CoLab

What CoLab does

CoLab builds AI-powered software for mechanical engineering and product development teams. Its EngineeringOS platform helps engineers make better, faster design decisions by connecting people, data, and AI in one collaborative workspace—capturing expert knowledge as a natural part of day-to-day work. CoLab aims to help engineering teams deliver life-changing products to the world years sooner by making it easier to review and collaborate on designs, moving towards a future where AI and engineering teams work side-by-side to move from concept to validation in a single day.

Products

• AutoReview (AI Peer Checker)An AI Peer Checker trained on design standards, guidelines, lessons learned, and industry best practices. It annotates drawings and 3D models to identify errors and non-conformances, providing a first pass check before SME review. It also analyzes CAD models for manufacturability, geometry, and design intent, identifying DFM issues and surfacing past lessons learned.
• Virtual Design ReviewsA feature that allows engineers to run virtual design reviews, making CAD accessible in the browser for anyone to explore models and add feedback in real time.
• Automatic Issue TrackingA system that automatically saves feedback with full design context and pulls it into a structured database, making it easy to search, filter, and act on. Each comment or markup becomes a tracked issue with an owner, status, and priority.
• AI Lessons LearnedAn out-of-the-box AI agent that finds similar designs and surfaces insights from past reviews, automating the traditional lessons learned process.
• CoLab APIA REST API for two-way integration between CoLab and other tools, allowing provisioning of workspaces and users, importing files and feedback, and pulling review activity into analytics and audit systems.
• AI Engineering Knowledge GraphOrganizes team expertise by automatically structuring knowledge from comments, reviews, and decisions. It ingests and classifies existing engineering knowledge, captures feedback as usable knowledge, and identifies related designs automatically with machine learning.
• PortalsAn area within CoLab specifically designed for reviewing designs with stakeholders outside the company, such as suppliers or customers.

Key capabilities

• AI-powered design review
• Virtual design reviews
• Automatic issue tracking
• AI lessons learned
• CAD accessibility in browser
• Real-time collaboration
• Integration with PLM systems (Windchill, Teamcenter, 3DXPERIENCE)
• Supports 30+ file types
• AI Peer Checker (AutoReview)
• Drawing and document review
• Version comparison (geometry comparison for 3D models, PDF overlay for drawings)
• AI-powered DFM checks
• Standardized or custom review checklists
• Auto-generated markups with visual feedback
• Cross-sheet and multi-view inconsistency detection
• Citing relevant standards and guidelines
• Secure sharing of 3D models and workspaces
• Pin comments directly to 3D geometry with saved view states
• Integration with Jira for project-level visibility
• Similarity Engine for identifying related designs and surfacing past lessons learned
• REST API for integrations
• SAML-based SSO support
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Secure authentication and authorization
• Customer control over sharing, downloading, and access permissions
• Cloud hosting on AWS
• Data centers in Canada and the US
• Logical separation for customer data with encryption at rest
• Controlled Goods Program registration (Canada)
• Supplier DFM reviews with consolidated feedback
• Robust design history with supplier expertise
• Parallel supplier reviews
• AI screening of supplier files

Use cases

• Virtual design reviews
• Drawing reviews
• CAD reviews
• DFM (Design for Manufacturability) reviews
• Supplier reviews
• Issue tracking and resolution
• Lessons learned documentation and application
• Quality improvement
• Cost reduction (COPQ improvement, annual cost savings)
• Faster time to market
• Preventing late-stage errors
• Automating peer checks
• Standardizing design processes
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Engaging external stakeholders (suppliers, customers)
• Validating design changes
• Centralizing design feedback
• Digitizing production drawing review processes
• Automating ISO 9001 design review traceability
• Improving quoting turnaround times
• Reducing BOM costs
• Accelerating product development time
• Scaling VA/VE programs
• Global engineering collaboration

AI approach

CoLab builds AI-powered software for mechanical engineering and product development teams. Its EngineeringOS platform uses AI agents to understand how teams make decisions, annotate files, and surface insights. Specific AI features include AutoReview (an AI Peer Checker trained on design standards, guidelines, and lessons learned to identify errors in drawings and 3D models), AI Lessons Learned (surfacing insights from past reviews on similar designs), and an AI Engineering Knowledge Graph that organizes expertise from comments, reviews, and decisions, and can ingest and classify existing engineering knowledge. The AI understands 3D CAD by converting native CAD files into a structure AI can understand (geometry, metadata, relationships) and is guided by system-level prompts based on how engineers review parts.

Tech named: AI agents, AutoReview, AI Peer Checker, AI Lessons Learned, EngineeringOS platform, Similarity Engine, machine learning, AI Engineering Knowledge Graph, ingestion engine

Industries served

• Software Development
• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Industrial Equipment
• Automotive
• Aerospace
• Defense
• Construction
• Mining
• Forestry
• Agriculture
• Semiconductor Equipment
• Consumer Appliances
• Medical Devices

What it says sets it apart

• AI-powered insights and automation (AutoReview, AI Lessons Learned, AI Engineering Knowledge Graph)
• Connects people, data, and AI in one collaborative workspace
• Captures expert knowledge automatically as a natural part of day-to-day work
• Makes CAD accessible in the browser without special tools or training
• Integrates with major PLM systems (Windchill, Teamcenter, 3DXPERIENCE) and CAD tools (Creo, Siemens NX)
• Supports 30+ file types for native CAD review
• Automates issue tracking and knowledge organization
• Provides a single source of design knowledge across tools
• Focuses on mechanical engineering and product development teams
• Built by engineers who lived the problem of slow and fragmented design collaboration
• Offers robust security features including SAML SSO, RBAC, and data encryption
• Ability to screen supplier files with AI before engineering review
• Consolidates all supplier feedback automatically in one place
• Creates a robust design history with supplier expertise

Funding rounds we track

From the AI funding tracker — rounds as reported by the linked publications.