iLARIZ

Who owns iLARIZ?

iLARIZ is currently owned by MBG Mittelstaendische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Baden-Wuerttemberg through Start-up BW Seed Fonds (2022 vintage), since 2024.

Hand-verified · updated 2026-07-03

About iLARIZ

iLARIZ is a Stuttgart-based industrial technology company that digitalizes sheet metal forming, the deep-drawing processes used to shape metal components for the automotive and manufacturing industries. Its Smart.Tool Suite platform pairs in-process measurement and correction hardware with software, spanning a Draw.Monitor system that captures deep-drawing process data, a Draw.Control system that actively corrects forming errors in real time, and a compact Tool.Monitor device for continuous tool tracking. The company positions itself as a cleantech play within forming technology, marketing outcomes such as sharply reduced scrap, higher output and lower CO2 emissions per part. It sells primarily to sheet metal formers, including automotive suppliers and small and medium-sized manufacturers, offering its measurement and correction systems on a global basis.

Ownership journey

iLARIZ was founded in 2021 in Stuttgart by Dr. Apostolos Papaioanu, Christian Held and Dominik Riedl, a team of forming-technology specialists focused on making analog deep-drawing processes digital, more efficient and more sustainable. In September 2024 the company closed a seed financing round of EUR 500,000 led by the Start-up BW Seed Fonds, the seed vehicle managed by MBG Baden-Wuerttemberg, alongside additional co-investors and private backers. MBG remains an active shareholder through the Start-up BW Seed Fonds, and no exit or secondary transaction has been recorded. The Start-up BW Seed Fonds is a Baden-Wuerttemberg seed programme targeting innovative, technology-oriented companies at the seed stage.

Under PE ownership

The 2024 seed capital was earmarked for scaling deployed technologies, expanding the customer portfolio, continuously improving the software products and building out international market presence and partnerships. Since the investment iLARIZ has advanced its Smart.Tool Suite across monitoring and active-correction systems, extending from passive process data capture with Draw.Monitor toward real-time error correction with Draw.Control. The company continues to market its in-process measurement and correction systems for deep drawing to forming manufacturers internationally. As a seed-stage business, iLARIZ has not disclosed revenue or headcount figures, and its progress is best measured by product rollout and commercial expansion rather than published operating metrics.