Istari Digital

Istari Digital, founded in 2022 in the United States by former U.S. Air Force acquisition chief Dr. Will Roper, builds digital twin technology and is developing what it describes as the world's first open and scalable industrial metaverse. The company helps industries convert physical systems into digital counterparts in order to accelerate innovation, reduce costs and minimise environmental impact. Its work spans aerospace, defence, agriculture and industrial manufacturing.

The firm's main product, the Istari Digital Twin Platform, is designed to let teams integrate engineering models across disciplines, organisations and security clearances. It uses a zero-trust, decentralised framework intended to give data owners full control of their information while allowing real-time collaboration. The platform also addresses version control of engineering models and is built to avoid vendor lock-in. Technical domains include systems modelling and simulation integration, digital certification of complex systems, and cross-organisation and cross-classification data collaboration.

The company's Flyer One programme is an initiative with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to demonstrate the world's first digitally certified aircraft. Istari Digital is backed by Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google; the amount and stage of the investment have not been disclosed.