Layup Parts raised $42 million in a Series A round led by dual-use fund Marlinspike, the Huntington Beach, California, composites startup announced Tuesday. The company, founded in 2024 by former Anduril engineer Zack Eakin, plans to use the funding to hire staff and move into a larger facility to scale production of custom carbon-fiber and fiberglass parts.
Founders and fundraising
Before pitching investors, Eakin rehearsed his presentation with Anduril co-founders Palmer Luckey, Brian Schimpf, and Matt Grimm, who gave him feedback on storytelling, strategy, and VC pitching. Two years after a $9 million seed round, Layup Parts added new backers Cerberus Ventures and Pinegrove Venture Partners, alongside existing investors Founders Fund and Lux Capital.
Business and product
Layup Parts aims to make ordering custom composite parts as simple as buying online, using software and standardized materials to cut engineering steps. The company says it has reduced lead times from weeks to hours for some customers and serves clients in motorsports, design studios, pickleball paddle makers, and notably aerospace and defense.
Founder’s background
Eakin has about two decades of experience with composites, starting in motorsports at Chip Ganassi Racing and later working on the DeltaWing prototype. He was the first engineer at The Boring Company in 2017 and joined Anduril in 2021, where he identified a gap: other manufacturing verticals had become faster and cheaper, but composites lagged due to manual processes and industry consolidation.
Tech and strategy
Eakin says composites involve more hands-on work and that large consolidated suppliers lacked incentive or software talent to modernize workflows. Layup Parts focuses on stock materials plus software to dramatically reduce required manual steps, with a longer-term aim toward highly automated, low-click ordering for engineers.
Customers and market
The startup employs roughly 60 people and spent most seed capital on equipment; the Series A will fund headcount growth and facility expansion this year. Marlinspike’s participation aligns with its existing bets in defense-focused manufacturing, and Cerberus Ventures brings leadership experience from In-Q-Tel–backed investing.
Featured image credits: LayUp Parts
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