Nicole Ma

Nicole Ma is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Topological, an artificial intelligence software startup developing computational solutions for the mechanical engineering sector. Before establishing her current technology company, she completed her academic training at Stanford University, where she formally studied the intersection of computer science and mechanical engineering. Her professional technical background includes a previous tenure at NASA, where she was responsible for developing complex physics simulations for various aerospace applications. Leveraging this specialized computational expertise, she launched Topological and subsequently guided the enterprise through the Y Combinator Summer 2025 accelerator batch. The early-stage company expanded its operational capacity by successfully closing its initial seed funding round on September 1, 2025. Ma currently focuses her efforts on engineering physics-based foundation models to automate computer-aided design optimization and accelerate standard mechanical engineering workflows.