Re:Build, a Massachusetts-based manufacturing accelerator co-founded by former Amazon executive Jeff Wilke, raised $2.1 billion to expand production capacity and launch new industrial startups, the company announced Tuesday.
General Catalyst and JPMorgan Chase's Strategic Investment Group led the round. Re:Build positions itself as addressing America's deindustrialization by operating two business models: partnering with industrial firms to design and manufacture products in aerospace and defense, and incubating startups in underserved markets.
Wilke, who previously ran Amazon's commercial business, said the capital will accelerate Re:Build's mission to build substantial manufacturing scale and establish a platform for American industrial leadership. The company explicitly frames its strategy as a hedge against reliance on Chinese manufacturing and supply chains.
Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst, said his firm believes "rebuilding American industrial capacity is a critical economic and national security imperative" and emphasized the need for platform companies capable of operating at genuine scale to compete with China.
Re:Build's network now employs more than 2,100 people across the U.S. and operates over 2.4 million square feet of manufacturing capacity. Over six years, the company claims to have launched hundreds of products and production systems.
Slate Auto, Re:Build's electric vehicle spin-out launched in 2022, exemplifies the model's early success. The company has raised at least $1.4 billion, including from the Bezos family office, and is developing an ultra-low-cost vehicle.
The accelerator maintains deep ties to Amazon beyond Wilke. Wei Gao, a longtime Amazon vice president and technical adviser to Jeff Bezos, serves as Re:Build's chief digital and product officer. Several other executives also came from Amazon.
