A Bold Step Forward in Knowledge Preservation

Kilsar, a pioneering startup aiming to digitize tribal knowledge within industrial maintenance, has announced a $3.7 million seed round. Led by founder Brendan Lawlor, the company is tackling a critical and often overlooked problem in complex industries: the loss of operational knowledge due to workforce turnover and unstructured documentation practices.

At the heart of Kilsar’s mission is the desire to preserve invaluable institutional know-how and convert it into precise, usable formats. While industries such as manufacturing, energy, and aviation rely heavily on experienced technicians, much of their expertise exists in siloed notes, informal chats, or memory. Kilsar addresses this head-on through its AI-powered platform that translates technical knowledge into standardized workflows, drastically improving training, compliance, and continuity.

Backing from Visionary Investors

The round drew support from a strong roster of institutional and strategic investors, including Lightbank, Cotulla Capital, Techstars, and ScaleWolf. These backers bring both capital and a deep understanding of how hard tech, infrastructure, and AI converge to transform traditional industries.

Their endorsement speaks volumes about the size of the problem Kilsar is solving - and the scalability of its platform across sectors. Investors see Kilsar’s approach not just as a tool for documentation, but as a next-generation operating system for field-level expertise.

In founder Brendan Lawlor’s words, “We’re not just organizing information; we’re enabling companies to retain what’s made them operationally excellent - and scale it.”

The Real Cost of Lost Knowledge

One of the most silent threats in industrial operations is the cost of losing experienced workers without capturing their knowledge. When technicians leave or retire, they often take decades of hands-on expertise with them. This creates critical gaps that impact safety, uptime, training costs, and regulatory compliance.

Kilsar’s platform uses artificial intelligence to extract, structure, and continuously refine this knowledge, turning what was once fragmented experience into consistent, auditable workflows. Think of it as a knowledge brain that companies can plug into their daily maintenance, inspections, and repair operations.

But what makes Kilsar truly stand out is its focus on accuracy and usability. Their tools are built to be intuitive enough for non-technical staff, yet powerful enough to meet the demands of highly regulated industries. Documentation becomes living data, evolving as frontline workers add inputs or improvements on the go.

And here’s the value bomb that’s changing how early-stage founders think about product-market fit: Kilsar didn’t try to build the "perfect" AI engine before going to market - they built a usable version that solved a single, urgent pain point first. This allowed them to land initial contracts, validate utility, and use real customer data to fine-tune their models. In Brendan’s early pitches, it wasn’t about dazzling AI - it was about saving companies from catastrophic knowledge loss. That narrow focus opened doors. It's a reminder that clarity wins over complexity in B2B.

Practical AI for the Industrial Workforce

Kilsar’s solution slots seamlessly into existing processes, providing dynamic, step-by-step procedures derived from real-world inputs. It’s not just about converting documents to digital format - it’s about capturing the nuance of “how things actually get done” and making that knowledge continuously accessible, repeatable, and safe.

The AI doesn’t just extract static documents - it listens, learns, and adapts. Technicians can update workflows in real time, flag exceptions, and recommend changes. Managers gain visibility into operational performance without micromanagement, while onboarding times for new staff are dramatically reduced.

With remote work, workforce decentralization, and digital transformation gaining momentum across sectors, Kilsar’s timing couldn’t be better. Industrial players are hungry for practical AI applications that don’t just generate insights, but automate action. Kilsar delivers on that need - without the bloat.

What’s Next for Kilsar

With the $3.7M seed funding secured, Kilsar plans to expand its technical team, accelerate product development, and deepen integrations with industry-specific platforms. Early pilot programs with enterprise clients are already yielding strong feedback loops, helping the company fine-tune workflows for sectors like aerospace, energy, and defense manufacturing.

The company is also investing in partnerships to broaden its reach, from equipment manufacturers to training providers who can integrate Kilsar into upskilling programs.

Kilsar’s roadmap includes multilingual support, tighter IoT integrations, and an evolving recommendation engine that offers proactive alerts based on usage data. These features aim to not just digitize - but intelligently automate - critical maintenance operations.

Final Thoughts

As companies navigate increasing turnover, shrinking margins, and rising safety standards, the demand for solutions like Kilsar will only grow. With a powerful founding vision, support from top-tier investors, and a product that solves a real-world pain, Kilsar is poised to redefine how industry preserves, shares, and scales human intelligence.