Asia-Pacific’s small companies and startups on the rise.

I-driven innovation is the dominant theme of Forbes Asia’s sixth annual 100 to Watch list, which showcases small companies and startups on the rise in the Asia-Pacific region. As AI gets embedded into the roots and branches of every business, a wave of startups has emerged to help companies transform by integrating automation tools with their operations.

Reflecting this trend, close to a quarter of the entries are enterprise technology firms offering AI-related services. Another sector rapidly picking up speed is robotics, with 10 companies making the cut. They span the gamut, from makers of service robots to support the elderly to builders of specialized automatons for research labs that can relieve scientists of grunt work. Biotech firms are also harnessing the power of robotics, such as a developer of medical nanorobots that are invisible to the naked eye but work inside the body to deliver targeted cancer therapies.

Green tech and sustainability remain in sharp focus. Ten companies on the list have made it their business to provide solutions for environmental-related issues, including a producer of a plastic alternative made from seaweed and a supplier of modular treatment systems to transform seawater and industrial effluents into fresh water.

Startups operating in such high-growth sectors continue to draw investors. The companies featured have raised a total of $2.4 billion to date—including almost $1 billion in 2026 so far. In all, 16 countries and territories are represented. India leads the pack with 19 companies, followed by Singapore, 15; China, 10; Japan and South Korea, 9 each; and Indonesia and Australia, 8 each.

Edited by Rana Wehbe Watson

Assistant editors: John Kang and Zinnia Lee

Research and reporting: Yessar Rosendar, Yue Wang and Ardian Wibisono

METHODOLOGY: To select the finalists on the 100 to Watch list, Forbes Asia solicited online submissions and invited accelerators, incubators, universities, venture capitalists and others to nominate companies. To qualify for consideration, companies must have headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region, be privately owned for-profit ventures and have no more than $50 million in annual revenue and no more than $100 million in total funding through Aug. 15. Our team evaluated each submission, weighing factors such as impact on and contribution to their industry and region, market fit, promising business model, innovation, track record of consistent revenue growth and the ability to attract funding.

*The editors reserve the right to remove or replace any company or individual included in the list in light of any new information that would disqualify them from inclusion.

Category: Industry & Manufacturing

Founded: 2018 • CEO: Khanisorn Meepong

Popularly known as 24X, the company offers handyman, maintenance and renovation services, mainly for B2B customers, through a nationwide network of around 1,500 technicians. In 2023, the Bangkok-based firm expanded into the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and solar energy systems. In December 2024, it raised $5 million in series B funding from Wavemaker Ventures and Krungsri Finnovate, topped by $3 million in a B round in late 2025.

Category: Enterprise Technology

Founded: 2018 • CEO: Koji Funabashi

A Star Quantum develops mathematics and quantum algorithms to solve complex enterprise planning issues. The Tokyo-based company counts Japan Airlines as a customer, which uses its software to optimize aircraft maintenance planning, taking variables like hangar capacity, manpower and equipment availability into account. A Star Quantum raised $5.7 million in June in a series B extension round from investors including Abies Ventures and Itochu Technology Ventures, bringing its total financing to date to $13 million.

Founded: 2023 • CEO: Dale Vaz

Bangalore-based Aaritya Broking operates Sahi, a stock trading app with more than 5 million downloads as of early August that allows users to trade stocks, futures and options on Indian bourses. The app’s flat fee of 10 rupees (10 cents) per trade is the cheapest among discount brokers. It also uses AI to flag unusual trading volumes and track technical indicators to help users make better investment decisions. In April, it raised $33 million in a series B round led by Accel India. Another investor was Indian VC firm Elevation Capital, which has backed the likes of fintech Paytm and Swiggy, a food delivery and quick-commerce platform where CEO Dale Vaz worked as chief technology officer before cofounding Aaritya.

