Disti

What Disti does

DiSTI Corporation is a privately held Orlando-based software company founded in 1994 that develops graphical user interface software and customized 3-D virtual maintenance training (VMT) solutions for safety-critical industries. The company sells two flagship platforms: GL Studio, an HMI authoring tool used to design and deploy cockpit instruments, displays, infotainment systems, and embedded UI for aviation, automotive, defense, and industrial programs (with ISO 26262 ASIL D qualification for safety-critical displays); and VE Studio, a virtual maintenance training development platform built on Unity 6 that produces immersive 3D, VR, and mixed-reality (via VE Mentor) training applications for warfighter, operator, and technician use cases. Supporting products include DiSTI Schoolhouse, a browser-based 3D training platform integrated with customer LMS systems.

DiSTI monetizes the platform through a mix of enterprise software licensing (GL Studio, VE Studio) and high-margin professional services — custom turnkey training systems, mission rehearsal solutions, and consulting engagements delivered by in-house engineering teams. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; sales run through a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting U.S. government and Fortune 500 OEMs, supplemented by systems-integrator partnerships (Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, Leidos), technology alliances (Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, Green Hills, QNX, MathWorks, Renesas), and VAR/distributor channels (Collins Aerospace, Bohemia Interactive, GlobalLogic, Leonardo). Named customers include the U.S. Army (SGT STOUT M-SHORAD trainer), U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (five-year Complex Media IDIQ), Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, and The Spaceship Company, with deployments across 45+ countries and a cumulative 1,000+ project base.

The company is PE-backed, with Dos Rios Partners (Chair: Kevin Benoit) and Akoya Capital (board member John Regazzi) holding institutional stakes alongside founder Joe Swinski, who serves as Vice Chairman. DiSTI is ISO 9001:2015 certified (since 2015, current through 2027) and has been recognized as an Orlando Sentinel Top 100 employer for five consecutive years (2021-2025) and a 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence honoree across 10 categories. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range, with recent product cadence (GL Studio 8.3, 8.4; VE Studio 6.0, 6.1) and expanded service offerings in digital twin, software-defined vehicle, and AI/intelligent technology integration pointing to an investment-led growth posture.

Name

Disti

Legal name

The DiSTI Corporation

Website

https://disti.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DiSTI Corporation, founded 1994 in Orlando, develops GL Studio HMI authoring software and VE Studio virtual maintenance training platforms for safety-critical aviation, automotive, defense, and industrial customers, including the U.S. Army, Navy, and major aerospace primes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Simulation and HMI Development Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Labs, Simulations & Virtual Practicals (Non-XR) (EDAFACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Tools & Content Pipelines for Immersive Learning (VR lesson builders, 3D asset workflows) (EDAFAJAL), Developer Experience Platforms for Enterprise (IDEs, CI/CD, Dev Portals) (HDAEAKAI), Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD), Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools) (EDABAFAA)

Keywords

• HMI development software
• Virtual maintenance training
• Safety-critical displays
• Mixed-reality training
• Simulation software

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Licensing of GL Studio HMI development tool and VE Studio virtual training platform to customers for development and deployment of their own training solutions.
2. Professional Services: Custom turnkey training systems, maintenance trainers, mission rehearsal solutions, and consulting services delivered by DiSTI's engineering teams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DiSTI develops and sells the GL Studio HMI development toolkit used to build safety-critical embedded graphical user interfaces, and the VE Studio family of virtual maintenance training products (VE Studio, VE Mentor, and DiSTI Schoolhouse). It also delivers professional services including custom software engineering, digital twin development, software-defined vehicle solutions, instructional systems design, and AI integration for customers in defense, aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical, space, and power and energy markets.

Product overview

DiSTI offers a comprehensive portfolio of HMI development tools and virtual training solutions. The core products include GL Studio® for Human Machine Interface development (with variants for safety-critical, avionics, micro, and mixed-criticality applications) and VE Studio® for virtual maintenance training (which includes VMT capabilities). Supporting products include VE Mentor™ for mixed-reality training and DiSTI Schoolhouse™ for browser-based deployment. The product architecture spans from embedded HMI design tools to immersive 3D training platforms, enabling customers to create, deploy, and manage interactive training and interface solutions across aviation, automotive, defense, industrial, medical, and space sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GL Studio®: Human Machine Interface software development tool for designing cockpit instruments and displays. A leading HMI development tool for user interface design and development software.
• VE Studio®
• VE Mentor™
• DiSTI Schoolhouse™

