10 Federal Funding, Investors & Competitors

ABB supplies electrical equipment and automation products. Founded in the late 19th century, the company was created out of the merger of two old industrial companies: ASEA and BBC. Its products include electrical equipment, industrial robots, and equipment used for industrial automation, sold via approximately 19 business divisions. ABB is the number-one or -two supplier in two-thirds of its product segments.

Following Johnson Controls’ divestiture of its residential and light commercial HVAC businesses to Bosch in 2025, nearly all of its revenue comes from commercial HVAC (60%) and fire and security products and services (40%). A 2016 merger joined Johnson Controls’ HVAC and Tyco’s fire and security businesses with the premise that there is synergy in offering a broader variety of automation products and solutions to commercial buildings. We estimate Johnson Controls’ pro forma revenue mix will be one-third products, one-third installation, and one-third services.

Honeywell traces its roots to 1885 with Albert Butz’s firm, Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator, which produced a predecessor to the modern thermostat. Other inventions by Honeywell include biodegradable detergent and autopilot. Today, Honeywell is a global multi-industry behemoth with one of the largest installed bases of equipment. It operates through four business segments: aerospace technologies, industrial automation, energy and sustainability solutions, and building automation. Recently, Honeywell has made several portfolio changes to focus on fewer end markets and align with a set of secular growth trends. The firm is working diligently to expand its installed base, deriving around one third of its revenue from recurring aftermarket services.

With roots tracing back to the early 1900s, Rockwell Automation is the successor to Rockwell International, which spun off its avionics segment in 2001. It is a pure-play industrial automation company that operates through three segments. Its largest segment by revenue, intelligent devices, sells factory floor-level devices such as motors, drives, sensors, relays, and actuators. Its software and control segment sells visualization, simulation, and human-machine interface software and control products such as programmable controllers, computers, and operator terminals. Its smallest segment, lifecycle services, offers digital consulting, engineered-to-order services, and other outsourced services such as remote monitoring, cybersecurity, and asset and plant maintenance and optimization.

Carrier Global, spun out of United Technologies in 2020, manufactures and services commercial and residential HVAC systems and transportation refrigeration solutions under its flagship Carrier brand, as well as Bryant, Payne, Heil, and others across various price points. In 2024, Carrier acquired Viessmann Climate Solutions to expand its footprint in Europe with heat pumps, boilers, and solar PV equipment. Proceeds from the sale of Carrier’s fire and security (Honeywell) and commercial refrigeration (Haier) businesses reduced debt and focused the company on global HVAC and refrigeration solutions. Carrier generates 75% of sales from equipment and 25% from parts and services. The company derives 50% of revenue from the US, 30% from Europe, and 20% from the Asia-Pacific region.

Fanuc's primary products include industrial robots, computerized numerical control systems (CNC), and compact machining centers (Robodrills) globally. The company had its beginnings as part of Fujitsu developing early numerical control systems and commands the top global market share with its CNC systems and industrial robots.

Switzerland-based Schindler is a top-four global supplier of elevators and escalators. The business generates revenue in three ways: selling new elevators and escalators, modernizing old equipment, and servicing existing installations. Most of the company's profit comes from the last activity, where contracts are rolled over annually with built-in price increases. Ninety percent of its business is in elevators, which are more numerous globally than escalators. Its business model is similar to that of closest competitors Otis, Kone, and TK Elevator.

ABB India Ltd enables a more sustainable and resource-efficient future with the technology leadership in electrification and automation. It energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, and sustainable by connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation, and motion portfolio. The company's revenue is split between its four operating segments: Robotics and Discrete Automation, Electrification, Motion, and Process Automation. The company has several manufacturing sites located in India, and the majority of its revenue is generated in India.

