Industry Archetypes
7 Operational Lenses
Archetypes are the seven fundamental operating patterns that determine an industry's risk fingerprint — from Biological Organism (living systems, perishability) to Digital Platform (network effects, marginal cost near zero). Each baseline is derived from correlation analysis across 422 industries, not assumptions.
Risk Profile by Archetype
Average overall risk score across analysed industries in each archetype. Sorted highest first.
Risk scores 0–5. Dataset mean: 2.90 across all 422 industries.
The 7 Archetypes
Each card links to a full archetype profile with member industries, pillar baselines, and key risk amplifiers.
Utility, Grid & Network
Network infrastructure industries where the core product is delivered continuously through fixed physical infrastructure (grids, pipelines, water systems). Characterised by the highest average risk score in the dataset (3.25). Risk is simultaneously elevated across logistics infrastructure, supply chain specification, and regulatory exposure — the defining structural condition is that all three are high at once.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Bio-Organic & Perishable
Industries where the core product is biological, living, or subject to natural growth cycles, seasonality, and decay. Risk is driven by the fundamental physics of biological commodities: they are produced in cycles, cannot be stored indefinitely, and are acutely sensitive to climate, pest, and disease events.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Heavy Industrial & Extraction
Industries characterised by large physical assets, capital-intensive operations, and complex supply chains with strict specification requirements. Includes mining, most manufacturing, and construction. The largest archetype by count — 42 of 123 analysed industries are IND.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Trade, Logistics & Flow
Industries whose primary function is the movement, storage, and intermediation of goods and services between producers and consumers. Risk is dominated by network topology, classification friction, and logistics infrastructure — not regulation or sustainability liability.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Financial & Asset Holding
Industries whose primary activity is the creation, transformation, or management of financial assets — banking, insurance, investment, and real estate. Characterised by the highest Economic Risk (ER) pillar score of any archetype (3.35), reflecting the leverage, counterparty complexity, and regulatory capital requirements that define financial industry operations.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Digital, IP & Knowledge
Industries where the primary product is intangible — software, data, intellectual property, professional knowledge, or communication services. The lowest regulatory burden of any archetype (RP mean: 2.74) and the lowest sustainability liability (SU mean: 2.66). Risk is concentrated in data classification, system integration, and technology adoption dynamics.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Human Service & Hospitality
Industries where the primary product is a human-delivered service — hospitality, healthcare, education, administrative support, arts, and personal services. The lowest average risk archetype (2.72) with the lowest Regulatory & Political exposure (RP mean: 2.37) of any archetype. Risk is concentrated in market dynamics, workforce management, and operational standardisation.
Primary Risk Signals
Top Risk Amplifiers
Compare Archetypes by Pillar
Average pillar scores across all industries in each archetype. Darker cells indicate higher scores (greater risk exposure).
| Pillar | UTL | BIO | IND | FLO | FIN | DIG | SVC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP | 3 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 3 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| SU | 3 | 3 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| LI | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| SC | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| ER | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| FR | 2.6 | 3 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| DT | 3 | 2.8 | 3 | 3 | 2.9 | 3 | 2.8 |
| IN | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| CS | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| PM | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| MD | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
Scores 0–5. Cell shading reflects relative intensity — darker = higher average score in that pillar for that archetype.
Explore Industries by Archetype
Browse our 422+ industry profiles to see how archetypes apply in practice.