American companies design some of the most innovative hardware in the world, but build it somewhere else. Offshoring is often faster and cheaper, with more access to skilled workers. Over the last 50 years, manufacturing’s share of the U.S. economy has been cut in half. The sector faces a prolonged labor shortage. China is currently the world’s dominant manufacturer and exporter, and the U.S. increasingly relies on imported products.
Today, Arda launches from stealth to close that gap. Founder, Bob McGrew, former OpenAI Chief Research Officer, is building Arda to keep production in step with design by speeding up change on the factory floor to match the pace of product development.
After leading AI research during a once in a generation moment, Bob decided to focus his energy on a new problem to solve, and it feels crucial to pay attention. I’ve known him for more than two decades. In 2025, he was commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserve through Detachment 201, a tech reservist program that deepens the Army’s ties to the technology industry as it prepares for the battlefield of the future. Bob cares deeply about this country, and he is the right person for this problem.
Anduril Industries already relies on Arda’s technology as part of ArsenalOS, Anduril’s manufacturing software. It’s helping to get design changes onto the factory floor faster and speeding up production, as assembly instructions that previously took hours are now taking minutes. Complex engineering workflows move more than 10x faster, and problems surface sooner.
Today, Arda launched from stealth and announced $230M in total funding. We co-led their seed and series A because we believe Bob and his team are working toward a future where great products can be designed and made in America.
