Former Tesla Employee Launches a New Startup To Fix Small Business Procurement

Diagon, a new startup founded by former Tesla supply chain expert Will Drewery, aims to revolutionize equipment procurement for small businesses using technology and industry insights.

Drewery learned a lot about buying high-tech equipment while working for Tesla, a company famous for its innovative electric cars.

After years of handling big purchases for Tesla factories, Drewery decided to use his skills to help smaller companies through his new venture, Diagon. 

Co-founded with Shri Muthu, a former engineering VP at Snackpass, Diagon aims to share Drewery’s insider knowledge to help businesses of all sizes buy the complex equipment they need more easily.

Diagon’s Role: Helping Businesses Navigate Complex Buying

Diagon started in January 2023 and offers a service that acts like a guide for companies looking to find and buy industrial equipment. 

It’s helpful for businesses in industries like car manufacturing or aerospace, which need very specific tools and machines. 

Diagon connects these businesses with suppliers and gives them tools to handle these complex purchases. 

They use AI to answer tough questions, like figuring out what a company needs to do to supply iron-based batteries in the U.S.

Building on a Legacy of Industrial Expertise

Drewery’s inspiration for Diagon comes from his own background. 

Growing up in Pittsburgh, he saw how important manufacturing was to the local community, especially the steel industry where his family worked. 

“It impacted me to see not only the industry, but the businesses that supported it, being affected,” Drewery told TechCrunch.

“I had this intuition that there was a much bigger significance to being able to manufacture to support a local economy.”

His experiences range from consulting for PwC to helping rebuild facilities in Baghdad as a U.S. Department of Defense contractor. 

Each step built up his expertise, leading him to Tesla and eventually to starting Diagon. 

In November 2023, Diagon kicked off with a successful funding round, raising over $5 million to grow their platform and reach more customers.

Diagon is all about making the expertise of big manufacturing accessible to smaller players.