Final 25-Sector Roster (v1, pre-ranking)
Set 2026-09-15. IDs are stable identifiers, not ranks. Ranking is computed after research from the 11-criterion scorecards.
Net change vs. the brief's starting list: 3 splits, 3 merges, 0 additions, 25 → 25.
| ID | Slug | Sector | Change vs. brief | Scope note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | ai-foundation-models | AI foundation models & compute infrastructure | SPLIT from "AI and software" | Frontier labs, training/inference compute, model APIs, AI data centres, agents-as-infrastructure. Excludes application-layer SaaS (→02). |
| 02 | enterprise-software | Enterprise software & SaaS | SPLIT from "AI and software" | Application layer, dev tools, data infra, vertical SaaS, IT services. The sector being disrupted by 01 — opposite capital and pricing dynamics, hence the split. |
| 03 | semiconductors-hardware | Semiconductors, advanced hardware & quantum | MERGE: quantum computing folded in; consumer devices absorbed | Logic, memory/HBM, foundry, advanced packaging, EDA, equipment, networking silicon, consumer devices, and quantum as a compute-roadmap subindustry. |
| 04 | cybersecurity | Cybersecurity & digital trust | kept | Security software/services, identity, AI-security, post-quantum cryptography, fraud, nation-state threat. |
| 05 | energy-power | Energy & power systems | SPLIT from "Energy, climate & sustainability" | Generation, grid, nuclear/SMR, gas, renewables deployment, storage, power markets, data-centre interconnection. Split because power capital is booming on AI demand while climate-tech venture compresses — opposite directions. |
| 06 | healthcare-biotech | Healthcare, biotech & life sciences | kept | Pharma, biotech, medtech, diagnostics, providers, payers, digital health, tools. |
| 07 | finance-fintech | Finance, fintech & payments | kept | Banking, capital markets, payments, lending, insurtech, wealth, RegTech. |
| 08 | aerospace-defense-space | Aerospace, defense & space | SPLIT from "Industrial, manufacturing, logistics, aerospace & defense" | Commercial aero, defence primes, defence tech, launch, satellites, space services. Split on driver: government procurement + geopolitics, not trade + automation. Post-SpaceX-IPO this is now a distinct public capital market. |
| 09 | industrial-supply-chain | Industrial manufacturing, supply chain & logistics | SPLIT from same | Discrete/process manufacturing, reshoring, freight, shipping, warehousing, industrial software, critical minerals. |
| 10 | automotive-mobility | Automotive, mobility & transportation | kept | OEMs, EVs, batteries, autonomy, charging, rail, micromobility, fleets. |
| 11 | startups-vc | Startups, venture capital & private markets | kept, reclassified cross-cutting | Not an industry but a capital layer spanning all others. Retained on intelligence-demand and paid-research grounds — it is the single most monetised trend-research category. Flagged so its metrics are never double-counted into sector totals. |
| 12 | retail-ecommerce | Retail & e-commerce | kept | Marketplaces, DTC, grocery, retail media, logistics-last-mile, physical retail. |
| 13 | robotics-automation | Robotics & physical automation | kept | Industrial robots, cobots, humanoids, warehouse automation, agricultural robotics, surgical robotics. |
| 14 | media-film-tv | Media: film, television & video | kept | Studios, streaming, exhibition, sports rights, short-form video, production tech. |
| 15 | gaming-immersive | Gaming, virtual worlds & immersive media | kept | Console/PC/mobile games, engines, UGC platforms, esports, XR, virtual worlds. |
| 16 | advertising-marketing | Advertising, marketing & brand | kept | Ad tech, retail media, measurement, agencies, martech, brand strategy. |
| 17 | social-creator-apps | Social platforms, creator economy & consumer apps | MERGE: consumer apps folded in | Social networks, creator monetisation, consumer subscription apps, messaging, AI companions. Merged because the consumer app market in 2026 is substantially the social/creator market plus AI assistants (which sit in 01). |
| 18 | real-estate-construction | Real estate, architecture & construction | kept | CRE, residential, proptech, construction tech, materials, data-centre real estate, architecture. |
| 19 | food-beverage-agriculture | Food, beverage & agriculture | kept | Ag inputs, farming, ag-tech, CPG food/bev, foodservice, alt-protein, food retail supply. |
| 20 | climate-sustainability | Climate tech, sustainability & carbon markets | SPLIT from "Energy, climate & sustainability" | Carbon removal/markets, adaptation, circularity, ESG reporting and its retrenchment, climate risk analytics, industrial decarbonisation. |
| 21 | crypto-digital-assets | Crypto & digital assets | kept | L1/L2s, stablecoins, tokenisation/RWA, DeFi, exchanges, custody, CBDCs, crypto regulation. |
| 22 | education-workforce | Education, edtech & workforce development | kept | K-12, higher ed, edtech, corporate L&D, credentialing, labour-market reskilling. |
| 23 | fashion-beauty | Fashion, beauty & personal care | kept | Luxury, apparel, footwear, beauty, resale, textiles, supply-chain regulation. |
| 24 | publishing-music-ip | Publishing, music & rights-based IP | MERGE of "Music & audio" + "Publishing, books, comics & webtoons" | Merged on a real analytical rationale: both sectors' dominant 2026 trend is the same trend — who owns, licenses and is paid for IP used in AI training and generation. Catalogue/rights licensing economics is the shared spine. Covers books, comics/webtoons, news publishing, recorded music, publishing rights, podcasts, audio. |
| 25 | travel-hospitality | Travel, tourism & hospitality | kept | Airlines, hotels, OTAs, cruise, short-term rental, destinations, travel tech. |
Categories considered and NOT given a standalone slot
Recorded for transparency; each is routed to a host sector and each is a candidate for a 26th–29th sector in Phase 2.
| Candidate | Why excluded now | Routed to |
|---|---|---|
| Telecom & connectivity (incl. 6G, satellite broadband) | Strongest omission on the list; excluded only because the 25 slots were full. Should be the first addition in Phase 2. | Satellite → 08; network silicon & 6G → 03; consumer connectivity → 17 |
| Insurance | Large, data-rich, being reshaped by climate risk and AI underwriting; conventionally nested under financial services | 07, with climate-risk underwriting in 20 |
| Professional services & legal | Among the most directly AI-disrupted white-collar sectors; weak public data and low company-tracking density | 02 (legal tech), 22 (workforce effects) |
| Mining & critical minerals | Essential upstream to both 03 and 05/10; small in company count, treated as a supply-chain input | 09, with demand-side in 05 and 10 |
| Water | Rising strategic importance incl. data-centre cooling; very thin trackable company set | 20, with data-centre water in 05/18 |
| "Frontier science" (ex-quantum) | Residual bucket with no coherent market structure. Dissolved: fusion → 05, bio-tools → 06, advanced materials → 09, space science → 08 | dissolved |
Research provenance
- Source artifact
- 01-frameworks/02-industry-roster.md
- Corpus date
- 15 September 2026
- Prepared for this site
- 16 September 2026
- Site publication
- 18 September 2026
- Verification
- Inherited; not fully rechecked