World Economic Forum's 2025 Technology Pioneers: Driving Global Innovation with AI and Frontier Technologies

Meet the tech pioneers driving innovation in 2025

These companies reflect a global surge in emerging technologies, from smart robotics and spatial AI to scalable quantum solutions. What do Google, Dropbox, PayPal and SoundCloud have in common? Apart from being technology companies that have disrupted industries with products and services millions of people now rely on, they are also all alumni of the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers programme. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the community helps early-stage start-ups with technologies that can positively shape our future to grow. Since 2000, the initiative has recognized more than 1,200 companies, many of which have gone on to shape industries. In 2025, the Forum has selected 100 start-ups from 28 countries to join the community. The cohort reflects wider shifts in the innovation landscape with many of the companies using artificial intelligence (AI) to scale using fewer resources. And it stands out for its concentration of companies working to address global challenges by developing breakthrough technologies, including advanced robotics, spatial AI and more accessible quantum computing applications. "There has never been a more exciting time to dive headfirst into tech innovation," says Verena Kuhn, Head of Innovator Communities at the Forum. "But no one gets far alone - you need a community to move your mission forward." The following companies offer a glimpse of the innovative solutions among the 2025 cohort, and some of the key areas that they are addressing. Whether it's emissions or food waste, reducing the amount created is vital to addressing our impact on the climate. Companies in this year's cohort are developing solutions to help deal with what's left. Rubi Laboratories uses enzymes to capture CO2 and convert it into cellulose, which can be used for textiles. Hyfé is helping food producers get more value from crops with a refining process that releases chemicals from food waste to create products that can be sold in industries; these include chemicals and personal care. AI is transforming sectors from agriculture to healthcare and finance to manufacturing, and it is helping many of the start-ups in this year's cohort create sophisticated products and services more efficiently. At the same time, AI-enabled tools are predicted to increase the volume and heighten the impact of cyberattacks. Cutting-edge start-ups are working to stem the tide, including BforeAI, a company founded by a former Formula 3 driver that uses predictive analysis to detect unusual behaviour and block malicious campaigns. Reality Defender, meanwhile, is addressing the growing issue of deepfakes, which are being used to exploit people and technology, by securing communication channels against deepfake impersonations in real-time. Balancing food security and access to safe drinking water with the food sector's impact is a global challenge - food is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and more than 70% of freshwater consumption. Rice, for example, supplies around half the global population with food but accounts for about 48% of GHG emissions from croplands - and is a water-intensive crop. Rize has created a data-driven platform to help farmers in Southeast Asia switch to more sustainable practices, such as letting rice fields dry before re-flooding rather than keeping them submerged. This cuts water use by 30% while reducing methane emissions. Fermata is using data science to automatically detect pests and diseases in crops, helping farmers reduce losses and increase yields. While clean energy innovation is advancing rapidly, meeting climate targets demands it moves faster, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Many of 2025's Technology Pioneers are working on solutions in this area. Exowatt has created modular energy systems, which can be rapidly deployed, that capture solar energy as high-temperature heat which is stored and converted on demand. Sweetch Energy is creating round-the-clock clean power from osmotic energy - which harnesses the energy released when freshwater mixes with salt water. The company says osmotic power, which is available in deltas and estuaries but can also be generated from industrial resources, has the potential to supply more than 15% of global electricity demand. Quantum computing has the potential to solve complex statistical problems that are beyond the capabilities of computers today, completing tasks that once might have taken long periods of time millions of times faster. EleQtron develops quantum computing hardware that traps ions and manipulates them with microwaves. Haiqu, meanwhile, is developing software for quantum computers. With the space economy forecast to continue to grow rapidly, many start-ups are exploring the potential of looking out of this world to help solve some of our most pressing issues. Starcloud is addressing the increasing space and power demand of data centres by putting them in space. The company says that, as costs fall, space-based data centres will benefit from 24/7 solar energy and could be rapidly deployed to gigawatt scale. Agnikul is 3D-printing rockets to fulfil its stated mission of bringing space within everyone's reach. Its launch vehicles will be capable of taking micro and nanosatellites to low-earth orbit. Astroforge, meanwhile, is building rockets that can mine asteroids to make critical minerals more accessible to humanity. The 2025 cohort will contribute cutting-edge insights and expertise to the Forum's global initiatives over the next two years and help scale their impact. You can explore the full list of 2025 Technology Pioneers here: [LINK], and read more about the community here.

