HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., June 2, 2026— Layup Parts has raised $42 million in a Series A funding round as the startup works to simplify the production of carbon-fiber and fiberglass components through software-driven manufacturing. The round was led by Marlinspike, with participation from Cerberus Ventures, Pinegrove Venture Partners, Founders Fund, and Lux Capital. The funding follows a $9 million seed round raised shortly after founder Zack Eakin launched the company in 2024.

Layup Parts develops technology that reduces the time required to manufacture custom composite parts, a category that has traditionally relied on labor-intensive processes and lengthy production cycles.

From Anduril to Entrepreneurship

Before founding Layup Parts, Eakin worked at defense technology company Anduril, where he helped oversee composite manufacturing efforts. As he prepared to launch the startup, he sought advice from several Anduril leaders, including co-founders Palmer Luckey, Brian Schimpf, and Matt Grimm. According to Eakin, Grimm offered guidance on communicating with venture capital firms, Schimpf challenged strategic assumptions, and Luckey helped refine the company's narrative for investors.

Eakin’s experience with composites spans nearly two decades. He began at Chip Ganassi Racing, working on carbon-fiber structures and bodywork for IndyCar programs and the DeltaWing prototype. In 2017, he joined Elon Musk's The Boring Company as its first engineer before returning to composite manufacturing at Anduril in 2021.

Funding Fuels Growth and Expansion

Much of the new capital will support hiring and facility expansion. During the company’s early stages, seed funding was largely allocated to equipment and infrastructure. The latest investment will allow Layup Parts to add employees and move into a larger facility later this year.

The company currently employs about 60 people. Eakin said the long-term objective is to make ordering custom composite parts as simple as purchasing products online, reducing barriers that have long existed within the sector.

Software-Driven Production for Composite Parts

The idea for Layup Parts emerged when Eakin noticed that other manufacturing sectors had made significant gains in speed and accessibility through software platforms. Companies such as SendCutSend and Protolabs reduced the time and cost of prototyping and manufacturing metal parts, while similar improvements have not reached composite manufacturing, where production often requires extensive manual work.

Eakin saw an opportunity to address that gap through automation and software development. Layup Parts has already reduced production timelines from weeks to hours in certain cases by using software tools to process customer design data and accelerate manufacturing workflows. According to Eakin, traditional composite manufacturers often lacked the software expertise needed to create digital systems capable of simplifying ordering and production.

Defense and Aerospace Drive Demand

Layup Parts serves customers across motorsports, automotive design, consumer products, aerospace, and defense. Among those sectors, aerospace and defense account for the largest share of business, with customers ranging from emerging startups to established defense contractors.

The investor group reflects that demand. Marlinspike has backed several defense-focused technology and manufacturing companies, while Cerberus Ventures was founded by Chris Darby, who previously led the CIA-backed venture capital firm In-Q-Tel. Eakin said the company's original motivation was to address manufacturing challenges encountered at Anduril, though those challenges extended well beyond a single organization. Lessons learned at both Anduril and The Boring Company continue to influence the business through a first-principles engineering mindset developed across racing, tunneling, and advanced manufacturing.