Exclusive: Peter Thiel–backed industrial AI startup emerges from stealth in a16z ‘American Dynamism’ push

In a move that signals the next phase of the artificial intelligence boom, Emanate, an AI startup focused on the gritty reality of America’s industrial supply chain, has emerged from stealth. Backed by venture capital heavyweight Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and led by Gen Z standout Kiara Nirghin, the company aims to modernize the “physical economy” through the deployment of autonomous revenue agents.

Nirghin, a Thiel fellow as well as the youngest board member of the Google Impact Fund, has won backing for Emanate from Peter Thiel himself, as well as Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and other prominent angels. San Francisco–based Emanate was founded in 2025 and is currently staffed by a small, tight-knit group of under 10 AI engineers and product designers. Billing itself as the first AI revenue engine built for industrial materials companies, it projects its revenue will grow nearly 50-fold in the coming months as it deepens design partnerships with leading industrial distributors.

Emanate’s debut is part of a16z’s “American Dynamism” investment thesis prioritizes companies supporting national interests, such as logistics, industrials, and critical infrastructure.

Nirghin, who is also a Stanford AI researcher and former Grand Prize winner of the Google Science Fair, said she wants Emanate’s impact to go far beyond California...