C-Labs Corporation
C-Labs Corporation is a Bellevue, Washington-based industrial IoT software company that develops the C-DEngine mesh networking framework and Factory-Relay product for secure factory-floor-to-enterprise connectivity, serving industrial manufacturers, OEMs (notably its parent TRUMPF), and machine connectivity platform providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBellevue, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What C-Labs Corporation does
C-Labs Corporation is a Bellevue, Washington-based software company founded in 2009 by Chris Muench that develops industrial-grade middleware for the Internet of Things. Its core product is the C-DEngine, a C#/.NET rapid application development framework that provisions self-organizing, secure mesh networks among industrial devices and exposes a patent-pending Natural Machine Interface (NMI) for browser-based monitoring and control. A complementary product, Factory-Relay, packages this capability for remote and mobile access to factory-floor equipment without requiring inbound firewall openings. The technology is cloud-agnostic (Azure IoT Hub, AWS, Google Cloud IoT), scales from Raspberry Pi-class devices to enterprise deployments, and supports an open plug-in architecture with off-the-shelf connectors for protocols such as OPC-UA as well as custom plug-in development.
The company operates a dual-channel go-to-market model: direct enterprise subscriptions for end-users (licensing tiers include Single, Site, and Enterprise, priced annually based on connected device count and component mix) and OEM embedded licensing on a per-unit perpetual royalty basis (TRUMPF being the flagship OEM partner). Professional services — solution design, product integration, plug-in development, 24x7 technical support, and developer training (e.g., CDE101) — are sold alongside software licenses and represent a recurring services stream. Customer segments are industrial manufacturers and machine OEMs needing IT/OT integration, plus secondary use-case segments such as enterprise IT organizations bridging corporate networks to operations technology.
In November 2015, TRUMPF International made a strategic investment and acquired a minority stake as part of the Series A round; in August 2017, TRUMPF acquired all outstanding shares of C-Labs and the company now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary. In May 2020, C-DEngine was released as open source under the MPL-V2 license on GitHub. The company has been recognized with the Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award (2020) and as a Red Herring Top 100 North America finalist (2016). Revenue, headcount growth, and post-acquisition commercial traction are not publicly disclosed.
C-Labs Corporation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- C-Labs Corporation
- Legal name
- Connectivity-Labs LLC
- Website
- https://c-labs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- C-Labs Corporation is a Bellevue, Washington-based industrial IoT software company that develops the C-DEngine mesh networking framework and Factory-Relay product for secure factory-floor-to-enterprise connectivity, serving industrial manufacturers, OEMs (notably its parent TRUMPF), and machine connectivity platform providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
C-Labs Corporation industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs) (HDAEAIAK)
Keywords
Where C-Labs Corporation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellevue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
C-Labs Corporation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licensing (Subscription): End-users license C-Labs software on a subscription basis. Subscriptions provide use of the software including all updates during the subscription term. Pricing depends on the type and quantity of components used and the peak number of 'things' connected in the configuration.
- OEM Licensing (Perpetual Royalty): OEM partners embed C-Labs software in their products on a perpetual royalty basis. OEMs are responsible for pricing, licensing, and support of their own product. C-Labs software components are treated like physical components and must be acquired and paid for in advance. Includes regular reporting obligations to ensure proper royalty payments.
- Professional Services: C-Labs offers solution design, product integration, plug-in development, technical support, and training services. These are sold alongside software licenses to help customers deploy and customize the C-DEngine and Factory-Relay products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Subscription-based end-user licensing with usage-based metrics |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | OEM perpetual royalty-based licensing per unit produced |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise, Site, and Single license tiers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
C-Labs Corporation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
C-Labs develops and licenses C-DEngine, a Rapid Application Development (RAD) framework for the Internet of Things built in C# for .NET, and Factory-Relay, a remote/mobile access solution for industrial equipment. Both products deliver secure self-organizing mesh networking, a patent-pending Natural Machine Interface, and firewall-safe IoT connectivity for industrial manufacturers and machine OEMs, sold via subscription licensing, OEM embedded royalty agreements, and professional services.
Product overview
C-Labs Corporation provides industrial-grade solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) centered on two core products: the C-DEngine and Factory-Relay. The C-DEngine is the foundational Rapid Application Development (RAD) framework providing secure mesh networking, high-performance messaging, and Natural Machine Interface (NMI) capabilities for IoT projects. Factory-Relay delivers remote and mobile access to industrial equipment using the C-DEngine as its core technology, available as software or integrated ruggedized appliance. Both products use an open plug-in architecture extensible via SDK. C-Labs also offers professional services including solution design, product integration, technical support, plug-in development, and developer training. The company was acquired by TRUMPF in 2017 but continues to operate independently, and the C-DEngine was released as open source under MPL-V2 in May 2020.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Factory-Relay: Remote and mobile access solution for industrial equipment that delivers IoT connectivity without breaking enterprise IT policies or jeopardizing safety.
