Factories across Europe make endless decisions every single day. Yet most still use tools that can’t show what those decisions mean in real time. When a machine slows down or a shift runs off schedule, teams often don’t notice until everything becomes expensive. That delay leads to missed deadlines, unused capacity, rising inventory, and costly planning mistakes. It’s a problem that traditional systems simply can’t keep up with, which is why AI-native production planning is becoming so important.
Zentio, a young Berlin startup, thinks the only way forward is a complete rebuild. Instead of improving old software, they want to restructure factory planning around AI from day one. And now they have fresh capital to push that vision. The company just raised €1.4 million in pre-seed funding, led by HTGF with support from SIVentures. For a team trying to modernize how factories make decisions, this funding marks a big step.
Zentio launched in 2025, founded by Julian Rose, Immo Polewka, and Christophe Kafrouni. They noticed a simple but painful truth. Most factory data lives in too many places at once. ERP systems hold one piece. MES tools hold another. Spreadsheets fill the gaps. And employees often patch the rest manually. Zentio’s idea is to bring all of that together in one clean, AI-native layer.
Christophe Kafrouni, the company’s CTO, said the next few months are all about strengthening the math behind the platform. He explained that the team is building better optimisation engines and machine learning pipelines while tying everything together with a simple, helpful interface. To do that, they’re hiring engineers who want to help create the first real generation of AI-native production planning tools.
Once Zentio pulls all factory data into one place, the platform starts creating what they call a “self-learning flywheel.” It watches how decisions flow through the factory and adjusts as conditions change. Over time, the system can suggest better options for scheduling, capacity allocation, and workflow planning. It becomes smarter every day, which is something old tools simply cannot do.
This approach gives factories something they rarely have: real-time awareness. When a machine breaks down or a delivery shows up late, the system instantly shows the best possible alternatives. Teams can react in minutes, not hours. They can avoid bottlenecks, use capacity more wisely, prevent downtime, and plan shifts with far more confidence. It’s the kind of clarity that changes how people work.
Immo Polewka, Zentio’s CCO, said the goal is simple. Help manufacturers make better decisions with a mix of clean data, mathematical optimisation, and agentic automation. Instead of reacting to problems after they explode, companies can finally plan ahead and act with certainty.
This shift gives factories the power to spot capacity issues weeks in advance. They can adjust shift schedules on the fly. They can tweak machine settings in real time to increase output without adding more stress to the system. The key difference is that Zentio didn’t try to update old software. They built a new foundation designed for AI from the start.
That approach sets them apart from tools like Siemens Opcenter, SAP APO, and AspenTech. Those platforms digitise existing processes. Zentio skips that entire step and builds a modern planning layer instead. No bloat. No clunky workflows. Just clear, live insights that help people act fast.
Right now, Zentio is working with a wide network of pilot customers across Europe. These partnerships give them real factory environments to test and refine the platform. Each new customer brings new data, which makes the flywheel stronger.
The fresh funding will help them push deeper into AI and optimisation. That includes stronger ML pipelines, better mathematical models, and more sophisticated automation tools. The team wants Zentio to become the decision engine that factories rely on every day.
HTGF’s Senior Investment Manager, Hendryk Hosemann, said something that sums up the whole problem. Many factories still run on spreadsheets in the background. Those silent tools influence more decisions than anyone wants to admit. He believes Zentio can turn that messy data into a planning layer manufacturers can finally trust. And he said their mix of AI-first thinking and hands-on manufacturing experience is exactly what the industry has been missing.
This funding round is another sign that factories are ready to rethink everything. AI-native production planning is becoming more than a buzzword. It’s becoming a real shift in how industrial teams work, plan, and adapt. And Zentio wants to be the company leading that change across Europe.