Category: E-commerce & Retail

Founded: 2022 • CEO: Abhijeet Anand

Abcoffee, which means “now coffee” in Hindi, is rapidly expanding across India. The Mumbai-based grab-and-go chain has doubled its footprint over the past year to more than 100 outlets, mostly in office and retail areas in major cities. With standardized operations and an app to place orders, parent company and operator Brewbay Innovations says Abcoffee serves over 350,000 cups a month. In May, it raised $6.4 million in a pre-series B round led by Kliff Ventures, the investment arm of Indian F&B firm K Hospitality, with participation from Hero Enterprise Partner Ventures and others.

Category: Industry & Manufacturing

Founded: 2019 • CEO: Hareesh Chandrasekar

Bangalore’s Agnit Semiconductors designs and makes microchips and electronic components using gallium nitride (GaN), a chemical compound that handles heat better and processes power more efficiently than traditional silicon. Its main products are radio-frequency chips and power components used in telecommunications and defense equipment. Agnit claims to be India’s first vertically integrated GaN company, handling everything from wafer design to chip manufacturing. In March, the startup raised $2.6 million in seed extension funding from investors including Shastra VC, 3one4 Capital and Zephyr Peacock India.

AIM Pharmaceutical International

Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare

Founded: 2023 • CEO: Cao Chen

Founded by Simon Lee, a chair professor of food science and nutrition at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, from where it was spun out, AIM Pharmaceutical International develops plant- and marine-derived treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and other medical conditions. Its flagship Parkinson’s drug is slated to enter the first phase of human clinical trials in mainland China this year. It has four other drug candidates in the pre-clinical stage to treat Alzheimer’s disease and insomnia. The company has attracted investors including Gobi Partners and Surrich International, an investment arm of the Wuxi government.

Category: Enterprise Technology

Founded: 2021 • CEO: Kentaro Nagata

A spinoff from Tokyo-listed gaming company DeNA, Algo Artis uses AI to help companies make complex operational decisions, particularly those operating in infrastructure sectors like logistics, energy and transportation. Last year, it signed an agreement with Mitsubishi to explore how its software can be used to improve shipping operations by analyzing factors including weather conditions, fuel costs and port availability. Algo Artis raised $9.8 million in series B funding in June from investors led by Salesforce Ventures. Its backers also include K4 Ventures and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners.

Alpha Intelligence Manifolds

Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare

Founded: 2018 • CEO: Eric Lee

Taipei-based Alpha Intelligence Manifolds develops AI software capable of analyzing medical imaging to detect bone ailments and cardiovascular diseases. Its diagnostic tools screen for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis as well as perform cardiac assessments. The company says it’s serving more than 100 hospitals and clinics in Taiwan and Vietnam. In August 2025, it secured $3.9 million in a pre-series A round co-led by WI Harper Group and BE Health Ventures.

Applied Electric Vehicles

Category: Energy & Green Tech

Founded: 2015 • CEO: Julian Broadbent

Founded by former General Motors executives, Melbourne-headquartered Applied Electric Vehicles makes self-driving EVs that can be deployed in remote or hazardous areas by businesses grappling with labor shortages, including cargo transport, industrial operations and mining. Its modular platform allows customers to attach custom accessories to the EVs, such as lockable delivery boxes and mining dump beds. In 2023, it partnered with Suzuki Motor to build its driverless technology onto the Japanese company’s auto frames. In January, it raised $40 million in a series B round from investors including the Australian government’s National Reconstruction Fund and Japan Post Capital, the VC arm of Japan Post. Earlier investors include Suzuki Motor and Investible.

Category: E-commerce & Retail

Founded: 2022 • CEO: Yann Schuermans

Singapore-headquartered Baskit’s B2B platform helps brands simplify their distribution and sales. It includes features such as real-time order and inventory tracking as well as access to distributors. It also offers embedded credit and payment tools so distributors can pay instantly, helping to improve the brands’ cash flows. Baskit expanded into Indonesia in 2023 and is targeting a wider regional presence, with a foray into the Philippines this year. In April, it raised a $4.4 million series A funding round led by Cento Ventures, bringing total funding to $10 million.

