The Antwerp-based tech startup, Marple, recently closed a new investment round to support their growth into the automotive and aerospace industry. The round was led by Network Venture Partners and joined by Birdhouse Ventures and imec.istart.

“We’re thrilled to have both Network Venture Partners and Birdhouse joining Marple!” says Matthias Baert, Co-Founder of Marple. “The experience of Network Venture Partners in the automotive industry combined with their startup knowledge is unique and will give Marple a big boost.”

- Network Venture Partners: A distinctive initiative by and for founders backed by a number of entrepreneurial investors and family offices.

- Birdhouse Ventures: An early-stage investment fund that supports Tech startups in Belgium and AgeTech startups across Europe.

- imec.istart: An open accelerator program that supports tech startups with pre-seed funding and tailored support to succeed and grow globally.

Idea from Formula One

Marple was founded by Matthias Baert and Nero Vanbiervliet, two engineers who were fed up with the data tools they had to use. Matthias worked as an engineer for the Mercedes Formula 1 team during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He discovered that even in Formula 1, known for its cutting-edge technology, there was a lack of effective software to organise and analyse data collected from the cars efficiently. “This signalled to us that there's a need for a better solution,” says Matthias.

A solution based on modern data algorithms

Engineering datasets are massive, particularly those from sensors producing time series data. Processing such large datasets is complex and requires specialised handling. Marple recognised this challenge and developed a unique time series algorithm capable of processing billions of data points almost instantaneously. Built around this powerful data engine, the Marple platform caters specifically to engineers' needs. Engineers require specialised tools to visualise and analyse their time series data—a need that standard data analysis tools can't fulfil.

Belgian startup going global

Even though there is a lot of competition in the data analysis market, Marple stands unique with its offering and is gaining more and more traction in the automotive & aerospace industries. With its first product, Marple has already managed to attract customers globally. In 2023, more than 3000 engineers all over the world used Marple in their data analysis workflow. Companies like Atlas Copco, Verhaert, Yuso, DeepDrive, EddyGrid, Aura Aero already make use of Marple next to some well-known motorsport teams and various aerospace companies that cannot be disclosed.

Marple in the electrification of the Automotive industry

DeepDrive, a German company developing electric motors for major automotive players like BMW, utilises Marple for their data analysis needs. Marple enables DeepDrive to efficiently process and interpret the extensive data generated during their electric motor development and testing phases.

“Marple simplifies collaboration between engineers. Also, thanks to being a central storage for measurement data, DeepDrive got rid of different locations to store data” - Christopher Römmelmayer, Co-Founder of DeepDrive.

Marple in the electrification of the Aerospace industry

Vertical Aerospace, a British Aerospace company based in Bristol, develops a zero-emission, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). During the testing and development, the engineers rely on Marple for their data analysis.

“At Vertical, we use Marple to analyse our rig and flight test data. Marple is the perfect tool for the job: Marple’s interface allows people of varying technical ability to work together using the same tools while not skimping on the in-depth analysis functions users need.” - Samuel Meijer, Software Engineer at Vertical Aerospace.

Marple in the next-gen transportation industry

Hardt Hyperloop, a Dutch Hyperloop transportation engineering company, is redefining transportation by developing vehicles that float on magnetic fields using only 10% of the energy compared to road or aviation transport. By using Marple, they are able to coordinate and combine efforts, allowing them to make the right data driven decisions.

"At Hardt Hyperloop, Marple is the point of reference whenever we need multiple eyes looking at a problem. Just a quick share and colleagues can look at exactly the data in question. This is a game changer in data driven development!" - Gert Spek, Lead Engineer Tractive at Hard Hyperloop

From small to big customers

As Marple enters its next phase of growth, the company is setting its sights on attracting larger customers within the Automotive and Aerospace industries. This strategic move aims to expand Marple's footprint in these technologically advanced sectors, where data analysis plays a crucial role in innovation and development.

To achieve this goal, Marple will focus on integration with established databases. Solutions such as Microsoft Fabric, Timescale, InfluxData, Apache Spark, Mireo … are gaining more and more traction in engineering, and Marple wants to join in on this trend. Marple already partners up with Microsoft, Influx and Mireo to help customers solve their data challenges.