shop-floor
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Siva Lakshmanan
Siva Lakshmanan is the CEO of DeepHow, a Detroit-based AI company that turns tribal shop-floor know-how into searchable, multilingual training video. He joined in November 2024 after running Antuit.ai through its acquisition by Zebra Technologies. His pitch is unglamorous by design: preserve the expertise of the retiring half of the manufacturing workforce before it walks out the door.
Stratus
Stratus is a cloud-based BIM-to-fabrication platform built for MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) contractors. It connects the digital model - Revit, AutoCAD and Autodesk Fabrication - to the prefab shop and the field, handling spooling, smart labeling, bend sheets, weld maps, material tracking and real-time productivity metrics so trade contractors can move from design to installed pipe, duct and conduit with less waste and fewer manual handoffs. Developed by GTP Software, Inc. (formerly GTP Services), Stratus serves large mechanical and sheet-metal contractors across North America and raised a $32M Series B in 2025.
Naologic
Naologic is a San Francisco-based software company building an AI-native, no-code manufacturing ERP. It replaces the patchwork of legacy ERP, MRP, CRM, and quality-control tools that mid-sized factories run on, with a single configurable platform that goes live in weeks instead of years - no consultants and no custom code required. Domain-specific AI 'experts' trained on a company's own data answer strategic questions, generate reports, and run autonomous multi-agent workflows.
Tulip Interfaces
Tulip Interfaces is a Boston-area software company that gives factory-floor workers a no-code platform to build the apps, dashboards, and connected-machine workflows that run modern operations. Spun out of the MIT Media Lab in 2014, Tulip treats human operators as the most valuable resource on the shop floor rather than something to automate away. Its composable platform stitches together people, machines, sensors, and AI into 'frontline operations' apps used by more than 200 manufacturers across pharma, medical devices, aerospace, and consumer goods. In January 2026 the company raised a $120M Series D led by Mitsubishi Electric at a $1.3B valuation, crossing into unicorn territory.
Jake Olsen
Jake Olsen, P.E. is the CEO of Stratus, the leading cloud software platform for MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) contractors, helping hundreds of firms digitize workflows from BIM design through fabrication to field installation. A serial entrepreneur with over 20 years in construction technology, Olsen previously co-founded DADO - a construction document management startup that was acquired by Stanley Black & Decker - and also built Hangerworks, DEWALT Design Assist, and Powercalc Anchor Design. He steered Stratus to a $32 million Series B funding round in January 2025 led by Radian Capital, positioning the company as the connective tissue between the design table, fabrication shop, and job site in the evolving era of data-driven MEP contracting.