Dental labs are hitting a wall: a deepening shortage of skilled technicians is throttling how many crowns, night guards, and surgical guides they can produce. Relu, a Leuven-based startup founded in 2019, is selling the fix-software that automates the tedious CAD design steps those technicians normally do by hand.
The company has raised $1.8M in a Seed round backed by Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA). Relu’s AI platform analyzes 3D scans and auto-generates patient-specific designs, letting labs push through more cases without sacrificing quality. The traction is already there: it now automates designs for over 80,000 patients monthly across 82 countries, backed by 33 peer-reviewed papers and regulatory clearances including FDA 510(k) and CE marking.
