Danish hardware startup Atech raised $800,000 in pre-seed funding in May 2026 to build a platform that applies “vibe coding” — the practice of describing software in plain language for an AI to generate — to the creation of physical hardware prototypes.
The round included participation from AI app-building platform Lovable, a16z’s scout fund, Sequoia Scout Fund, and Nordic Makers.
According to Atech’s head of customer experience, Gustav Hugod, the platform works by having users purchase a starter hardware kit from Atech’s website. They then open a chat interface, describe the hardware concept they want to build to an AI chatbot, and the tool generates code to help them produce a working prototype.
Hugod described the current user base as broad, ranging from children building toy cars to industrial applications such as a hydrogen synthesis plant requiring precise voltage sensing.
The company’s stated goal is to lower the barrier to hardware development, which traditionally requires significant engineering expertise or access to expensive specialists. “Hardware, in a democratized world, has to be available to everyone,” Hugod said, drawing a parallel to how the accessibility gap in software development has narrowed in recent years.
Atech plans to use the new capital for research and development, marketing, and hiring.
The funding suggests growing investor interest in extending AI-assisted development tools beyond software into physical product creation, a space that has historically been difficult for non-engineers to enter.
Source: TechCrunch