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Key Takeaways for the Industry 5.0 Market

The global Industry 5.0 market is expected to reach USD 312.24 billion by 2030 at a 29.7% CAGR (2025-2030). This positions Industry 5.0 as a human-machine collaboration and AI-enabled manufacturing stack rather than a generic Industry 4.0 upgrade.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reports that 542 000 new industrial robots were installed globally in 2024. Asia accounts for 74% (401 665 units), Europe 17% (92 393), and the Americas 8% (48 205). It also projects 575 000 installations in 2025 and expects annual installations to exceed 700 000 by 2028.

Moreover, the global operational stock of industrial robots reached 4.66 million units in 2024. This quantifies factory-scale automation maturity beyond annual shipment headlines.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network (often treated as the best-publicized benchmark set for scaled smart factory transformations) expanded to 223 lighthouse sites as of January 2026. They span over 30 countries and 40+ industries. This offers a credible signal that advanced manufacturing execution is moving from pilots into repeatable operating models.

2026 Baseline: 2.2M EU Manufacturers and 30.2M Jobs

The formal conceptualization of Industry 5.0 began in European Commission discussions. The foundational white paper, Industry 5.0 – Towards a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry, was completed in January 2021 by Maija Breque, Lars De Nul, and Athanasios Petridis from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

To advance Industry 5.0 implementation, the European Commission launched the Industry 5.0 Community of Practice (CoP 5.0) on November 16, 2023. This initiative brings together more than 100 stakeholders, including businesses, research institutions, RTOs, and policymakers, to share practices, co-create actions, and build collaborations.

Eurostat’s latest data sizes the EU manufacturing base at 2.2 million enterprises employing 30.2 million people in 2023. It generates EUR 2.5 trillion in value added and EUR 9.9 trillion in net turnover. This provides a concrete industrial substrate for Industry 5.0 rollouts in Europe and a reality check on how large the addressable operational footprint is.

There is an EU R&D expenditure of EUR 403 billion in 2024, with R&D intensity at 2.24% of GDP. As a context metric, this supports that Industry 5.0 scaling is tightly coupled to sustained R&D investment capacity, especially for industrial AI, robotics safety, and systems engineering.

Further, ABB Robotics generated USD 2.3 billion in sales in 2024 and employed 7000 people, with a reported 12.1% operational EBITA margin. These numbers quantify what one top-tier robotics platform looks like in revenue and workforce terms.

Moreover, the global Industry 5.0 market is projected to reach USD 312.24 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 29.7% between 2025 and 2030.

 

 

Our database maps Industry 5.0 ecosystem maturity with 130+ startups and over 770 companies. It reflects a 3.9% yearly industry growth rate across global industrial markets.

From a broader perspective, patents in this domain emphasize occupational health and safety (OHS) and human-machine collaboration. State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) leads globally with more than 2500 patent families in OHS detection technologies. China Southern Power Grid follows with 692 patent families. Meanwhile, Huawei, Samsung, and IBM each hold between 200 and 300 patent families focused on worker safety and detection systems.

 

 

Startup Proof Points: Collaborative Robotics Funding Hits USD 100M

BRD Innova manufactures an Autonomous Palletizing Robot

Italian startup BRD Innova creates Kraken RT30, an autonomous palletizing robot for CNC milling machines. It manages loading, unloading, and pallet sequencing across 3-, 4-, and 5-axis operations.

The robot integrates with CNC controls such as Fanuc, Siemens, and Heidenhain. It also coordinates warehouse management and CNC program execution using dedicated software to maintain continuous machining cycles.

The startup’s robot employs a rotating table with ZeroClamp technology for precise pallet positioning. Further, the predefined pallet coordinates eliminate repeated zeroing, while a hydraulic-free design simplifies installation and maintenance.

Kraken RT30 supports up to 30 pallets, handles loads of 250 kilograms, clamps more than 180 items at once, and reaches CNC worktables with an extended rotating arm.

BRD Innova reduces production downtime, addresses skilled labor shortages, and enables priority-driven manufacturing that improves productivity and resource use.

Provance AI supports Integrated Facility Management

Turkish startup Provance AI builds an AI-driven facility management platform built around its predictive agent ROVA and interconnected PROModules.

The startup’s platform collects real-time data from IoT sensors, staff inputs, and operational systems. ROVA then analyzes events, detects anomalies, assigns tasks, manages CNC-like workflows, and learns continuously from on-site behavior.

It supports real-time monitoring, automated task allocation with PROStaff smart cards, predictive issue recognition, performance scoring with gamification, instant reporting, QR code validation, and token-based rewards aligned with ESG compliance.

The startup’s system applies to cleaning, security, and technical facility operations. These features enable faster response times, lower operational costs, and improved service quality through coordinated automation.

iTrackz creates Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions

UK-based startup iTrackz develops the ACE Lite asset tracking system for monitoring high-value mobile equipment in indoor environments.

The system attaches self-powered ACE Tags directly to assets. These tags communicate via BLE mesh technology with a secure IoT telematics gateway, which transmits location data to a cloud-based app and dashboard within minutes.

Besides, the startup supports fast installation without wiring, scalable deployment from a few assets to full inventories, reliable reconnection when assets move out of range, and optional XYZ positioning with anchor configurations.

It also integrates with existing facility or fleet management systems using open APIs. Further, over-the-air diagnostics and firmware updates maintain system reliability.

iTrackz reduces asset loss risk, improves operational productivity, and lowers insurance and replacement costs. It enables organizations to maintain continuous visibility of valuable mobile assets across healthcare, industry, logistics, and cultural institutions.

