America’s push to rebuild its manufacturing base is creating a new problem: finding the right companies to actually make things.
Detroit-based startup Bloom is betting that artificial intelligence can help solve it. The company has raised $3.6 million in fresh funding to build a digital marketplace that connects hardware companies with manufacturers and other supply chain businesses across the US.
The funding comes as American companies increasingly look for domestic production partners amid shifting trade policies, tariffs and growing concerns around overseas supply chains. At the same time, a new generation of startups is building physical products ranging from robots and drones to electric vehicles and specialised industrial equipment.
Bloom wants to become the digital infrastructure connecting these businesses with the factories and suppliers they need.
The startup was founded in 2023, initially with a more hands-on approach to manufacturing and logistics. Its early focus was on mobility companies, particularly electric bike and scooter makers. Bloom helped these businesses manage manufacturing, logistics and other operational requirements.
The founders eventually realised that the bigger opportunity was not managing production themselves but helping companies find the right partners.
That led Bloom to develop an online marketplace where businesses can search for manufacturers, suppliers and service providers based on their specific needs. The company describes its ambition as building an “Alibaba for American manufacturing”, with AI playing a central role in how buyers and suppliers are matched.
The new funding round was led by SNAK Venture Partners, with participation from Flyover Capital, Mana Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Invest Detroit Ventures and the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund.
Bloom plans to use the capital to expand its platform and grow its network of manufacturing and supply chain providers.
The company says its platform has already facilitated more than 2,000 matches involving more than 140 companies. Instead of relying on traditional supplier searches, customers can describe what they need and use Bloom’s technology to identify potential partners.
The requirements can be highly specific. A company developing a new hardware product may need not just a factory, but also engineering support, component suppliers, assembly, freight, warehousing or repair services. Bloom is attempting to bring those capabilities together through one marketplace.
Its AI tools are designed to make that search faster. Rather than simply producing a list of manufacturers, the platform attempts to identify suppliers based on their capabilities and the requirements of a particular project.
That could prove especially useful for smaller hardware startups. Unlike large corporations, young companies often lack procurement teams with years of industry contacts. Finding a factory capable of meeting production volumes, technical specifications and delivery schedules can become a major hurdle.
Bloom wants to turn that traditionally relationship-driven process into something closer to an online transaction.
Manufacturers also stand to benefit. Many small and medium-sized factories have specialised capabilities but limited resources for finding new customers. A digital marketplace could give them access to companies they might otherwise never reach.
Bloom says its supplier database combines publicly available information with data supplied directly by manufacturers. The company is also building information through customer onboarding, transactions and successful supplier matches.
That data could become increasingly valuable as the marketplace expands. Each new transaction can provide more insight into which manufacturers specialise in particular products, materials or production processes.
The company’s growth has also attracted investor attention. SNAK Venture Partners first encountered Bloom in 2025 but held back from its earlier funding round, choosing to wait for stronger evidence of demand. Bloom subsequently reported significant growth, generating as much revenue in the first five months of 2026 as it had throughout the previous year.
The company also said its platform memberships increased fivefold.
Bloom’s timing reflects a larger shift in the American industrial economy. Companies are looking more closely at domestic manufacturing, while investors and policymakers are encouraging the development of local supply chains. Yet rebuilding manufacturing capacity is not simply about opening factories. Companies also need better ways to discover, evaluate and work with those suppliers.
That is where Bloom sees its opening.
The startup is not trying to manufacture products itself. Instead, it wants to make the fragmented US manufacturing ecosystem easier to navigate.
Its success will depend on whether it can build enough trust on both sides of the marketplace. Buyers need reliable suppliers that can deliver on quality, cost and deadlines, while manufacturers need a steady flow of credible customers.
If Bloom can establish that network, its platform could become more than a supplier directory. It could become a digital marketplace for the growing number of American companies trying to turn ideas into physical products.
At a time when the US is talking increasingly about bringing manufacturing back home, Bloom is betting that the next step is making that manufacturing easier to find.