Dalus

What do they actually do

Dalus is a cloud-based model-based systems engineering (MBSE) web app that lets hardware teams build a single, structured model of their system—covering requirements, parts/subsystems, interfaces, and behavior—instead of spreading this across Word/Excel/PowerPoint. It’s in public beta with paid tiers and an enterprise/on‑prem option for regulated work, and they state SOC 2 Type I certification (homepage, beta post, pricing/enterprise).

Today you can manage requirements with traceability and status, model system architecture using SysML‑like concepts, and attach Python or MATLAB scripts for lightweight analysis and verification checks against the model. An AI Copilot ingests large documents, extracts and links requirements, answers questions about the model, and proposes changes with visual diffs for approval before applying them. Teams get live multi‑user editing, branching, permissions, version history, and approval workflows to coordinate changes (docs – concepts, docs – Copilot, homepage – features).

Typical use: create a model and decompose it into subsystems, upload existing specs for Copilot to extract and link requirements, ask Copilot to summarize or propose architecture changes, run small verification scripts to update requirement status, and merge via branching/approvals so the model remains the single source of truth. Early engagement targets include safety‑critical teams; they list Israel Aerospace Industries as a design partner (docs – Copilot, homepage – collaboration, YC profile, blog).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Aerospace and defense engineering teams working on certified systems: They struggle to keep requirements, design artifacts, and verification results consistent and traceable for audits; deployments often require on‑prem/ITAR and formal security controls.
• Robotics and hardware product teams at startups: They waste time copying specs across Word/Excel/CAD and re‑creating requirements, making changes slow and error‑prone; they need quick requirement extraction and simple in‑tool verification.
• Automotive systems and mobility suppliers: Fragmented data between requirements, simulation, and code creates long review cycles; they need tighter links to simulators and repos so verification isn’t a separate, slow process.
• Energy and industrial equipment manufacturers: Projects span many teams and long timelines, so requirements drift and handoffs to maintenance are messy; they need a single, auditable source of truth with clear versioning and approvals.
• Program managers / compliance engineers in large orgs or systems integrators: They spend time stitching together approvals, version histories, and sign‑offs scattered across files; they need branching, approval workflows, and searchable change histories to satisfy audits.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Hand‑sell 2–3 paid, time‑boxed pilots to target accounts via founder/YC networks and the Israel Aerospace Industries relationship; dedicate onboarding support and convert by delivering a measurable traceability or verification win.
• First 50: Turn pilot wins into referrals and focused industry pipelines; run targeted workshops, sponsor one relevant conference, and add a sales engineer to execute short proofs‑of‑concept and publish concrete case studies on saved review time/audit readiness.
• First 100: Introduce repeatable channels and self‑serve for mid‑market; add domain templates, formalize reseller/consulting partnerships, launch a controlled self‑serve trial with clear success criteria, and scale sales to handle enterprise RFPs and deployments.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Dalus sits at the intersection of PLM, simulation/analysis, and requirements management. Those markets are roughly PLM ~$26B (2024), S&A ~$10.9B (2024), and requirements ~$1.9B (2023), implying a realistic, de‑duplicated TAM of about $20B–$40B (PLM, S&A, requirements).

Bottom-up calculation:

A nearer‑term SAM focused on MBSE + requirements + the portion of simulation used in systems engineering is ~MBSE $3.5B + requirements $1.9B + $3–6B slice of S&A → about $8B–$12B (MBSE, requirements, S&A).

Assumptions:

• Figures use 2023–2024 baselines from the cited market sources and are rounded.
• PLM/S&A/RM overlaps are de‑duplicated to estimate unique, addressable spend.
• Focus is on engineering‑intensive, safety‑critical hardware sectors that adopt MBSE and verification tooling.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Siemens Polarion ALM: Browser‑based ALM/requirements and traceability used in regulated industries; strong incumbent with deep enterprise integrations.
• IBM Engineering DOORS Next: Widely used enterprise requirements management with extensive compliance and audit features in safety‑critical programs.
• Cameo Systems Modeler (Dassault Systèmes): Popular SysML‑based MBSE desktop solution with strong modeling depth and enterprise ecosystem.
• Jama Connect: Modern requirements management and traceability platform adopted by hardware/software teams in regulated domains.
• Valispace: Cloud MBSE/requirements platform aimed at complex hardware teams, emphasizing collaboration and traceability.