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Startups·2 min read

Nominal Raises $240M Series C at a $3 Billion Valuation

Austin-based Nominal, which builds software for hardware engineering, testing and manufacturing, has raised $240 million in a Series C led by Lightspeed and Insight Partners.

Engineers analyzing test data for aerospace hardware in a modern testing facility.
Image: Webrazzi
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Nominal, a startup that helps hardware companies streamline engineering, testing and manufacturing, has raised $240 million in a Series C round at a $3 billion valuation. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Insight Partners led the round, with Lux Capital, Sequoia Capital and Lockheed Martin Ventures also participating.

The valuation has tripled in roughly eight months. In March, Nominal extended its Series B by $80 million at a $1 billion valuation, bringing that round to $155 million together with the $75 million Series B from September 2025. According to Dealroom data, the company has now raised $423 million in total.

Defense drives growth

Founded four years ago and based in Austin, Nominal helps companies building complex hardware, from aircraft to nuclear reactors and smart factories, analyze engineering data, test designs and track production. The platform focuses on defense, space, energy and automotive.

Defense is a major growth driver. More than 80 commercial organizations and government agencies use the software, and the company says five of the world's seven largest defense companies are customers. Anduril is among them. In October, the US Air Force selected Nominal for a $71.2 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program, which matches Air Force funds with outside investment.

Revenue has grown more than threefold since the start of 2026. That coincides with a surge in defense tech investment, which passed the record set in all of 2025 by mid-2026.

What comes next

CEO and co-founder Cameron McCord, a former US Navy submarine officer who also worked at Anduril, says decades of expertise at the companies building the most advanced machines live in their data, and Nominal's platform makes that knowledge usable. The company plans to use the new funding for product development and to expand into new regions and sectors. It has also acquired two startups in 2026 and intends to keep growing through acquisitions.

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Tags:nominalseries cdefense techhardware engineeringlightspeedfunding

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