DIA Industries offers an Industrial Robotics Platform

UAE-based startup DIA Industries manufactures AI-powered humanoid robotics and industrial AI platforms to automate controlled tasks in manufacturing, logistics, and quality-focused environments.

The startup integrates the Alve Generation 01 humanoid robot with the Alve AI platform and the Alve Developer Platform. These platforms connect physical task execution with data-driven intelligence and continuous learning.

The Alve Generation 01 handles precision assembly, material movement, and inspection tasks. It uses servo motors, embedded safety systems, and AI-based decision logic for extended industrial operation.

Further, the Alve AI platform applies machine learning, natural language processing, and process optimization to improve production efficiency, enable predictive maintenance, and support automated decision workflows.

Meanwhile, the Alve Developer Platform manages datasets, trains AI models, and deploys them into robots or local systems. This enables scalable human-robot collaboration that improves efficiency, safety, and operational control across industrial environments.

FirstLanguage Technologies enables Intelligent Document Interaction

Indian startup FirstLanguage Technologies develops an AI-driven language and document intelligence platform that structures, enriches, and operationalizes enterprise content across formats and systems.

The platform applies natural language processing and large language models to digital assets and documents. It extracts linguistic metadata, standardizes terminology, and enables precise, context-aware information retrieval from files such as PDFs, DOCX, and CSVs.

Besides, the platform integrates DocZen, a document interaction solution, which transforms static documents into dynamic, interactive resources. It delivers accurate answers with visual insights and supports real-time processing across large document repositories using chat-based interfaces.

Further, the solution improves semantic consistency, searchability, and workflow efficiency. It also reduces manual document handling and fragmented knowledge access.

Innovation Signals: Digital Twins & High Robot Density Set the Pace

Discover the emerging trends in the Industry 5.0 market along with their firmographic details:

 

 

Collaborative Robotics

This is a key Industry 5.0 trend. It involves over 3000 companies employing ~193 100 workers and adding 80+ employees last year. These solutions support safe human-robot interaction to enable flexible production, ergonomic improvements, and adaptive workflows in manufacturing, logistics, and assembly.

The trend shows 1.19% annual growth, reflecting adoption as organizations pursue incremental automation that complements human skills rather than replacing labor.

Spatial Computing

It is another Industry 5.0 trend that is supported by 1300 companies and a workforce of over 45 200 employees, with 40+ people added last year. Companies use spatial computing for digital twins, augmented reality interfaces, and real-time spatial mapping to improve situational awareness and decision-making on factory floors.

The trend records 16.6% annual growth, which shows demand for immersive visualization and context-aware systems in complex industrial settings.

PwC’s economic impact assessment estimates that VR and AR could deliver a USD 1.5 trillion boost to the global economy by 2030.

Industrial AI

This domain continues to expand in Industry 5.0. It includes 695+ companies employing ~55 900 workers and adding 15+ employees last year. These solutions enable predictive maintenance, quality optimization, and autonomous process control by combining machine learning with operational and sensor data.

The trend shows 15.8% annual growth, indicating adoption as manufacturers seek data-driven efficiency, resilience, and human-centric decision support across production systems.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Industry 5.0 Market

The Industry 5.0 investment landscape records an average investment value of USD 5 million per funding round. This figure reflects measured capital deployment across early-stage and growth-stage companies.

More than 270 investors participated in over 260 funding rounds. Their involvement indicates a diversified investor base supporting innovation in human-centric, resilient, and technology-enabled industrial solutions.

Moreover, Italy’s Transition 5.0 Plan allocates EUR 12.7 billion in funding for 2024-2025. It offers tax credits up to 45%, and 50% for photovoltaic projects, to companies that reduce energy consumption by at least 3% at the facility level or 5% at the process level with digital investments.

The combined value invested by top investors exceeds USD 412 million, showing concentrated capital deployment across major Industry 5.0 innovators.

 

SoftBank Group’s acquisition disclosure states it will acquire ABB’s carved-out robotics holding company for a total purchase price of USD 5.37 billion. ABB separately notes that the transaction is expected to close in mid-to-late 2026. This is a high-signal consolidation event around physical AI and industrial robotics scale.

Siemens completed the acquisition of Altair for an enterprise value of USD 10 billion in March, 2025. This is a strong industrial software stack investment signal because Altair expands Siemens’ simulation, HPC, and industrial AI footprint – directly relevant to digital twin-heavy Industry 5.0 operating models.

Moreover, Collaborative Robotics (Cobot) raised a USD 100 million Series B (April 2024), bringing total funding to USD 140+ million and valuing the company at >USD 500 million. The company also reported 35 employees with plans to double headcount.

This is a clean venture signal for human-centric automation focused on practical deployment rather than humanoid form factors.

Figure also raised USD 675 million at a USD 2.6 billion valuation, with strategic investors including Nvidia and Microsoft, and a collaboration agreement with OpenAI. Even if humanoids aren’t the core scope, the funding magnitude is a useful proxy for capital intensity and investor belief in general-purpose robotics trajectories adjacent to Industry 5.0.

How This Report Was Built

This Industry 5.0 market outlook is built on proprietary intelligence from the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 9M+ companies, 25K+ technologies and trends, and 190M+ patents, news articles, and market reports. It maps the shift from automation-first programs to human-centric, resilient manufacturing across collaborative robotics, industrial AI, digital twins and simulation, edge/IIoT data pipelines, OT cybersecurity, and worker safety and augmentation.

The analysis also tracks how adoption is being executed through signals like robotics deployment density, plant-level AI rollout, digital thread standardization, and energy efficiency upgrades tied to incentives. In practice, Industry 5.0 is materializing where manufacturers can convert resilience and sustainability targets into capex-backed modernization roadmaps.