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Macadamia

AI Agents for Complex Engineering Projects

Macadamia builds AI agents in complex engineering projects. They automate both engineering & business processes, to automate away all low-leverage work. It integrates with all engineering data sources, technical documentation, and third-party software tools. Macadamia serves customers in mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and construction.
Active Founders
Abel Van Steenweghen
Abel Van Steenweghen

Abel Van Steenweghen, Founder, CEO

Building agents for complex engineering projects.
Brecht Pierreux
Brecht Pierreux

Brecht Pierreux, Founder

Building an AI Mechanical Engineer to fix technical projects. Previously SpaceX and NASA JPL.
Macadamia
Founded:2025
Batch:Winter 2025
Team Size:2
Status:
Active
Location:San Francisco
Primary Partner:Aaron Epstein
Company Launches
Macadamia: an AI Mechanical Engineer
See original launch post

Hi YC, we’re Brecht and Abel from Macadamia, combining expertise in AI and Aerospace Engineering.

⚠️ The Problem
At SpaceX, Brecht saw firsthand how information gaps between engineers and outdated technical documents from contractors caused errors worth thousands of dollars. Engineers deal with complex workflows, lengthy technical documents, coordination of suppliers, and more. This causes errors every day—often preventable, yet they still cause costly delays.

✅ Our Solution
Meet Cooper – an AI Mechanical Engineer that detects and fixes design errors in large engineering teams. Cooper scans your project files (drives, emails, CAE/CAD tools) to flag design errors before they escalate. By integrating with engineering software, our agent fixes design issues automatically in complex workflows.

https://youtu.be/r0NGof0gYgM?si=4X4-YixVCgUOask7

👑 The Team
We combine experience in AI and Engineering:

  • Abel: MSc Computer Science (TU Delft) and previously built AI startups
  • Brecht: MSc Mechanical Engineering (ETH Zurich | Caltech) and worked at SpaceX and NASA JPL

🔥Our Ask
We’d love to connect with engineering leaders in mechanical, civil, and aerospace engineering to implement Cooper in their technical projects. Please reach out to founders@macadamialabs.com.

YC Sign Photo

Company photo
Hear from the founders

What is the core problem you are solving? Why is this a big problem? What made you decide to work on it?

Physics-based simulations are critical for engineers to predict how designs will perform under real-world conditions. However, tools like Ansys, while powerful solvers, demand extensive expertise and time-consuming workflows.

What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?

A world where human engineers work together with AI engineers. A world where anyone can design and develop advanced hardware.