Why we invested in Rodinia Generation - building the operating system for on-demand fashion production in Europe
Rewiring the economics of clothing production
Apparel manufacturing is deeply globalized. Most of the world's clothing is produced in Asia, not because of proximity to raw materials or design centres, but because of unit economics. Cheap labor and large-scale infrastructure keep costs low, allowing fast fashion and seasonal cycles to flourish despite six-month lead times and significant overproduction.
The problem is well known. Around 45 billion garments go unsold each year, contributing to 20% of global wastewater and 8% of carbon emissions. Yet, despite rising awareness and demand for sustainability, the fundamental structure of fashion production has not changed. Onshoring has long been a dream, but the numbers never added up. Until now, Europe has only remained competitive in luxury segments, where craftsmanship can justify the labor bill.
A factory designed for the 21st century
Rodinia Generation has developed the first end-to-end automation technology for clothing production that is viable onshore in Europe. Their O-factory is an integrated, software-driven production line capable of turning digital garment designs into finished clothing within 48 hours. It handles the complexity of low-volume, high-variation production, something that has eluded the industry for decades.
The key is not just automation, but automation across the full stack. Rodinia’s system integrates direct-to-fabric printing, CNC cutting, vision systems, robotic pick and sort, automated quality control, and a central orchestration software. Inspired by the human nervous system, a central “brain” coordinates mechanical actions across the line. The result is a flexible system that can switch between garment types and designs without downtime, setup costs, or large batch sizes.
One O-factory line, taking up 200 square meters, can produce up to 700,000 garments per year and handle more than 80% of clothing categories, from dresses and trousers to kidswear and sportswear. Each product is tagged with a QR code linking to impact data such as carbon footprint and water usage. The system runs entirely waterless, with certified colorants and an average 40% lower carbon footprint than conventional methods.
Enabling a new production model
Rodinia’s solution does more than improve margins or reduce emissions. It enables a different way of running a fashion business. By shifting from a “design, make, sell” model to “design, sell, make,” brands can sell only what they know customers want and produce only what has already been purchased. This is the foundation for a low-waste, demand-driven fashion system.
Crucially, this works not just in theory. Rodinia has strong commercial interest from fashion brands and apparel manufacturers across Europe. Multiple brands have paid for samples or small-batch production using the R&D facility in Denmark. Two apparel manufacturers have signed letters of intent, with four more in the pipeline. These partners bring sewing lines, logistics and floorspace, while Rodinia provides the production technology, creating a capital-efficient and scalable model.
A platform to scale with the industry
Rodinia does not plan to build and own every factory itself. Instead, it works with existing European apparel manufacturers (CMTs) to deploy O-factories under shared ownership through special-purpose vehicles. This approach reduces capital exposure, aligns incentives, and taps into an underutilized European manufacturing base currently locked into high-end fashion.
The cost per unit is already competitive with Asian production, especially when factoring in shipping, inventory risk and time-to-market. Some brands even see higher margins from Rodinia-made garments due to lower markdowns and faster response to demand.
This model is both capital-light and high-margin. Each factory line requires a total investment of around two million euros, and at full capacity can generate up to 12 million euros in annual revenue.
An experienced, cross-domain team
The team behind Rodinia combines backgrounds in automation, robotics, software and sustainable fashion. Founder and CEO Trine Young brings over a decade of experience in sustainable fashion and supply chains. The technical leadership comes from former engineers at Nokia, Velux and HelloFresh, with deep expertise in automation, control systems and industrial design.
This is not a pure hardware or software play. Rodinia has built a hybrid team capable of integrating complex systems and managing both product development and manufacturing partnerships.
Our view
Rodinia Generation is solving one of the most entrenched problems in global supply chains: how to make clothing on-demand and at cost parity with Asia. The technology is differentiated, the market is massive, and the team is credible. What remains is scale-up and operational validation in a full commercial setting. That is underway. If successful, Rodinia could become the foundational infrastructure for a new kind of fashion economy: one that is faster, cleaner, more flexible and more local.
This is why we invested.