Fuji Electric Co Ltd is a Japanese electrical equipment manufacturer and distributor. The company operates through four segments. The Energy segment covers geothermal, hydro, thermal, fuel cells, photovoltaic, wind power, substation equipment, storage systems, UPS, and control equipment. The Food Distribution segment provides vending machines, store equipment, and money-handling systems. The Industry segment includes inverters, FA components, sensors, FA systems, nuclear power systems, railway and ship systems, electrical works, air conditioning, and ICT equipment. The Semiconductor segment focuses on industrial and automotive power semiconductors, while Others includes financial services, real estate, insurance, travel, and printing services.

Belimo Holding AG is engaged in the development, production, and sales of field devices for the energy-efficient control of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. The focus of the core business is on damper actuators, control valves, sensors, and meters, such as fire damper actuators, valve actuators, globe valves, throttle valves, duct sensors (air), and outdoor sensors (air), among others. The company, along with its subsidiaries, has four reportable operating segments: EMEA, Americas, Asia Pacific, and Shared Services. Maximum revenue for the company is generated from the Americas.

NIBE Industrier AB manufactures and sells energy-efficient products for industrial and consumer use. The firm is organized into three segments by product type. The climate solutions segment, which generates the majority of revenue, sells HVAC systems and hot water heaters to homes, apartment buildings, and other large properties. The elements segment sells components and elements to multiple industries, including appliance manufacturers, home remodelers, energy, and automotive. The stoves segment sells energy-efficient stoves and chimney systems to residential and commercial customers. The vast majority of revenue comes from Europe.

Hadrian is a Los Angeles-headquartered precision manufacturing firm automating factories for aerospace and defense sectors. It deploys software-controlled robotic systems producing high-tolerance metal components such as turbine blades, satellite brackets, and rocket engine parts from materials including titanium and Inconel. Founded in 2020, the company equips facilities for clients building SpaceX rockets, Boeing jets, and Joby Aviation eVTOLs, reducing lead times from weeks to days through AI-orchestrated machining centers.

Omron Corporation, founded in 1933 and headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, is a leading global manufacturer specializing in automation, sensing, and control technologies. The company operates through diverse business segments, including industrial automation, healthcare, social systems, device & module solutions, and data solutions. Its offerings range from factory automation equipment, electronic components, and social infrastructure systems to medical devices and healthcare data analytics. With operations across Japan, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and other regions, Omron plays a pivotal role in advancing industrial productivity, healthcare innovation, and social infrastructure, guided by its mission of “improving lives and contributing to a better society.”

Xiaoyu Zhizao is a Chinese manufacturer of industrial robots headquartered in Hangzhou, specializing in collaborative robots, automated assembly lines, and intelligent automation systems for factories in electronics, automotive, and logistics sectors.

Apptronik is an Austin-based developer of humanoid robots including the Apollo model for logistics, manufacturing, and service applications. The company builds general-purpose robots capable of handling repetitive tasks in warehouses and hazardous environments to boost human productivity. Apptronik collaborates with NASA and delivers systems through its manufacturing services division, focusing on bipedal mobility, dexterity, and AI-driven autonomy.

LexxPluss is a Japanese developer of autonomous mobile robots for warehouse logistics, combining self-navigation and remote guidance modes. Tokyo-headquartered, its Lexx robot handles pallet transport in e-commerce facilities, integrating with WMS like SAP. Deployed in sites for Amazon Japan and Rakuten, it reduces labor by 40 percent across 50 installations. Founded in 2020, the company expanded to Southeast Asia.

Sharpa is an AI robotics company developing automated robotics for commercial food service, including a fully automated robot restaurant built in partnership with CFB Group's Dairy Queen franchise in China. Founded in 2024 by the three co-founders of Hesai Technology, CEO David Li, CTO Xiang Shaoqing, and chief scientist Sun Kai, the company is using its early capital to commercialize automated restaurant operations and expand into broader robotics applications.

Accelerant is a cannabis manufacturing company based in Oakland, California, producing automated pre-roll filling machines for dispensaries and brands. Its Accelerant PRO system outputs up to 1,200 pre-rolls per hour with precise 0.3-gram fills and integrated twisting mechanisms. Offered as Production as a Service, the model includes on-site maintenance and scales pricing per unit produced, serving processors in California and Colorado compliant with state packaging regulations.