NOX METALS

A relentless mission to Reindustrialize America.

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

Today we remember those who lost their life and those who fought to rebuild after what happened September 11th, 2001

[Chris Powers @fortworthchris]

Zane Hengsperger (@zanehengsperger), Founder and CEO of NOX Metals, got into Y Combinator on an 18-minute phone call and had to be in San Francisco the next day.

"I realized that metal was this immense bottleneck... how do we get it faster and cheaper?"

"You study the metal incumbents, these great businesses that have been around for 200 years, 300 locations. But then you realize they've never been able to implement technology because their DNA is from two centuries ago."

"I actually applied to YC with it, got no response."

"I got an email from Jared Friedman at YC. He's like, 'Hey, totally missed your application. Are you still interested in doing this?'"

"He's like, 'Hey, we'd like to offer you a spot in YC.' I was like, 'Oh, great.' He says, 'But the batch starts today, so you'd have to fly out tomorrow.'"

"Flew to San Francisco, not a line of code, not a factory, not a product, not a saw, a machine, anything."

In this clip, the 12 hour decision to go to YC.

[Jack Bookey @JackIsLearning]

This is challenging and rewarding work. As the physical technology frontier shifts, there's real white space to rethink manufacturing. Nox is an awesome place to do it. Hmu! [email protected]

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

What questions do you want to see @zanehengsperger answer in an upcoming Q&A video?

Ask away!

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

@fortworthchris @zanehengsperger its time to build factories

[Chris Powers @fortworthchris]

Today I sit down with Zane Hengsperger (@zanehengsperger), Founder and CEO of NOX Metals, a metal supplier in Detroit he started in 2025. NOX buys metal from the mill, cuts it to the exact size a machine shop needs, and ships it out. The whole operation runs on software the company writes itself.

Zane is 26, and his first job was scrubbing the floors of his dad's machine shop at 14. He went into software, then came back to run a machine shop. That is where he saw that metal was the bottleneck for everyone making parts in America. The incumbents have been around for 200 years and have never put software to work. NOX is a year old and has raised an $11.5M seed round. It has written a million lines of code and quotes an order in 10 seconds.

We discuss:
• The 18-minute call with Y Combinator that put him on a plane the next day
• Why his dad hired software engineers for a machine shop back in 2017
• How one piece of software does the work of 20 salespeople
• Why two of his engineers moved their desks onto the factory floor
• Why the forklift driver gets equity after three months
• The 7pm order that was in Dallas by 10 the next morning
• Why he says America needs 100x more factories
• Where AI has let him down so far

This one is for anyone betting on American manufacturing.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:10) Reading Alex Karp and Walking Back Into a Machine Shop
(06:06) Hiring Young Technicians Who Want Hard Work
(09:10) Why the Brand Is the Moat
(14:28) Lessons From a Dad Who Ran a Machine Shop
(16:14) Getting Into Y Combinator With One Day's Notice
(22:06) Buy a Saw and Write Instant Quoting Software
(27:37) Software Engineers on the Factory Floor
(34:29) Is America Actually Reindustrializing?
(40:55) America Needs 100 Times More Factories
(45:26) Quotes in 10 Seconds Instead of Eight Hours
(50:09) Delta Cargo Deliveries and Why Detroit Is Ripping
(56:07) Where AI Falls Short and What the Next 24 Months Hold
(59:13) The Customer Is the Core Thing Left in America

[Stefan Salaices @stefan_salaices]

Just bought some @noxmetals with 𝕏 money

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

@stefan_salaices hell ya

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

Not your average customer testimonial

[Chris Powers @fortworthchris]

Tomorrow's episode is with Zane Hengsperger (@zanehengsperger), Founder and CEO of @noxmetals.

He started NOX in Detroit in 2025, went through Y Combinator, and now cuts aluminum to order for defense and space manufacturers on software his company writes itself.

I asked him how far behind China we really are.

"We need a hundred times more factories in America. That is, I think, the only number that matters."

"Basically the way it works in China is that you can fill any supply chain gap tomorrow. You don't have an actuator, you don't have a pipe, a valve, a turbine. Now, why can they build data centers so quick? It's because of abundance."

"You build a factory, the multiplier effect of that is three factories within five years, and that's what's happened in China."

In this clip, Zane explains why he is not sure the answer is rebuilding Shenzhen, and what he would do instead.

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

@JasBilyeu @tay_loehr is really good

[Uncle Jordy’s Burner Account @Shenk36]

No, YOU GUYS ROCK! Didn’t expect to open twitter to see one of my parts as a suggested tweet 🥲

[Zane Hengsperger @zanehengsperger]

I’d like to give away a free block of 6061 aluminum up to 1,000 LBS.

Whoever comments the coolest thing they are going to make, then makes a video of it, we will deliver to your door asap.

Will ship nationally. 🇺🇸🏭

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

Our customers rock. Our customers build America.

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

We love helping fellow industrialists.

[Brian Kippen @BrianKippen1]

Can you name another material supplier that’ll get things done after 5err 11pm

Lfg

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

Boeing’s 747 is a flying metal marvel✈️🙌

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

@b0tbrooke @KellyGibb2506 Whoever hired this Brooke girl is really smart

[NOX METALS @noxmetals]

Everything's computer

[Crain's Detroit Business @crainsdetroit]

Michigan Central startup triples capacity in move to Ferndale https://t.co/1oTeBOajK8