Ensemble companies had a big week in the news!
- ICON announced a second development alongside Lennar, signaling that big, incumbent players in the traditional homebuilding industry believe in ICON's ability to deliver homes at massive scale with lower cost and better-than-traditional performance.
- Saronic continues to pick up recognition -- this time being named the No. 9 most innovate company of 2025 by Fast Company.
Lennar Doubles Down on 3D-Printed Homes with ICON
As we highlighted in previous newsletters, last year at SXSW, ICON announced four groundbreaking initiatives and shared a powerful milestone: after years of development, they had officially crossed the threshold where 3D-printed homes are cheaper to build than traditional framing—with far superior quality. In fact, ICON’s wall system outperforms conventional construction in nearly every category, offering superior fire, wind, and flood resistance. The original House Zero set the foundation, and now, real-world deployments are proving that 3D printing isn’t just feasible—it’s the future.
ICON’s first full-scale partnership with Lennar resulted in a 100-home neighborhood at Wolf Ranch, a major testing ground for optimizing speed and cost at scale. Now, after seeing the results firsthand, Lennar has decided they want more—another 200 homes will be printed as part of an expanded collaboration. This is the strongest possible validation that the world’s biggest homebuilders are ready to integrate ICON’s technology into their core operations. The industry is changing, and ICON is at the forefront.
CNBC: Take a look inside the world’s largest 3D printed housing development
Lennar and Icon, a 3D technology company, partnered to print 100 homes in Georgetown, Texas. The real estate company says about 75% of them have already sold. The homes have all the amenities of a conventionally built Lennar community. They come in 2- and 3-bedroom models and start at just under $400,000.
Saronic Named to the "Fast Company" Most Innovative Companies List
Saronic has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s "Most Innovative Companies in Robotics and Engineering for 2025," securing the No. 9 spot on this year’s list. This recognition underscores the company’s rapid execution and technical leadership in the evolving defense sector. As the geopolitical landscape shifts and demand for autonomous maritime systems accelerates, Saronic has distinguished itself by combining advanced software, scalable manufacturing, and a clear operational vision to deliver cutting-edge naval autonomy solutions.
Ensemble invested in Saronic early, recognizing the movement of top technical talent into defense and the urgent need for new approaches to shipbuilding. Their inclusion in Fast Company’s rankings further validates our thesis that the next generation of defense innovation will be driven by fast-moving, well-connected startups capable of scaling hardware and software in tandem. We’re excited to continue backing their work as they build a critical part of the future defense infrastructure.
Fast Company: The most innovative companies in robotics and engineering for 2025
From Apptronik to Saronic, here are Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in robotics and engineering for 2025.
WATCH: Collin West talks next-gen VC on the VC10X podcast with Prashant Choubey
In his recent appearance on the VC10X Podcast, Ensemble founder Collin West laid out the art of data-driven venture and the future of the industry. As we've said many times before, there's a lot more to our approach than just collecting data. Over the last decade, Ensemble has been at the forefront of developing the processes integral to converting data insights into actionable, outbound strategies.
From Brains to Nervous Systems: The Agentic Revolution in AI Infrastructure
In the second installment of Lilly’s series on AI infrastructure, we explore why Agentic AI is more than a passing trend. As organizations move beyond basic LLMs, autonomous agents are emerging as the key to real-world impact—driving action, orchestration, and results. Learn how this shift is reshaping the AI stack from the ground up.
Press Release: Ensemble VC “Unity” launch
Ensemble VC launches Unity, a first-of-its-kind AI platform to derisk venture capital investing by ranking startup teams with hundreds of objective data points. Already in use by Draper Associates, Boost, Overmatch, and Wilson Sonsini, Unity empowers VCs to source, select, and support high-potential startups with precision across sectors like SaaS, AI, defense tech, and space.
Welcome to the team, Hannah Vu!
We’re excited to welcome Hannah Vu to Ensemble VC as a Data Engineer, where she’ll help scale the back-end infrastructure that powers Unity, Ensemble's proprietary data platform.
Rare Earth Elements: The Next Big Thing Is Buried
In a world obsessed with software, the next decacorn might come from a mine. With China controlling 90% of rare earth processing, a new industrial frontier is opening for founders to rebuild the backbone of modern technology—starting with the ground beneath our feet.