World Economic Forum Announces 2025 Technology Pioneers Leading New Wave Of Glob...

Now in its 25th year, the community has recognized over 1,200 start-ups that have gone on to transform industries and societies worldwide. - The World Economic Forum today announces the 2025 cohort of its Technology Pioneers community, a group of 100 early-stage companies from 28 countries driving innovation across industries and borders. Now in its 25th year, the programme celebrates its strongest cohort yet, marked by broader geographical representation, greater diversity beyond Silicon Valley and the rise of more ambitious frontier technologies. Reflecting wider shifts in the innovation landscape, many of the companies spotlighted are using artificial intelligence (AI) to reach greater scale and sophistication with fewer resources. Several are venturing into less explored frontiers - from asteroid mining and flying electric taxis, to leveraging satellite imagery to transform agriculture and harnessing energy from supernova explosions to locate critical minerals beneath the Earth's surface. The geography of innovation is also evolving. While the United States remains the top contributor to the community, Europe's share has surged to 28% - up from 20% last year - reflecting the rise of strong tech ecosystems across the region. China and India are also emerging as major tech innovation hubs. "There has never been a more exciting time to dive headfirst into tech innovation. But no one gets far alone - you need a community to move your mission forward," said Verena Kuhn, Head of Innovator Communities, World Economic Forum. "As we mark 25 years of the Technology Pioneers programme, this global community continues to connect start-ups to the networks and ecosystems they need to scale." This year also marks the 25th Anniversary of the Technology Pioneers programme. Since its inception in 2000, the community has championed early-stage innovation and recognized more than 1,200 companies, many of which have gone on to reshape industries worldwide. Alumni include household names such as Google, PayPal, Dropbox and SoundCloud, underscoring the community's role as a launchpad for ideas and impact. The 2025 cohort stands out for its concentration of companies developing breakthrough technologies to address pressing global challenges. These include advanced robotics, customisable space launch services, micro nuclear reactors and more accessible quantum computing applications. These pioneers will contribute cutting-edge insights to Forum initiatives over a two-year engagement programme and will also be invited to participate in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, taking place on 24-26 June in Tianjin, People's Republic of China. The 2025 Technology Pioneers include: Australia * Cauldron - Commercializing advanced continuous fermentation technology to unlock price parity for mainstream bio-manufactured goods. Brazil * Brain4care - Using AI-based technology to enable timely medical interventions for patients with neurological conditions. Canada * Ideon Technologies - Harnessing the energy from supernova explosions in space to image deep beneath the Earth's surface, transforming how mining companies recover critical minerals. * Miru - Developing dynamic electrochromic windows that deliver high functionality, experience and energy efficiency for the automotive, transportation and architectural sectors. Greater China * Deep Principle - Integrating advanced AI models and quantum chemistry to accelerate the discovery and development of chemical materials. * GS Biomats - Developing furan bio-based material, a renewable alternative to petroleum-based chemicals, for various uses including biomedical applications. * HiNa Battery - Producing more sustainable, high-performance, low-cost sodium-ion batteries. * KaiOS - Providing affordable internet and access to financial services to unserved populations, primarily in South Asia and Africa. * Lightstandard - Making large language model computing faster and more energy-efficient with photonic computing. * Noematrix - Focusing on researching and developing embodied intelligence systems and related tools and platforms, which are compatible with diverse hardware. * Novlead - Designing a molecular technology platform providing available, accessible and affordable nitric oxide solutions for major clinical needs. * Shengshu Technology - Building generative AI infrastructure that develops native multi-modal large models such as images, 3D and video. * TRANSTREAMS - Engineering chips and solutions to address the computing power shortages in China during the era of AI-generated content. * Turing - Providing cutting-edge computing infrastructure and comprehensive AI solutions to drive the future of intelligent computing. Colombia * Plurall - Supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in emerging markets with fast, accessible working capital and digital payment solutions, leveraging AI models for risk assessment, collections and embedded lending. Denmark * Arcadia eFuels - Developing and deploying technology to produce electro-sustainable aviation and diesel fuels using renewable electricity, seawater, and captured CO2. Egypt * Thndr - Offering a digital investment platform with a range of flexible funding