Digital Reasoning Thread — Startup Landscape
The Kubernetes of Industrial Reasoning — 7 Layers, 30+ Companies, 1 Missing Thread
The Digital Reasoning Thread (DRT) isn't being built by one company. It's emerging — layer by layer — from dozens of startups that don't yet know they're building the same thing. Here we map who they are, where they fit in the 7-layer stack, and what's still missing: the vertical connective tissue that would run from sensing (L1) through governance (L7). Use the interactive stack below to explore layers and companies; switch to “Cross-Layer Bridges” to see who already spans multiple layers.
The 7-layer DRT stack
↕ The Digital Reasoning Thread
The persistent, composable, traceable vertical thread connecting L1→L7 — this is what's missing from the landscape today.
The white space: what's missing
Two things are missing. First, layer 4 is thin. No startup owns “industrial reasoning” as a first-class capability. Palantir's AIP touches it from a general-purpose direction; the industrial-specific, physics-aware, safety-constrained reasoning layer is essentially unoccupied. Second, the vertical thread doesn't exist. Every company in this landscape operates at one or two layers. None provides the persistent, composable, traceable chain of reasoning that connects a sensor signal (L1) through contextualization (L2), perception (L3), reasoning (L4), decision (L5), execution (L6), and governance (L7). That thread is the DRT.
What comes next
The Digital Reasoning Thread is not a product to be built from scratch. It's an integration pattern — an architectural standard that connects what already exists. Next steps: standardize the Thread Context object; build reference implementations (e.g. Cognite L2 → Fero L3/L7 → Synera L6 with full lineage); and engage the ecosystem. The companies on this landscape are natural allies — they're building pieces of the same puzzle. The DRT gives them a shared language and a shared architecture.
This landscape is a living document. If you're building in this space, we'd love to map you in. Reach out via the links in the footer.
Companies in this landscape
Startups and companies we mention on this page, with a short note on what they do. Links go to their official sites.