Co-founders expect new $5M seed round; collectively sourced $1B in highly specialized parts for manufacturers in aerospace, defense, automotive industries and more

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Datum, a leading developer of supply chain solutions for advanced manufacturing, today announced its official launch of operations, aiming to help manufacturers bring complex hardware and products to market faster by solving for inefficiencies in the supply chain. The company’s team of experts can recognize and anticipate supply nuances across a range of advanced industries – aerospace, defense, automotive, medical devices, energy, motorsports, robotics and more.

Datum was founded by a trio of former SpaceX supply chain experts, including CEO Robert Pakalski, COO Thomas Cobbs and Chief Supply Chain Officer Ryan Nagle – after they faced numerous roadblocks trying to source parts at SpaceX. They concluded that the supply chain for advanced manufacturing is riddled with inefficiencies, and even today’s most cutting-edge technology companies are using antiquated methods for procuring parts and hardware.

“Datum has the knowledge, supply base, and operations necessary to source complex parts and hardware faster than any other procurement service provider on the market,” said Pakalski. “Rapid product development requires methodical supplier identification, secure communication, efficient quoting and diligent project management – all of which are imperative for sustainable business operations. We see value in having an even more strategic, streamlined procurement process for the overall supply chain.”

Leading up to the launch, Datum secured more than $1 million in pre-seed funding over the course of 2021 and is in the process of raising another $5 million seed round in Q1 of 2022.

While other industry players may have viable solutions for sourcing R&D or low-precision machined parts, Datum is built for those sourcing precision machined components. Datum launches with two core services:

Its proprietary software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that helps buyers of custom-machined computer numerical control (CNC) parts locate their optimal supplier.

A separate Managed Services division for firms to supplement, or fully outsource, their procurement operations.

The company’s SaaS platform has the capabilities to analyze a computer-aided design (CAD) file of a machined part and automatically match buyers with suppliers who have optimal equipment to machine a part. After identifying the best suppliers to manufacture a part, users can then execute secure file-transfer of confidential engineering files to supplier partners, administer request for quote (RFQ) packages, and down-select the best supplier option through a dashboard which helps determine the best proposal received.

Datum’s SaaS platform will soon expand beyond CNC machining and include all advanced manufacturing verticals.

In the platform, users can identify a supplier with optimal equipment, skillset, and commercial standing and can then communicate directly with the supplier to quote a specific part. Meanwhile others serve as a "middle-man" and do not share with users at the specific machine shop manufacturing the part.

Some examples of complex inputs for which the company’s Managed Services division specializes include:

Datum is a venture-backed B2B SaaS platform that automates the procurement process of precision CNC machined parts by matching a component’s geometry, size, and material to suppliers with optimal equipment and skillset. The company also offers solutions for supply chain as a service through the Managed Services team, to supplement or completely outsource customers' procurement operations. Founded by a group of former SpaceX supply chain experts, Datum serves clients across several advanced manufacturing industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, medical devices, energy, motorsports, robotics and more. Visit datumsource.com to learn more.

Media Contact Corbin Mihelic – CSG 316-209-9794 datum@wearecsg.com

Homeowners beware. But don't panic, either.

KEY WORDS “I think we’re giving Powell too much praise. … The last two years are one of the biggest policy mistakes in the 110-year history of the Fed by staying so easy when everything was booming.

On Wednesday, the Fed bumped up interest rates again, its third 75-basis point hike since June, and signaled that there could be two more such hikes by the end of this year. The conventional wisdom has the Fed acting properly, and aggressively, in an attempt to counter inflation raging at 40-year high levels. But conventional wisdom isn’t always right – and we can learn a lot by consulting the contrarians. Few top investors are more contrarian than Cathie Wood. The founder and manager of ARK Inv

And what it means for your wealth-building options.

You have just a few weeks to pounce on Treasury I bonds' sky-high interest rate. Also called Series I savings bonds, their interest rate is 9.62%.

Yahoo Finance's Julie Hyman discusses Tesla's vehicle recall and latest legal news.

“We printed up too much money, and just thought the party would never end,” Icahn said, adding that with the Fed raising rates to fight inflation, "the party's over."

At a companywide all-hands meeting this week, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) chief Sundar Pichai juggled tough questions from employees regarding cuts to travel and entertainment budgets, managing productivity, and potential layoffs. Employees questioned why Google is "nickel-and-diming employees" by cutting travel and swag budgets despite record profits and substantial cash reserves as it did after the pandemic. Pichai emphasized acting responsibly to tide through such critical sit

The shipping company has developed a reputation as one of the best dividend stocks around

AT&T has been crushed this year, down more than 40% from its high. But now the stock nears a key area on the charts with a 7% dividend yield.

Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) faces a challenging scenario in the near term due to supply chain disruptions and inflation. However, it has this powerful tailwind at its back over the longer term. In this video, I will highlight how this could help Roku's stock bounce higher.

Yahoo Finance reporter Alexandra Semenova breaks down Cathie Wood's decision to hand off her role as portfolio manager on two ETFs. 

As much as stocks are falling, moves in another financial market have even more profound implications for the global economy.

Novavax, Inc. stock is trending on the Yahoo Finance Platform. Here is a visualization of $NVAX performance over time, how that performance compares to the wider industry, and analyst projections for the current quarter.Check out the ticker page here.

Warren Buffett’s long-term investment strategy has proven to be successful through virtually all market conditions over the past several decades – recession, high inflation and deflation. If there’s one thing that’s made Buffett one of the most successful investors in history, it’s his commitment to his strategy. A countless number of new investment techniques and algorithms have come and gone over the years, but Buffett has maintained his relatively simple strategy of picking solid companies an

Boise, Idaho; Philadelphia; Pensacola, Fla.; Austin; and Reno, Nev.; Minnesota; and Utah are the housing markets with the most buyer pullback, says one home builder.

Word spread quickly yesterday that almost 1.1 million Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) vehicles were being recalled. At the morning's lows, Tesla shares were down just shy of 5%. The stock market isn't always efficient, but simple math indicates that the recall isn't the reason Tesla shares have dropped for a second straight day.

It's Friday morning -- two days after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates 0.75%, and one day after seemingly every other central bank in the world followed suit, according to The Wall Street Journal -- and oil stocks are tanking. As of 9:50 a.m. ET, shares of oil company Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) are down 5.6%, while industry bellwether ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is down a solid 6%, and refiner Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) is leading the pack lower with a 6.7% loss.

In a year when all three of the major stock indexes in the United States have declined by 15% or more, there are plenty of dividend stocks out there with high dividend yields. What if I told you that there is a Dow Jones Industrial Average stock with a yield north of 6%? Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW), a maker of various chemical products and one of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's 30 components, fits this description.

Crypto markets are down sharply after Fed Chair Jerome Powell and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon both voiced regulatory concerns earlier this week.