Bloom raises $3.6M to build an 'Alibaba' for US manufacturing

What's the deal? Detroit-based Bloom has raised a $3.6 million seed round led by SNAK Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a marketplace-focused firm. Flyover CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Mana VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Detroit Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Invest Detroit VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund also joined.

What's the endgame? Bloom runs a marketplace connecting hardware buyers with suppliers, parts, and manufacturing services via what it calls supply chain AI agents. Chief executive officer Justin Kosmides compares it to an AI-driven version of Alibaba, which built a marketplace for contract manufacturers in China.

Why now? Founded in 2023, Bloom started by taking on logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain work for mobility startups. After Donald Trump's re-election brought tariffs aimed at reviving US manufacturing, demand widened to robotics startups, drone-makers, and others — prompting Bloom to pivot to a pure marketplace model.

By the numbers: Bloom has made over 2,000 matches for more than 140 companies. By May this year it had booked as much revenue in five months as in all of 2025, and platform memberships grew fivefold with low churn.

SNAK first met Bloom in April last year and passed on its pre-seed round, wanting more traction. "We liked the founder and the thesis and passed anyway," the firm wrote, adding that it "kept tracking the company."

What could go wrong? Kosmides said the fundraising climate is tough for startups like his. "To find investors to actually write a term sheet, not follow one, is getting harder and harder," he said, citing uncertainty over "what's real and what's not" in an era of rapidly improving AI models.

The signal: Bloom's reinvention tracks a broader shift as tariffs and a heating US hardware scene push makers to rebuild domestic supply chains — and as investors increasingly back software-led marketplaces over asset-heavy operations.

Read more: TechCrunch

Image credit: Generated with Gemini