SoftWear Automation Inc., developer of robotic sewing technologies for the garment industry, today announced that it completed a $3 million Series A round of financing from CTW Venture Partners. K.P. Reddy, CTW partner, has also been installed as CEO of the company.

The U.S. imports $100 billion in sewn products annually, and the country has lost approximately 85% of its apparel manufacturing jobs since 1990 (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) as manufacturers relocate operations to countries with the lowest labor costs. However, this race to reduce costs in the apparel production process comes at a high price. The working conditions in these foreign factories are often abysmal and the long-distance shipping of textiles and apparel impacts the environment.

SoftWear is working to make the U.S. garment manufacturing industry price competitive again and bring jobs back to America with its patented use of machine vision, robotics and computing technologies. The company seeks to be the first supplier of fully automated garment production lines with advanced robotic sewing technologies.

CTW Venture Partners LLC, a venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage entrepreneurs throughout the southeast, focuses on companies with patentable, disruptive innovations or technologies, and strong technical expertise.

'CTW is looking to 'Change The World' with our investments and we have found a perfect match in SoftWear,' said Palaniswamy 'Raj' Rajan, managing partner of CTW Venture Partners.

K.P. Reddy, SoftWear's CEO and CTW partner added, 'SoftWear's technologies will eliminate sweatshops and give the American apparel industry a significant competitive advantage. Also, in the same way the 3D printer is changing traditional manufacturing and prototyping, our devices will revolutionize the apparel industry by allowing designers to instantly fabricate their fashion line and create clothing beyond the capabilities and precision of human hands.'

SoftWear Automation is also excited to be part of the Georgia Tech collaborative that received a $2 Million Grant from The Walmart Foundation in August. The Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund focuses on the development of domestic manufacturing with a specific goal of advancing the production or assembly of consumer products in the U.S.

The company has also previously received grant funding from DARPA and the Georgia Research Alliance.

About SoftWear Automation Inc.
SoftWear Automation is an Atlanta, Ga. based company with the sole focus of developing innovative core technologies and products for the apparel manufacturing and sewn products industries by harnessing its experience and expertise in machine vision, robotics, and computing. SoftWear expects its technology will lead the conversion of labor-intensive industries to ones that are capital intensive and economical. For more information on the company, visit www.softwearautomation.com.

About CTW Venture Partners
CTW Venture Partners LLC, a venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage entrepreneurs in Atlanta and throughout the southeast, focuses on companies in all industries with patentable, disruptive innovations or technologies, technical expertise, and strong leadership teams. For more information on the company, visit www.ctwvp.com.