate system health. With Nominal workflows and comprehensive data analysis platform, teams can quickly test and deploy their complex hardware systems. Our platform streamlines the testing process, providing end-to-end solutions that empower engineering teams to innovate without compromise. With Nominal, confidence is not sacrificed for speed; it’s enhanced.
Our commitment doesn’t end with revolutionizing workflows; it extends to fostering collaboration and scalability. Nominal is more than just software; it’s a catalyst for change, enabling teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible. And as we embark on this journey, we’re proud to count among our ranks a team of extraordinary talent, drawn from the ranks of SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Microsoft, and NASA.
But this is just the beginning. We hope to grow our team, increase our customer base, build incredible products, and make a lasting impact on the world. So, if you’re driven by a desire to see American industry soar to new heights, join us at our offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin. Together, we’ll write the next chapter in the story of human progress.
All Systems Nominal. Welcome to the future.
