Navier is Deploying Agent-Driven Engineering, the Next Engineering Unlock After CAD and Simulation

Navier AI, developing agent-driven engineering, led by Cameron Flannery and Evan Kay, has announced $5.6 million in seed funding and its launch from stealth. The round includes participation from GV (Google Ventures), HCVC, and Y Combinator.

Engineering has seen two major productivity leaps: CAD replaced manual drafting, and simulation enabled virtual testing. Navier introduces the third, Agent-Driven Engineering, where AI agents automate repetitive design-to-engineering workflows, freeing engineers to focus on higher-value work.

“Just as CAD replaced armies of draftspeople, our AI agents automate repetitive work, compress timelines, and let teams focus on innovation. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes.” — Cameron Flannery, Founder & CEO, Navier

Navier’s Agent-Driven Engineering (ADE) overlays existing CAD and simulation tools, letting teams keep familiar workflows while automating cross-disciplinary translation. Traditionally, companies juggled multiple vendors, licenses, and manual coordination, with friction from translating between engineering and design disciplines.

Navier consolidates the entire stack, AI agents, compute infrastructure, and tool integration, enabling teams to triple output, scale smaller teams, and explore advanced use cases. Built by experts from SpaceX, Tesla, and Aurora, its agents use computer vision and spatial reasoning to interpret 3D geometry, align designs with engineering requirements, and continuously validate through parallel testing and automated reporting, reducing costly misalignments and accelerating innovation.

Jerry Yang, General Partner at HCVC, highlights the impact: hardware companies lose millions to delays and failed iterations caused by gaps between design and engineering. Navier’s ADE solves this by enabling real-time collaboration, with AI translating between disciplines, compressing development cycles from months to weeks, and drastically reducing unexpected issues, transforming hardware economics.

The funding will accelerate Navier’s platform development and drive adoption across aerospace and automotive sectors, where Agent-Driven Engineering (ADE) delivers the next leap in performance beyond CAD and simulation.