CELUS GmbH
Executive Overview
CELUS GmbH is a deep-tech software company based in Munich, Germany, that is revolutionizing the electronics engineering industry through artificial intelligence and automation. Founded in 2018 by Tobias Pohl, Alexander Pohl, and Andre Alcalde, the company provides a cloud-based AI design platform that automates the most tedious and manual aspects of printed circuit board (PCB) design. Headquartered in Munich, CELUS also maintains significant operations in Porto, Portugal, and recently opened its U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas, to support its global expansion.
The core mission of CELUS is to close the gap between modern software development which has benefited from decades of automation and hardware engineering, which has traditionally remained a manual, time-consuming, and error-prone process. By leveraging AI to automate component selection and schematic generation, CELUS enables engineering teams to reduce development cycles by up to 90%, allowing them to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks.
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The Core Technology: AI-Driven Electronics Design
The fundamental innovation of CELUS is its ability to transform high-level functional requirements into technical electronic designs automatically. The platform moves away from the traditional "component-by-component" approach to a "functional-block" approach.
1. The CUBO Concept
At the heart of the platform is the CUBO?, a proprietary digital dataset that acts as a "digital twin" of a component's application. A CUBO is not just a part number; it is a reusable functional module that contains:
* Functional descriptions and technical specifications.
* Schematic fragments and Bill of Materials (BOM) data.
* PCB layout information and design guidelines.
* Compatibility rules for voltages and signal types.
By assembling designs using CUBOs, engineers can build complex systems using high-level logic, while the CELUS AI ensures that all underlying components are compatible and optimized.
2. Generative AI and The Design Assistant
In 2025 and 2026, CELUS integrated advanced generative AI into its workflow. The CELUS Design Assistant allows engineers to use natural language prompts (e.g., "Design a low-power smart temperature sensor with Wi-Fi connectivity") to generate a complete functional block diagram. The AI intelligently selects the necessary power supplies, microcontrollers, and sensors, automatically establishing the correct connections between them.
Products and Services
1. The CELUS Design Platform
The flagship SaaS offering is the CELUS Design Platform, an end-to-end environment for hardware development. The workflow is divided into three primary stages:
* Define: Engineers outline global project requirements, such as target application, preferred manufacturers, and the desired Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tool format.
* Design: Utilizing the "Resolve" engine, the platform's AI searches a vast database of electronic resources to find the best-fitting components and CUBOs, automatically generating the schematics.
* Download: Once the design is validated, the platform exports native files (schematics, floorplans, and BOM) directly to industry-standard EDA tools such as Altium Designer, KiCad, Autodesk Eagle, and Zuken CADSTAR.
2. CELUS Orbit
CELUS Orbit serves as an intelligent engineering data management system. It allows organizations to capture and centralize their internal engineering "know-how." Companies can import their own proven circuits and modules into Orbit, ensuring that institutional knowledge is reused across different departments and global locations, reducing redundant work.
3. CELUS Supernova
CELUS Supernova is the integration engine that allows the CELUS ecosystem to interact seamlessly with a company?s existing engineering environment. It focuses on boosting efficiency by automating the transition from initial functional requirements to a first working electronic design, typically within hours instead of weeks.
4. Solutions for Manufacturers
CELUS provides a specialized service for electronic component manufacturers (e.g., Renesas, W?rth Elektronik). By featuring their products as CUBOs on the platform, manufacturers can:
* Directly engage with engineers at the point of design.
* Increase BOM share by providing pre-validated reference designs.
* Access Market Insights through an analytical module that shows how their components are being used in various design trends.
Strategic Significance and Market Impact
As of 2026, CELUS has become a critical tool for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises alike, particularly as the industry faces a global shortage of electrical engineers. The platform?s ability to "automate the expert" helps companies overcome skills gaps and respond to market demands for smart, connected devices faster.
The company has raised approximately $27.4 million in funding to date, with a significant Series A round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and supported by Speedinvest. This capital has fueled the development of AI models that can now handle increasingly complex multi-physics and high-speed signal requirements, making CELUS a standard part of the modern hardware developer's toolkit.
