Originally coined by the German Ministry of Education and Research to promote the digitization of manufacturing, the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is characterized by the convergence of digital systems and networks within the physical realm of manufacturing. While the concept was originally tied to manufacturing, many of the enabling technologies can be applied to automating service industries as well. The value is an increase in productivity for developed market labor whether in supply chain, real estate, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing or other services.
The convergence of integrated software, efficient hardware and modern networking infrastructure has created a new technology environment. Industry 4.0 sits at the convergence of these technologies and enables many industries that we actively track. Catalyst’s history in software and TMT is quite relevant to Industry 4.0. We are excited to meet and partner with growth stage companies that are built as Industry 4.0 solutions from the ground up, as well as existing service businesses that can adopt Industry 4.0 technologies as an evolution.