Rapta, a Lake Oswego defense technology company, closed an $8 million funding round to expand its manufacturing quality platform across the defense and aerospace sectors.

The company announced the raise Wednesday, Sept. 16, naming Seattle-based Voyager Capital and Denver-based Access Venture Partners as co-leads. DeepWork Capital, LongKnife, Elevate Capital, Ringbolt Capital, Portland Seed Fund, BVC and other existing investors also participated.

The Pacific Northwest tilt of the investor group drew attention from Silicon Florist, a Portland tech blog, which noted that Voyager, Elevate Capital, Portland Seed Fund and BVC all have regional roots.

Two new board members joined. Diane Fraiman, managing director at Voyager Capital, and Kirk Holland, managing director at Access Venture Partners, both took seats as part of the financing.

Rapta builds what it calls a Manufacturing Intelligence Platform. The software uses AI and computer vision to deliver real-time guidance and quality verification on factory floors, tracking parts, process steps, tools and operators. Co-founder and chief marketing officer Matthew Thornton said the platform connects data across information technology and operational technology systems to "error-proof the manufacturing process." It deploys on a customer's own network, keeping production data in-house.

Rapta said in its funding announcement that five of the top 10 U.S. defense prime contractors use its platform. One named customer is TRAK TECOM, a Tier 2 manufacturer of RF microwave and antenna systems for defense programs. Carole Hutchins, TRAK TECOM's president, said in the announcement that Rapta gives her teams "real-time visibility throughout the manufacturing process" and has strengthened first-pass quality.

CEO Aaron Brown said the funding arrives at a pivotal moment for the company. "Diane and Kirk join us at a critical moment in that work, and their experience will help ensure we deliver on our commitment to transform manufacturing in a dramatically changing marketplace," Brown said in the announcement.

The $8 million will go toward expanding Rapta's platform into additional defense, aerospace and high-precision manufacturing environments. No expansion timeline has been set.