/Companies

DeepHow

Techstars '18

New York City, US · Founded 2018 · Delaware corporation · 65 employees on LinkedIn · 11 known investors

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DeepHow creates video-based training and AI-powered standard operating procedure (SOP) verification for frontline operations workers in manufacturing. The platform captures operational knowledge to train both workers and AI systems, helping manufacturers ensure procedure adherence and optimize production.

Also known as DeepHow Corporation

Founders & leadership

DeepHow was founded in 2018 by Sam Zheng and Qiannan "Channing" Cai.

SZSam Zheng
Sam ZhengBoard member & Co-FounderSam Zheng is co-founder and former CEO and Chairman of DeepHow. He previously led a product team at Siemens that developed a cloud-based digital inspection system, and has over 15 years of experience in product innovation, user experience, and workflow design for industrial applications.
Q"Qiannan "Channing" Cai
Qiannan "Channing" CaiFounder
SL
Sivakumar LakshmananChief Executive Officer
SLSiva Lakshmanan
Siva LakshmananChief Executive OfficerPreviously, he served as CEO of Antuit and held a general manager role at Zebra Technologies, where he focused on scaling data and operations-focused technology businesses.
XZ
Xianjun ZhengNamed on SEC filing
PM
Patrik Matos da SilvaNamed on SEC filing
ZH
Zhe HuangNamed on SEC filing

Board

BYBen Yu
Ben YuBoard MemberInvestor at Sierra Ventures
ICIan Chiu
Ian ChiuBoard MemberManaging Partner at Owl Ventures

Investors · 11

Techstarslisted by TechstarsBoulder · $220K

How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

NVIDIAreportedSanta Clara

How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$19M disclosed across 2 of 3 rounds · 2021–2025

▶$5MraisedMay 2025 · 5 investors · Other
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Ben YuDirector
  • Ian ChiuDirector
  • Sivakumar LakshmananExecutive Officer, Director
  • Xianjun ZhengDirector
Offering amount
$5M
Amount sold
$5M
First sale
May 2025
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$14MraisedDec 2022 · 6 investors · Other
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Patrik Matos da SilvaDirector
  • Xianjun (Sam) ZhengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Ben YuDirector
  • Zhe HuangDirector
Offering amount
$14M
Amount sold
$14M
First sale
Dec 2022
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2018
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Company profile

researched Sep 2026

DeepHow provides an AI-powered, video-centric knowledge capture and learning platform aimed at frontline industrial workforces in manufacturing, service, repair and construction. The system records expert demonstrations of tasks and uses AI to structure the footage into step-by-step how-to training videos, digital work instructions and standard operating procedures, which the company positions as an "operational knowledge management layer" sitting alongside ERP, CRM, MES, QMS and LMS systems [2][4][6][7].

Beyond training content, the platform now markets a set of vision-based capabilities the company groups under "physical AI for operational excellence": live SOP verification, on-demand visual inspection, time-and-motion AI, smart job aids, onboarding and upskilling modules, Training Within Industry support, and external sharing. DeepHow describes a closed loop in which the same captured expertise that trains human operators is also used to train AI models that then verify execution [0][1]. A PharmaCloud offering and industry-specific positioning for manufacturing, pharma and medical devices, and electronics assembly are also listed [0][1].

Product development following the 2023 Series A focused on generative AI features, including accelerated SOP video creation, multimodal workflow generation, AI chat assistance and knowledge mapping. The company also emphasizes deployment flexibility and governance, including the option to run closed or open-source models within its cloud [2][4][6].

Compiled by commissioned research from 9 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Decline in safety incidentsJan 202678%
Decrease in delaysJan 202649%
EmployeesJan 2026125 employees
Enterprise customersJan 2026100 customers
First pass yield improvement (Foxconn deployment)Jan 20263%
Global customersApr 202370 customers
Live SOP Verification task-level accuracyJan 202699%
Project time compressionApr 2023Compressing project time by 10x
Reduction in onboarding timeJan 202677%
Reduction in quality defectsJan 202632%
Worker performance improvementApr 202325%

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 3

Companies working in the same space as DeepHow.

Timeline · 2

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2026
Foxconn deploys DeepHow Live SOP Verification

DeepHow published a case study and press release stating that the electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn deployed its Live SOP Verification product to reduce procedural drift and improve first pass yield, in partnership with NVIDIA.

source ↗

Apr 2023
DeepHow closes $14M oversubscribed Series A led by Owl Ventures

DeepHow announced $14M in Series A funding led by Owl Ventures with new investor LG Technology Ventures and existing investors Sierra Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Osage Venture Partners and Foothill Ventures. Proceeds were earmarked for go-to-market expansion and investment in product, engineering and generative AI.

$14M source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
DeepHowDelaware

In the news

▸Research sources · 9

primary sources listed

9 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does DeepHow do?
DeepHow builds an AI video-based platform that captures industrial know-how and verifies SOP execution on the factory floor.
Who founded DeepHow?
DeepHow was founded by Sam Zheng, Qiannan "Channing" Cai in 2018.
Who are DeepHow's investors?
DeepHow's investors include Foothill Ventures, ID Ventures, LG Technology Ventures, Owl Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Stanley Ventures, Techstars and 3 more.
How much funding has DeepHow raised?
DeepHow has disclosed $19M raised across 2 of its 3 known rounds.
Where is DeepHow headquartered?
DeepHow is headquartered in New York City, US.