Products and services

• GL Studio GL Studio is DiSTI's flagship HMI development toolkit and runtime used to design, prototype, and deploy safety-critical embedded graphical user interfaces for cockpits, vehicle clusters, infotainment, ADAS displays, and other mission-critical operator interfaces. It is certified to ISO 26262 ASIL D for automotive use and targets automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and aerospace and defense primes.
• VE Studio VE Studio is DiSTI's virtual maintenance training platform that enables organizations to build high-fidelity 3D interactive training simulations for complex equipment. It is used by defense, aerospace, industrial, medical, and power and energy customers to replace or augment live training.
• VE Mentor VE Mentor is DiSTI's mixed-reality training product that uses immersive VR/AR experiences to deliver maintenance and procedural training. It is built on Unity 6 and targets organizations seeking hands-on, head-mounted training for technicians working on complex systems.
• DiSTI Schoolhouse DiSTI Schoolhouse is a browser-based e-learning platform that complements VE Studio and VE Mentor by delivering course content, assessments, and training records management to distributed workforces. It is used in conjunction with DiSTI's virtual maintenance training offerings across industrial, defense, and aerospace customers.
• Custom Software Engineering Services DiSTI provides custom software engineering services that apply GL Studio, VE Studio, and related technologies to customer-specific HMI, training, digital twin, and software-defined vehicle programs. Services include project-based development, integration, and long-term sustainment for defense, aerospace, automotive, and industrial clients.
• Digital Twin Solutions DiSTI delivers digital twin solutions that combine its HMI and 3D visualization capabilities with customer engineering data to create interactive virtual replicas of complex assets. These solutions support validation, training, and operational decision-making for aerospace, automotive, industrial, and power and energy customers.
• Software-Defined Vehicle Solutions DiSTI offers software-defined vehicle solutions that help automotive OEMs and Tier 1s design, simulate, and certify next-generation in-vehicle experiences. The offering leverages GL Studio's ISO 26262 ASIL D certified runtime together with digital twin and custom engineering capabilities.
• Instructional Systems Design and AI Integration Services DiSTI provides instructional systems design and AI integration services to help customers design effective training curricula and embed AI-driven features into their HMI and training programs. These services are typically delivered alongside VE Studio, VE Mentor, and DiSTI Schoolhouse deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Virtual training environments significantly improve warfighter throughput and knowledge retention throughout the warfighter's career, ultimately contributing to mission success.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Booz Allen HamiltoncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSystems integrator partner for defense training programs, providing implementation and consulting services for DiSTI's virtual training solutions.
• General DynamicscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSystems integrator partner for defense programs, integrating DiSTI's training solutions into broader defense systems.
• LeidoscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSystems integrator partner for defense and intelligence training solutions.
• AlpineminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSystems integrator partner for automotive and industrial training solutions.
• IntelcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner providing processor platforms for DiSTI's HMI and training solutions.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner providing GPU platforms for graphics-intensive training simulations.
• AMDcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner providing graphics and embedded processing solutions.
• Green Hills SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for safety-critical embedded software integration.
• QNXcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for automotive and embedded HMI solutions.
• MathWorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for simulation and model-based design integration.
• Renesas ElectronicscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for embedded HMI solutions on automotive platforms.
• Collins AerospacecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValue-added reseller and distributor for aerospace training solutions.
• Bohemia InteractiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValue-added reseller for simulation and training solutions.
• GlobalLogicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValue-added reseller for technology services and solutions.
• LeonardocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner for defense and aerospace training solutions.
• HPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner for hardware platforms.
• National Center for Simulation (NCS)minorOthersIndustry association member supporting simulation and training industry standards.
• NTSA (National Training Systems Association)minorOthersIndustry association member with DiSTI leadership serving in governance roles.
• NDIA (National Defense Industrial Association)minorOthersIndustry association member supporting defense industry engagement.
• VRAR AssociationminorOthersIndustry association member for VR/AR technology in training and simulation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CAE: CAE is a global leader in military flight simulation and training with integrated hardware-plus-software programs. It competes with DiSTI for defense virtual training programs and broader synthetic training services across aviation and defense.
• ANSYS: ANSYS is a broad engineering simulation platform with strength in physics-based simulation, digital twin, and systems engineering. It competes at the higher end of industrial and defense simulation, adjacent to DiSTI's VE Studio offerings for digital twin and maintenance training.
• Siemens Digital Industries Software (Mentor Graphics): Siemens offers embedded software and HMI tools as part of its broader EDA and embedded portfolio (formerly Mentor Graphics). It competes with DiSTI's GL Studio in automotive safety-critical HMI development, especially within OEM and Tier-1 design flows.

Direct peers

• Bohemia Interactive Simulations: BISim develops VBS (Virtual Battlespace) and other military simulation products widely used by NATO and U.S. DoD. It directly competes with DiSTI's VE Studio for virtual maintenance and mission rehearsal training contracts and is also a value-added reseller of DiSTI's tools.
• Presagis: Presagis provides HMI development tools and embedded graphics solutions for avionics, automotive, and defense — overlapping directly with GL Studio's safety-critical display business and competing on similar certification-backed toolchains.
• Altia: Altia offers DeepScreen, a graphical user interface development tool for embedded displays in automotive, medical, and industrial applications. It is a direct competitor to GL Studio for HMI code generation and embedded GUI deployment.
• Crank Software: Crank Software's Storyboard is a UI development tool for embedded HMI in automotive, medical, and industrial devices. It targets a similar developer audience and competes head-to-head with GL Studio for safety-critical and resource-constrained display projects.
• MAK Technologies (a Flightsafety company): MAK provides simulation interoperability software and virtual training platforms used across defense and aerospace. It competes with VE Studio for distributed simulation, networked training, and military simulation environments.
• Rightware (Thundersoft): Rightware's Kanzi toolchain is widely adopted for automotive digital cockpit and instrument cluster UI development. It is one of the leading direct competitors to GL Studio in the automotive HMI market, with comparable safety-critical tooling claims.

Others

• Unity Technologies: Unity is a general-purpose real-time 3D engine used for both HMI prototyping and VR/mixed-reality training. It is a technology alliance partner of DiSTI but also an alternative for buyers evaluating XR training solutions, making it an adjacent competitor in the broader simulation stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/disticorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/disti-corporation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Disti