Katana is a rapidly growing software company specializing in cloud-based manufacturing resource planning (MRP) solutions tailored for small to medium-sized manufacturers. Founded in 2017 by three friends—Kristjan Vilosius, Priit Kaasik, and Hannes Kert—in Tallinn, Estonia, Katana began with a simple vision: to create software that businesses love as much as the products they sell. The founders raised an initial $700,000 in seed funding with just a 10-slide presentation and quickly developed the first prototype within a month. By early 2018, Katana launched its first paying customers, marking the start of its journey to becoming a leading cloud inventory platform.
Katana’s growth has been fueled by a clear mission to simplify complex manufacturing and inventory management tasks through an intuitive, visual, and automated platform. From its headquarters in Tallinn, supported by a distributed team across North America, Europe, and New Zealand, Katana has evolved from a basic inventory management system into a comprehensive manufacturing ERP solution. This platform offers end-to-end inventory, production, sales, and reporting features, helping manufacturers gain real-time visibility and control over their operations.
Katana has raised a total of $51 million in funding to date. Its most recent and significant round was a $35 million Series B in October 2022, led by the global VC firm Northzone, with participation from Lightrock, Atomico, and 42CAP. This funding round aims to accelerate product development and scale Katana’s ecosystem to better serve SMB manufacturers managing both direct-to-consumer (D2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales channels. Angel investors include notable tech leaders such as Sergei Anikin (former CTO of Pipedrive), Sten Tamkivi (former Skype executive), and Ott Kaukver (former CTO of Twilio).
Katana’s flagship product is a cloud-based MRP software that integrates inventory management, production planning, sales order management, purchase order automation, and warehouse control into a single platform. Key features include real-time inventory tracking across multiple locations, batch and serial number tracking, barcode scanning, and visual drag-and-drop production scheduling. The software also supports detailed reporting and forecasting, end-to-end product traceability, and seamless integrations with popular e-commerce platforms and accounting software. Katana’s AI-powered assistant automates routine tasks like order creation and provides actionable sales insights, enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making.
Katana has focused heavily on organic product expansion, continuously enhancing its platform with new features such as AI-driven automation, advanced forecasting, and improved integration capabilities. Recent efforts emphasize building an industry-leading manufacturing ecosystem that supports omnichannel sales strategies and complex workflows for SMBs
Katana has introduced AI-powered automation tools branded as "KAI," which assist in automating sales order creation and provide real-time sales analytics. The platform also offers enhanced warehouse management features like barcode scanning and bin location tracking, plus advanced forecasting tools that use historical data to optimize inventory levels. These features collectively improve shop floor visibility, reduce manual errors, and help manufacturers scale efficiently.
Katana’s culture is centered on simplicity, transparency, and customer empowerment. The company describes its employees as "Katanauts," emphasizing a collaborative and passionate work environment. Leadership includes co-CEOs Kristjan Vilosius and Ben Hussey, CTO Priit Kaasik, and a strong focus on people and culture led by VP Kristi Schumann. Katana values innovation, integrity, and delivering measurable results for clients. Employee feedback highlights career advancement and alignment with the company’s mission as key motivators.
Katana serves a diverse range of industries including apparel, electronics, food, and aerospace, targeting small to mid-sized manufacturers worldwide. Its user base benefits from a vibrant community supported by responsive customer service and extensive onboarding resources. The platform’s cloud-based nature and API integrations foster a connected ecosystem, enabling customers to unify their sales, inventory, and production data seamlessly. Katana’s commitment to user experience and continuous improvement has earned it a reputation as an industry-leading manufacturing ERP for SMBs.