methods and educational resources to empower investors. France * Ascendance Flight Technologies - Decarbonizing aviation with a hybrid electric propulsion system and hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. * Beyond Aero - Building the first electric business aircraft powered by hydrogen propulsion, as a sustainable alternative to traditional business jets. * CO2 AI - Helping large and complex organizations measure their environmental impact, identify credible levers and decarbonize at scale through AI. * Jimmy - Developing a micro nuclear reactor to provide carbon-free, competitive heat for industrial processes. * Nabla - Reducing clinician burnout by automating clinical documentation with AI. * Orakl Oncology - Creating a biology and AI-powered simulation platform to revolutionize oncology drug development. * Phagos - Deploying a sustainable alternative to antibiotics using bacteriophages and AI * Quobly - Making scalable, cost-competitive, large-scale quantum computers. * Sweetch Energy - Enabling osmotic power generation by harnessing the salinity gradient between freshwater and seawater. Germany * Accure - Providing predictive battery analytics software to enhance safety, optimize performance and extend the lifetime of battery systems. * Black Forest Labs - Building generative deep learning models for media, particularly images and videos * eleQtron - Developing quantum computers by leveraging trapped-ion technology. * Tozero - Pioneering the delivery of recycled lithium in Europe by sustainably recovering critical materials from battery waste. India * Agnikul - Providing affordable and customizable space launch services. * CynLr - Building robots with intuitive vision and enabling manufacturers and logistics providers to build fully automated factories. * Dezy - Leveraging AI-powered diagnostic technology to build affordable and accessible dental care. * Digantara - Providing crucial operational support to commercial space operators and space surveillance intelligence to global space agencies. * Equal - Providing an integrated solution that combines identity verification with consent-driven financial data sharing. * Exponent Energy - Making 15-minute rapid charging for electric vehicles affordable and scalable through an innovative battery management system, charging algorithms, thermal management and a charging network. * Freight Tiger - Building India's largest software-enabled freight network to help businesses move goods with full visibility, efficiency and lower costs. * GalaxEye - Creating a comprehensive, multi-sensor Earth observation system. * SolarSquare - Helping homes switch to solar in India with its full-stack solar panel systems. * The ePlane Co. - Developing flying electric taxis designed for intra-city transportation. Ireland * Equal1 - Democratizing quantum computing by leveraging existing semiconductor technologies. Israel * Fermata - Providing computer vision solutions for farmers to reduce crop losses and pesticide use. * Illumex - Empowering organizations to run governed and reliable AI agents through unified business data language and to democratize data access to every user. * LightSolver - Building a photonic supercomputer by harnessing the power of coupled lasers. * NanoSynex - Offering a rapid and accurate diagnostic platform for bacterial resistance. * ZutaCore - Developing waterless direct-to-chip liquid cooling for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centres. Italy * Arsenale Bioyards - Building new lab-to-production infrastructure enabling fast, low-cost biomanufacturing at an industrial scale. Japan * Sagri - Leveraging satellite data and AI to transform agriculture through land use optimization and sustainability. Republic of Korea * Hylium Industries - Providing safe and innovative liquid hydrogen solutions for carbon-free mobility. * NARA Space - Building South Korea's first microsatellite constellation for methane point source detection. * Robocon - Developing robotics and smart factory solutions for the construction and steel industries. Luxembourg * Tokeny Solutions - Building the compliance infrastructure for digital assets in blockchain and fintech. Mexico * Allie - Creating closed-loop optimization systems for manufacturing that autonomously adjust production parameters in real time. Nigeria * Cybervergent - Providing a platform to automate cybersecurity compliance and risk governance. * Sabi - Powering the sourcing and distribution of physical goods and critical commodities in Africa. * ThriveAgric - Empowering smallholder farmers across Africa by linking them to finance, data-driven best practices, and access to local and global markets. Saudi Arabia * Intelmatix - Making enterprise AI accessible through industry-specific, context-aware AI agents. Singapore * Manus - Automating a wide range of practical tasks for personal and professional use with a general AI agent. * Rize - Decarbonizing rice cultivation in Asia through scalable agricultural innovations. Spain * Crisalion Mobility - Offering sustainable air and ground mobility solutions. * INBRAIN Neuroelectronics - Developing brain-computer interfaces to treat neurological disorders. Sweden * Graphmatech - Developing advanced materials infused with graphene to make large-scale industries more