Antwerp-based startup Marple secures funding to bring data insights to automotive and aerospace industries

Marple, Antwerp-based startup, closed a new investment round to support its growth into the automotive and aerospace industry. The round was led by Network Venture Partners and joined by Birdhouse Ventures and imec.istart.

Marple was founded by Matthias Baert and Nero Vanbiervliet, two engineers who were fed up with the data tools they had to use. Matthias worked as an engineer for the Mercedes Formula 1 team during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He discovered that even in Formula 1, known for its cutting-edge technology, there was a lack of effective software to efficiently organise and analyse data collected from the cars. ''This signalled to us that there's a need for a better solution,'' says Matthias.

Engineering datasets are massive, particularly those from sensors producing time series data. Processing such large datasets is complex and requires specialised handling. Marple recognised this challenge and developed a unique time series algorithm capable of instantaneously processing billions of data points. Built around this powerful data engine, the Marple platform caters specifically to engineers' needs. Engineers require specialised tools to visualise and analyse their time series data - a need that standard data analysis tools can't fulfil.

Even though there is a lot of competition in the data analysis market, Marple stands unique with its offering and is gaining more and more traction in the automotive & aerospace industries. With its first product, Marple has already managed to attract customers globally. In 2023, more than 3000 engineers all over the world used Marple in their data analysis workflow. Companies like Atlas Copco, Verhaert, Yuso, DeepDrive, EddyGrid and Aura Aero already make use of Marple next to some well-known motorsport teams and various aerospace companies that cannot be disclosed.

DeepDrive, a German company developing electric motors for major automotive players like BMW, utilises Marple for their data analysis needs. Marple enables DeepDrive to efficiently process and interpret the extensive data generated during their electric motor development and testing phases.

Christopher Römmelmayer, Co-founder, DeepDrive: ''Marple simplifies collaboration between engineers. Also, thanks to being a central storage for measurement data, DeepDrive got rid of different locations to store data.''

Vertical Aerospace, a British Aerospace company based in Bristol, develops a zero-emission, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). During the testing and development, the engineers rely on Marple for their data analysis.

Samuel Meijer, Software Engineer, Vertical Aerospace: ''At Vertical, we use Marple to analyse our rig and flight test data. Marple is the perfect tool for the job: Marple’s interface allows people of varying technical ability to work together using the same tools while not skimping on the in-depth analysis functions users need.''

Hardt Hyperloop, a Dutch Hyperloop transportation engineering company, is redefining transportation by developing vehicles that float on magnetic fields using only 10% of the energy compared to road or aviation transport. By using Marple, they are able to coordinate and combine efforts, allowing them to make the right data-driven decisions.

Gert Spek, Lead Engineer Tractive, Hard Hyperloop: "At Hardt Hyperloop, Marple is the point of reference whenever we need multiple eyes looking at a problem. Just a quick share, and colleagues can look at exactly the data in question. This is a game changer in data-driven development!''

As Marple enters its next phase of growth, the company is setting its sights on attracting larger customers within the Automotive and Aerospace industries. This strategic move aims to expand Marple's footprint in these technologically advanced sectors, where data analysis plays a crucial role in innovation and development.

To achieve this goal, Marple will focus on integration with established databases. Solutions such as Microsoft Fabric, Timescale, InfluxData, Apache Spark, Mireo… are gaining more and more traction in engineering, and Marple wants to join in on this trend. Marple already partners with Microsoft, Influx and Mireo, to help customers solve their data challenges.

www.marpledata.com

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