- C-DEngine
Quantifiable outcome
- Software boosts customer application performance up to 10X (fourth generation C-DEngine)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use C-Labs Corporation
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
C-Labs Corporation technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature6 records
C-Labs Corporation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TRUMPF InternationalcoreTRUMPF acquired all outstanding shares of C-Labs Corporation in August 2017. TRUMPF licenses C-DEngine and Factory-Relay products for use in its industrial machines, enabling live machine data capture for predictive maintenance and improved service, compliant with customer IT and data usage policies.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
C-Labs Corporation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ClearBlade: ClearBlade offers an enterprise IoT platform with edge-to-cloud messaging and plug-in extensibility, comparable to C-DEngine's mesh networking and rapid-application-development story for industrial OEMs and enterprise IT.
- Cirrus Link Solutions: Cirrus Link's MQTT-based industrial solutions connect factory equipment to enterprise platforms and cloud services via MQTT and Sparkplug B — competing with C-DEngine's messaging protocol layer inside industrial IoT architectures.
- Litmus Automation: Litmus Automation provides an industrial edge / data platform for connecting machines and collecting operational data — comparable to Factory-Relay's remote-access and machine-data-capture use case in industrial deployments.
- Exosite (MURATA): Exosite's IoT platform enables industrial device connectivity, application development, and integration with enterprise systems — comparable plant-to-enterprise value proposition for industrial OEMs and machine builders.
Direct peers
- PTC: PTC's ThingWorx is a leading industrial IoT platform purpose-built for connecting factory-floor machines to enterprise IT — a direct competitor to C-DEngine's plant-to-enterprise integration value proposition, with established traction among discrete manufacturers and OEMs.
- Bosch Connected Industry: Bosch Connected Industry offers IoT solutions and middleware for factory automation and connected manufacturing, including OPC-UA and asset connectivity — comparable to C-Labs' industrial IoT networking and plug-in architecture serving discrete manufacturers.
- Software AG (Cumulocity IoT): Software AG's Cumulocity IoT platform offers device connectivity, analytics, and application enablement for industrial IoT — a comparable low-code-leaning platform competing for the same plant-to-enterprise integration RFPs.
- Siemens Digital Industries (MindSphere / Insights Hub): Siemens MindSphere is an industrial IoT-as-a-service platform for connecting industrial equipment, gathering operational data, and enabling predictive maintenance — directly competing with C-DEngine in plant-to-enterprise scenarios and especially relevant given Siemens Energy & Automation heritage of the C-Labs founder.
Broad incumbents
- AWS IoT Core: AWS IoT Core is hyperscaler-managed device connectivity and messaging at scale. C-DEngine positions as a complementary/distributed alternative layer to AWS IoT, competing for the same architecture budget inside enterprises.
- Azure IoT Hub: Azure IoT Hub (a publicly integrated dependency of C-DEngine) provides cloud-managed device connectivity and messaging; as a hyperscaler incumbent, it competes with parts of C-DEngine's industrial messaging stack.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
C-Labs Corporation social profiles
Digital presenceC-Labs Corporation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
C-Labs Corporation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
C-Labs Corporation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
C-Labs Corporation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about C-Labs Corporation
What does C-Labs Corporation do?
C-Labs develops and licenses C-DEngine, a Rapid Application Development (RAD) framework for the Internet of Things built in C# for .NET, and Factory-Relay, a remote/mobile access solution for industrial equipment. Both products deliver secure self-organizing mesh networking, a patent-pending Natural Machine Interface, and firewall-safe IoT connectivity for industrial manufacturers and machine OEMs, sold via subscription licensing, OEM embedded royalty agreements, and professional services.
Is C-Labs Corporation a public or private company?
C-Labs Corporation is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was C-Labs Corporation founded?
C-Labs Corporation was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is C-Labs Corporation based?
C-Labs Corporation is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, in the North America region.
How does C-Labs Corporation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing (Subscription) is the primary driver. The others are OEM Licensing (Perpetual Royalty) and professional Services.
Who are C-Labs Corporation's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are ClearBlade, Cirrus Link Solutions, Litmus Automation and Exosite (MURATA). Direct peers are PTC, Bosch Connected Industry, Software AG (Cumulocity IoT) and Siemens Digital Industries (MindSphere / Insights Hub). Broad incumbents are AWS IoT Core and Azure IoT Hub.
Does C-Labs Corporation have an API?
Yes. C-DEngine provides a Simple SDK and API for application development and system extension. The SDK enables developers to build custom plug-ins for additional communication protocols, device types, user interface elements, data ingestion, storage methods, and archiving. C-Labs also offers training courses such as CDE101 Introduction to C-DEngine Programming to help developers get productive with the technologies. Developer documentation is at github.com/TRUMPF-IoT/C-DEngine.
What industry is C-Labs Corporation in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAKAA, Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms, with a secondary code of HDAEAIAK, Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs). Its NAICS code is 3342 and its SIC code is 3576.