SpaceX alumni behind 1872 are using one of Ohio’s largest seed rounds to build an AI-native factory model for energy, utility and industrial customers, aiming to cut steel fabrication lead times from months to weeks with software, robotics and physical AI.
1872 announced Wednesday it has opened an automated steel fabrication facility in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighborhood and secured $15 million in seed funding led by private funds advised from The O.H.I.O. Fund. The round marks a significant deployment for The O.H.I.O. Fund, which reported raising $647 million and deploying $219 million across 33 investments as of March 31, 2026.
This article first appeared in Ohio Tech News on July 22, 2026.