#Industry 4.0 / Digitalization

2025-08-14

Softwear Automation secures $20 Million in Series B1 Funding Round led by strategic partnership with BESTSELLER

Softwear Automation, the pioneer in autonomous sewing technology, announced the successful close of its $20 million Series B1 funding round, marking a major milestone in its mission to revolutionize sewn goods manufacturing.

Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan, Chairman and CEO of Softwear Automation in front of SEWBOTs © 2025 Softwear Automation

The round was led by a strategic investment from BESTSELLER, the Danish fashion company behind brands such as JACK & JONES, VERO MODA, and ONLY. The investment was made through Invest FWD, BESTSELLER’s dedicated innovation and investment platform for advancing sustainability in the fashion industry. Current investors (including CTW Venture Partners, SRI Capital, MacDonald Ventures) also participated in the financing.

As part of the collaboration between Softwear Automation and BESTSELLER , CFO Thomas Børglum Jensen, on behalf of BESTSELLER, joins the board of Softwear Automation. This at a time of rapid progress towards commercialization of Softwear’s fully automated SEWBOT® worklines.

“This partnership with BESTSELLER and the support from Invest FWD are not just a vote of confidence in our technology — they are a powerful catalyst for the future of on-demand, localized, and more sustainable apparel manufacturing,” said Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan, Chairman and CEO of Softwear Automation. Softwear Automation’s patented SEWBOT® technology delivers a fully autonomous sewing solution, enabling sewn products to be made closer to the consumer, with radically reduced waste, faster cycle times, and superior cost-efficiency. This funding round will accelerate the company’s expansion into new product categories and geographies, deepen its R&D capabilities, and scale its production footprint to meet growing global demand.

From BESTSELLER, CFO Thomas Børglum Jensen added, “At BESTSELLER, we look for innovations that can support progress within the fashion industry, where change is needed.

Softwear Automation is helping address some of the key challenges we face across the industry — from speed and flexibility to lowering environmental impact. We’re pleased to support their development and explore how this technology can help us move forward.”

The partnership supports BESTSELLER’s wider efforts to improve its supply chain model with ambitions about reducing environmental impact and increasing transparency.

By leveraging SEWBOT® technology, Softwear Automation and BESTSELLER aim to enable more circular and demand-driven production practices.

With this strategic alliance and fresh funding, Softwear Automation is poised to lead the next era of apparel manufacturing — one where fashion is faster, focused on sustainability improvements, and made closer to home.

Lenze receives IEC 62443-4-1 certification: TÜV Rheinland confirms cyber-secure development process

Lenze SE has been certified according to IEC 62443-4-1 since November 2025. TÜV Rheinland thus confirms that Lenze meets the requirements of this internationally recognized standard for a secure development process for industrial automation and drive products. The certification is an important milestone on the way to implementing the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which will become mandatory for machine manufacturers and their suppliers from December 2027.

Mango joins TextileGenesis pioneering traceability solution, a Lectra company, for a transparent value chain

Mango, one of the leading international fashion groups, has joined TextileGenesis, the pioneering traceability solution for the fashion and textile industries, to trace their natural and animal fibers, synthetics, man-made cellulosic fibers and leather. TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, offers a complete and secure cutting-edge technology with its six-dimensional (6D) offering and unique “fiber forwards” approach. Mango, has long been committed to maintaining a fully transparent supply chain, and TextileGenesis will reinforce this commitment.

Mayer & Cie. to shut down after failed search for investor – 270 jobs affected

Mayer & Cie., the long-established German manufacturer of circular knitting and braiding machines, will cease operations after its international search for an investor ended without success. The company, based in Albstadt-Tailfingen, had been undergoing insolvency proceedings in self-administration since its filing on 23 September 2025. As Schwarzwälder Bote reports, the insolvency court has now formally opened the proceedings, triggering the decision to wind down the business in an orderly process.

European research project addresses textile waste through integrated recycling technologies

A major European research initiative coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been launched to develop integrated solutions for textile waste recycling. The AUTOLOOP project aims to create a comprehensive system that could process 1.24 million tonnes of textile waste annually by 2050, whilst potentially creating over 130,000 green jobs across the EU. This project aims to develop, test and integrate automated sorting, tracing, and closed-loop recycling technologies for polyester-based textiles (NRT), addressing the pressing challenge of textile waste management.

CARBIOS and Wankai sign strategic PET biorecycling pact

CARBIOS (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB) and Wankai New Materials (“Wankai”), a listed subsidiary of Zhink Group, the 3rd largest PET producer in China and 4th worldwide, announce the signing of the definitive agreement establishing a strategic partnership for the industrial rollout of CARBIOS’s PET biorecycling technology in Asia. The first milestone will be the construction of a PET biorecycling plant in China.