Kilsar, a dual-use AI software company specializing in capturing and maintaining tribal knowledge, has closed a $3.7 million Seed round led by Lightbank and Cotulla Capital, with participation from Techstars and Scalewolf. They also announced a partnership with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) to address the crisis in aviation maintenance training.
The aviation maintenance industry and skilled trades sector are facing a critical shortage as experienced technicians retire and student interest declines, resulting in a significant loss of knowledge. Kilsar’s AI-powered Orion platform captures insights from veteran technicians and transforms maintenance procedures into interactive digital workflows. This enables new learners and current maintainers to upskill more quickly and improve their efficiency.
As demand increases in defense, aerospace, infrastructure, and industrial sectors, Kilsar is positioning itself as a key player in workforce transformation, blending legacy data, technician expertise, and advanced AI to provide scalable solutions.
How the funding will be used: The funding will be used to expand Kilsar’s engineering and deployment teams, accelerate onboarding across defense and commercial maintenance organizations, and further develop Orion’s real-time AI assistant that replaces static manuals with searchable, enriched content—from videos to pro-tips to annotated diagrams.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our mission is to preserve and scale what’s been traditionally trapped in the heads of retiring maintainers. We’re proud to partner with AIM, one of the nation’s largest aviation training institutions, to modernize the training pipeline and ensure the next generation of technicians is prepared for the evolving demands of the industry.”
Brendan Lawlor, CEO of Kilsar
