September 2025

From Pilots To Production

Where industrial technology starts delivering.

The second half of the industrial year isn’t slowing— it’s shifting gears. Robotics is moving from pilots to production, AI is embedding into daily operations, and industrial leaders face decisions they can no longer postpone.

By 2030, digital and connected technologies are expected to generate $5.5–$12.6 trillion in new value, driven by adoption in factories, supply chains, and healthcare (McKinsey, 2025). The question: who will capture it?

In a recent conversation with Frost & Sullivan, Momenta Founder Ken Forster explored the transformations redefining Europe’s industrial future. The discussion touched on where innovation is accelerating the fastest, which technologies leaders continue to underestimate, and how the shift from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 will unfold.

For executives, investors, and innovators, the signals are clear:

• Europe’s Strategic Role: A powerhouse in industrial revenues but challenged in scaling globally.

• Industrial AI’s Edge: Still overlooked, yet already driving resilience, efficiency, and sustainability.

• Future-Proof Startups: AI ventures with deep industry expertise (like Edge Impulse, Composabl, and Luffy AI) stand to endure beyond the hype.

• Industry 5.0 Horizon: Human-centric, sustainable innovation is advancing from concept to reality.
  

👉 Download the full interview here.

Industrial Signals to Watch

• Cobots Gain Ground (FT) – Now 11% of new robot installs, growing >30% annually.

• China Targets Mid-Market (Reuters) – ABB’s quick-setup, voice-controlled robots open automation to mid-sized firms.

• AI Scales Custom Manufacturing (IBD) – Xometry’s 166% surge shows AI marketplaces turning bespoke into scalable.

• Portfolio in Action – NODE Robotics partners with Advantech (a Momenta LP) to advance AMR innovation.

So what?

The market is shifting from pilot hype to measurable impact—and it’s also visible across Momenta’s portfolio.

Portfolio Impact: Results You Can Measure 

AICA SA Modular, drag-and-drop robot programming that enables sensor-driven, reactive behaviours. 👉 Watch the AICAdemy webinar

Fleet Space accelerates mineral discovery with quantum sensing + AI (mDetect, Nomad Atomics, DeteQt) while lowering environmental impact.

HighByte introduces Intelligence Hub 4.2 with MCP server + agentic AI; native hooks to Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenTelemetry, and Git.

Litmus delivers next-gen edge AI: real-time analysis, GPU-accelerated reasoning, and on-prem LLMs (Phi, Llama) inside Litmus Edge.

NODE Robotics enables faster, simpler AMR deployments via NODE.OS + Advantech controllers (Intel Core Ultra, NVIDIA AGX), setting a new benchmark for scalability.

Our LPs Making Waves

Advantech MIC-742-AT Jetson Thor Robotics Dev Kit with built-in Holoscan, delivering powerful edge-AI for next-gen robotics.

Nippon Steel completes $14.9B acquisition of U.S. Steel; $11B earmarked for U.S. investments through 2028.

Rockwell Automation 61% of manufacturing cybersecurity professionals plan to adopt AI/ML security next year; cyber risk is now a board-level concern. 👉 Download the Rockwell Report

Semtech 4th-gen LoRa® showcased at IOTSWC 2025, enabling faster, more flexible long-range IoT.

From Insight to Impact

Unlike traditional consultancies, Momenta’s Advisory practice is led by practitioners who have built and scaled digital businesses themselves. We don’t just advise, we embed with senior leaders to shape strategy, drive M&A, and execute effectively.

Signals shaping industry transformation

• Telematics Consolidation Powerfleet’s acquisition of Fleet Complete, over 2.6M subscribers and $300M in annual recurring revenue, marks rapid global AIoT expansion.
• Connected Vehicle Monetization Connected-vehicle services are on track to scale from $21B (2024) to $57B (2034) as industry leaders invest in telematics, OTA, and subscription models.
• Strategic Activation By embedding a CPO and activation team, Momenta launched IoT platforms, smart-city initiatives, and agile product teams—doubling client revenues and validating market leadership.

📺 Watch our Telematics Webinar to see how these shifts are playing out in real time.

Momenta News 

Top 10 Global VC (PitchBook), two years running. Proof that focus, discipline, and vision deliver results—and why we’ll keep backing the innovators defining the future of industry. 👉Read more 

Where You’ll Find Us

TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2025 - September 3, Zürich

Deloitte Smart Manufacturing & Operations Forum 2025 -September 3–4, Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas.

The Things Conference 2025 - September 23–24, Amsterdam

Pack Expo 2025 - September 29–October 1, Las Vegas.

Brainfood: Going Beyond Hype

Noise is easy. Insight is rare. Each of these sources offers sharp takes on innovation, industry, and strategy. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or industrial leader, they’re must-reads (and listens) to stay ahead. 

Reports

• 2025 Industrial Impact® Report (Momenta) | Europe’s innovation gap as its biggest opportunity.
• Deloitte 2025 Smart Manufacturing & Operations Survey | Industry 4.0 driving agility and workforce resilience.
• State of Industrial AI 2025 (CB Insights) | Where AI is actually creating impact in industry.

Capital Signals

• Pitch Deck Blueprint: 200+ decks that raised $50B+ | Real-world investor storytelling—from metrics to design—across sectors like fintech, SaaS, and hardware.
• AI Co-Pilots in Practice | Once back-office tools, AI copilots are transforming industrial workflows — from predictive maintenance to on-floor optimization.

Books on Our Radar

• Founder vs Investor — Elizabeth Zalman & Jerry Neumann | A candid look at the tension that defines startup success.
• Chip War — Chris Miller | The book behind every semiconductor conversation in boardrooms today.
• The Silent Revolution in Manufacturing — MIT Tech Review | How emerging technologies are quietly rewriting industry rules.
• The Age of Prediction — Igor Tulchinsky & Christopher Mason | Where big data and human decision-making collide.
• The Thinking Machine — Stephen Witt | How AI is redefining creativity and control.

Looking Ahead, we’ll be back in October tracking the signals that matter most — what’s gaining momentum, what’s fading, and what’s next.

📬 Stay Ahead: Subscribe to get future editions direct to your inbox.

Let’s talk — our Venture and Advisory leaders are ready to help you shape what’s next.

Momenta is the leading Industrial Impact® venture capital firm, accelerating industrial innovators across energy, manufacturing, smart spaces, and the supply chain. Our team of deep industry operators has helped scale industry leaders and innovators to improve critical industries, the environment, and people's quality of life for over a decade. PitchBook recognized Momenta as a Top VC Fund Manager from 2023 through 2026 in its Global Manager Performance Score League Tables. For more information, please visit http://www.momenta.vc

Schedule a call to learn more about our Industrial Impact investments.