innovative and resource efficient. * Lovable - Using AI to help users create software and web apps without coding expertise. Switzerland * HAYA Therapeutics - Developing RNA-based medicines to treat heart, lung and tissue diseases. * Neural Concept - Accelerating product design through 3D generative engineering and AI. United Kingdom * CuspAI - Using frontier AI to accelerate the discovery and development of materials with specific functionalities. * Obrizum - Offering personalized digital learning services at scale through an AI-powered platform. * Oxford Ionics - Building high-performance quantum computers using trapped-ion technology. United States * Ammobia -Fuelling the world with cost-effective, lower-carbon ammonia production. * Archetype AI - Pioneering a new form of Physical AI capable of perceiving, understanding and reasoning about the world through analysing real-time, multimodal sensor data. * Arine - Integrating cutting-edge AI, clinical expertise and advanced data analytics to deliver medication-based care interventions at the population level. * AstroForge - Making critical minerals more accessible to humanity by mining asteroids. * BforeAI - Using behavioural AI to predict and automatically pre-empt malicious campaigns and stop cyberattacks before they occur. * Candidly - Developing an AI-powered platform to help borrowers manage and overcome educational loans. * Claryo - Helping warehouse operators maximize operational efficiency by leveraging spatial generative AI. * Distyl AI - Enabling enterprises to seamlessly integrate AI agents into operations. * Emvolon - Converting methane emissions into carbon-negative fuels for hard-to-abate sectors onsite. * Exowatt - Delivers solar power on demand by storing energy and converting it into electricity as needed, helping data centres and the grid run on clean energy 24/7. * Foundation Alloy - Commercializing solid-state metals technology to make higher performance metals using less energy. * HAIQU - Developing a new application execution stack for all modalities of near-term quantum computers. * Hertha Metals - Developing technology to decarbonize primary steel production. * Hyfe - "Turns food processing waste into chemicals that replace petroleum in everyday goods". * Lumu Technologies - Providing cybersecurity operations capabilities to help businesses control the impact of cybercrime. * One Bio - Using biotechnology to add anti-inflammatory plant-based fibres to everyday foods. * Oberon Fuels - Developing innovative carbon-neutral fuels for maritime, propane, and hydrogen sectors. * Osmo - Combining frontier AI and olfactory science to digitize scent and enhance well-being. * Outtake - Securing digital identities by detecting and removing harmful AI-generated content. * Parallel Learning - Providing licensed therapy and instruction to students with learning differences through a digital platform. * Pavilion - Increasing efficiency in US public procurement with an AI-enabled government marketplace. * Reality Defender - Offering multimodal detection of AI-generated media to prevent fraud and disinformation. * RoboForce - Building AI-powered robotic systems designed for high-risk or repetitive work, to enhance efficiency, productivity and safety across industries. * Rubi Laboratories - Using biocatalysis to transform CO2 into essential materials like cellulose. * Shiru - Leveraging AI to identify and develop naturally occurring functional ingredients. * Starcloud - Constructing data centres in space to solve the AI energy challenge. * Waterplan - Delivering an AI-powered platform to measure, manage and mitigate water risk. * Workera - Providing AI-driven workforce skills intelligence and upskilling pathways. * Workhelix - Helping companies identify AI transformation opportunities and measure return on investment. Uruguay * Prometeo - Creating a single, borderless banking application programming interface to connect companies with financial institutions across the Americas About the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 The 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions will take place from 24 to 26 June 2025 in Tianjin, People's Republic of China, under the theme "Entrepreneurship for a New Era." The meeting will convene over 1,700 leaders from business, government, civil society, academia, international organizations, innovation and media to explore entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. About the Technology Pioneers Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneers community marks its 25th anniversary in 2025 as a leading platform for early-stage companies from around the world that are shaping the future through breakthrough technologies and innovations. These companies are selected for their potential to have a significant impact on business and society and are invited to engage with public and private sector leaders through the World Economic Forum's global platform. The Technology Pioneers community is part of the Innovator Communities within the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Innovator Communities convene the world's leading global start-ups across different growth stages from early-stage Technology Pioneers to growth-stage Global Innovators and unicorn companies valued at more than $1 billion.