19 hours ago
Supply chain tech startup Pelico raises $40M round led by General Catalyst
Supply chain orchestration platform Pelico raised $40 million in strategic financing led by General Catalyst, co-founder Tarik Benabdallah tells Axios Pro.
Why it matters: Fragmented supply chains restrict manufacturers' ability to make proactive decisions and rapidly respond to disruptions.
Follow the money: Existing investors 83North and Serena joined General Catalyst in the financing round. Pelico has raised $72 million to date.
How it works: Miami-based Pelico provides a platform to synchronize data and processes, helping manufacturers reduce backlog and lower inventory costs.
It serves aerospace, defense, luxury and industrial customers, though Benabdallah sees relevance in medical devices and energy.
What they're saying:"In a factory, every day, at 7am when you show up, you have a perfect plan," Benabdallah says. "On average, [by] 7:16, it's a different story.
"It's a late delivery from a supplier, quality issue, some operations that didn't finish on time, demand change from a customer. Each one of those disruptions basically has snowball effects."
Pelico "collects data from the systems and continuously scans for those disruptions [and] propagates their impact so that teams stay aligned," Benabdallah says.
"We've been deeply impressed by the team's ability to deliver measurable impact in complex environments — fast, global and enterprise-grade," Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, General Catalyst managing director and La Famiglia founding partner, tells Axios Pro.
By the numbers: Customers see an average reduction of 40% in parts shortages and a 15% increase in on-time deliveries, according to the company.
Customers such as Airbus, Safran, Eaton and Daikin have successfully deployed Pelico in only 12 weeks, the startup says.
Pelico's customers operate more than 1,000 factories globally, and the startup works with half of the world's top 10 aerospace and defense firms.
Zoom in: The platform "brings structure, clarity and collaboration into environments where even a single late part can disrupt billion-dollar production lines," Zu Fürstenberg says.
Catch up quick: Pelico was founded in Paris in 2019 by Benabdallah, Mamoun Alaoui and Jonathan Hickson. The company also maintains offices in Miami and Frankfurt, Germany.
Pelico raised $18 million led by 83 North and Serena in 2022.
What's next: The startup will be able to foresee its profitability within two years if it does not take on any new funding to accelerate its growth, Benabdallah says.
