Seabery, a Spanish EdTech startup that helps employees involved in industrial careers enhance their skills through the use of augmented training and simulations, announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount in fresh funding.
The round was led by Spain Oman Private Equity Fund (SOPEF) and Seaya Andromeda as minority partners in the company.
With this new investment, the startup plans to accelerate its expansion into the APAC region. It will also increase the commercialization of its cutting-edge tech among industrial companies and continue developing its technology with the aim of opening new business lines. Sectors like industrial paint training are in the pipeline – diversifying the firms offering and contribution to the industry.
Founded in Huelva in 2007 by Basilio Marquínez, Seabery is a growing and flexible company, open to new trends in technology, educational innovation and methodologies. The company’s aim is to become a reference in the educational sector, helping to change the traditional educational model to a more personalised one, through the concept of Augmented Training.
Seabery’s mission is to lead the development of R&D projects focused on the application of Augmented Reality to education and skills training of professionals, providing new possibilities and best results for its partners and customers.
Speaking about the company, Founder & Partner of Seabery, Basilio Marquínez, said:
Seabery was founded to promote modern, efficient, interactive and sustainable training for new generations. Our technology democratizes access to training and solves the global shortage of qualified workers. I am proud of the path we have taken, of the team that has made it possible, and I am excited about the future of the company.”
The startup pivoted to its current EdTech approach in 2010, designing and patenting Soldamatic – a pioneering training solution in welding using AI. The industrial sector has been hit particularly hard by a talent shortage and the resulting lack of skilled workers has left the sector with a desperate need to rethink approaches to attracting workers.
Through a multi-sensory training interface, which includes sight, sound and touch thanks to high-precision parameterized software– Soldamatic is the closest simulation to the real process of welding. It enables future welders to pick up the necessary skills before getting certified, avoids the unnecessary consumption of resources such as energy, gas and metal, and reduces waste. It is, therefore, an environmentally sustainable choice building an essential workforce.
Adding about the investment, CEO & Partner of Seabery, Pedro Marquínez, said:
“I am delighted to welcome SOPEF and Seaya Andromeda, two benchmark funds in the industry. As a global leader in EdTech, I am proud of what we have achieved through our proprietary and patented technology, Soldamatic, to revolutionize welding training. But we are only scratching the surface of Seabery’s potential. Together with our new investment partners and Seabery’s exceptionally talented technology team, we will continue to expand our portfolio and skills-based learning solutions.”
Commenting on the funding, Luis Parras, Partner, SOPEF, said:
“Seabery is a leading technology company that has improved the training and education process of welders, one of the most demanded professions in the industrial context. Its high growth in the USA and Germany is replicable in other countries and, additionally, in the industrial sector, where it can generate high cost savings for companies where the welding process is critical. At SOPEF, we are delighted to be able to support, together with Seaya Andromeda, Seabery and its founders in the next phase of their international expansion.”
The company claims to have more than 100 employees around the world with the Soldamatic solution operable in more than 80 countries, the US and Germany being key markets. It’s also used by some of the world’s leading industrial companies such as Siemens, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, John Deere and Alstom.
