MaintainX, a startup based in San Francisco that specializes in industrial maintenance software, discreetly revealed on Wednesday that it has successfully secured $50 million in a Series C funding round. The funding was led by Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), a prominent investor in growth-stage enterprises, and it placed a valuation of $1 billion on the company. This achievement marks MaintainX as the latest addition to the prestigious unicorn club for the current year. The infusion of capital will be instrumental in fueling MaintainX’s expansion efforts in research and development, bolstering its artificial intelligence capabilities, and broadening its customer base.

Established in 2018, MaintainX offers a mobile platform that empowers frontline workers to engage with their supervisors, monitor tasks, access manuals and checklists, and promptly report issues. Additionally, the platform aggregates and assesses data from diverse sources, including sensors, equipment usage, and parts inventory, to provide valuable insights and recommendations aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.

Currently, MaintainX’s software is embraced by over 6,500 clients across a wide spectrum of industries encompassing manufacturing, energy, hospitality, and food and beverage. Notable customers include Duracell, Marriott, Volvo, AB InBev, McDonald’s, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In an exclusive conversation with VentureBeat, Chris Turlica, the CEO and co-founder of MaintainX, articulated the company’s vision of forging a “zero-downtime future” for industrial operations. This ambitious goal hinges on leveraging artificial intelligence and real-time data sets to preemptively identify and mitigate potential breakdowns and operational challenges.

Turlica also underscored the company’s commitment to catering to the preferences of a new generation of frontline professionals and procurement managers who prioritize user-friendly and intuitive software solutions. He noted that the industrial sector is undergoing a transformation where the decision-makers are no longer traditional IT professionals but instead, frontline workers, plant managers, and maintenance supervisors who seek software that is easy to deploy, integrate, and use.

Merritt Hummer, a partner at Bain Capital Ventures who spearheaded the investment and joined MaintainX’s board of directors, expressed admiration for the company’s growth, product quality, and high customer satisfaction. She characterized MaintainX as one of the standout emerging growth-stage firms, citing the exceptional founding team, expansive market potential, and impressive track record as driving factors behind her enthusiasm.

Hummer also highlighted the potential synergy between Bain Capital Ventures, with its portfolio of more than 400 companies, and MaintainX. She emphasized the opportunity to introduce MaintainX’s software to their existing industrial and manufacturing companies, potentially facilitating further growth.

The industrial maintenance sector, estimated at over $49 billion globally by Allied Market Research, is witnessing a rising demand for software solutions that optimize workflows, reduce costs, and ensure compliance. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in the sector, emphasizing the importance of such solutions.

MaintainX, competing with players like UpKeep, Fiix, and eMaint, has experienced a remarkable revenue growth, surging 13-fold since its previous funding round in 2021, when it secured $39 million in a Series B round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. This substantial funding infusion underscores investor confidence in MaintainX’s mission and its ability to leverage artificial intelligence for industrial maintenance transformation. The participation of prominent business figures such as former GE CEO Jeff Immelt further underscores MaintainX’s traction.

In a landscape shaped by artificial intelligence and big data, MaintainX’s focus on these areas positions the company favorably in the marketplace. With its mission to reduce operational downtime through AI, MaintainX is poised to disrupt the industrial maintenance sector in a significant manner.