Category: Consumer technology

Founded: 2014 • CEO: Azerol Faizi Zakaria Ansari

Based in Shah Alam, an automotive hub west of Kuala Lumpur, Bateriku provides on-demand car battery replacement and roadside assistance services through its app, website and hotline. It connects stranded drivers to a network of 1,000 mechanics, 2,000 partner repair shops and tow truck operators across 270 locations in Malaysia. In 2023, it expanded into Indonesia and a year later raised $7.4 million in a series B round from investors including Malaysian public retirement fund KWAP, Gobi Partners and government-backed state investment fund VentureTECH.

Beijing Lightlink Technology

Category: Industry & Manufacturing

Founded: 2024 • CEO: Chen Chao

Beijing Lightlink Technology’s optical chips use light-based signals to transmit data much faster than traditional copper wires. It also develops technologies to link semiconductor chips together using photonic components, forming compute clusters that can handle bigger workloads and better assist with AI-model training and inference. Lightlink says it plans to start shipping its chips to clients such as Chinese cloud computing firms later this year. In June, the company raised almost $74 million in series A funding from investors including Legend Capital, Lenovo Capital and Verity Ventures.

Founded: 2021 • CEO: Yang Tang

Bioyond Robotics aims to reduce the grunt work for scientists engaged in drug discovery by automating research labs. Using AI, robotics and computer vision technologies, the Shanghai-based company has developed a range of machines that can autonomously label samples, measure and dispense liquids, and transfer materials within a lab. The devices are managed through the company’s proprietary software platform, which allows scientists to assign tasks and track the progress of ongoing tests. Bioyond says it has raised $80 million to date from backers including HSG, Lily Asia Ventures and Qiming Venture Partners.

Category: E-commerce & Retail

Founded: 2020 • CEO: Yonghoon Cho

Bitelab is best known for its Lilyeve hair care brand that claims to reduce hair loss and remove dandruff. Its portfolio also includes skincare label Saekdong Seoul, a pet healthcare range and lifestyle brands. The Lilyeve product line became a best-seller at Korean beauty retail chain CJ Olive Young and reached the top spot in the hair care category on Amazon in the U.S. In May, it raised 10 billion won (about $6.7 million) in funding from Atinum and CJ Olive Young.

Founded: 2021 • CEO: Shirley Chen

Botinkit is digitizing the food service industry with its OMNI robot chef. Connected to the Shenzhen-based company’s recipe app, which has tutorials for over 10,000 dishes, the smart machine is programmed to cook food such as Pad Thai, Yangzhou fried rice and seafood paella. Botinkit also offers a software suite to help restaurant chains manage inventories and orders. The company, which counts Philippine fast food giant Jollibee, Hong Kong restaurant chain Maxim’s Caterers and Emirates Airlines as customers, raised close to $50 million in series B and B funding rounds in April. Its backers include Brizan Ventures, Cyber Creation Ventures and 5Y Capital.

Category: Energy & Green Tech

Founded: 2022 • CEO: Hanh Do

Vietnam-based startup Buyo Solutions utilizes biowaste to make biodegradable alternatives to plastic products such as utensils, bags, and packaging for toiletries and other personal products. Instead of using starch or other food-based feedstocks, Buyo Solutions upcycles organic waste from agriculture and food processing. The company has raised a total of $2.4 million from grants and from investors such as Antler, Aldebaran Capital and Boston-based Morningside.

Founded: 2023 • CEO: Mark Hurley

Caruso automates back-office work for private market fund managers such as those in private equity. The Auckland-based company has developed software to help them calculate asset prices, manage capital distributions and prepare tax filings as well as financial reports. Caruso says its services are used by over 900 funds in New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. In April, the company raised $6.6 million in a series A round from investors including Icehouse Ventures and GD1, which valued the firm at $59 million.

Category: Energy & Green Tech

Founded: 2022 • CEO: Michele Stansfield

Based in New South Wales, Cauldron Ferm is a biomanufacturing startup that uses genetically engineered microbes to help companies make alternative proteins, food ingredients and bio-based chemicals through fermentation. Unlike traditional fermentation, which processes feedstock in batches, the startup says it’s capable of 24/7 fermentation, which can cut production costs by up to 60%. In March, Cauldron Ferm raised $13 million in a series A2 funding round led by Main Sequence Ventures, with participation from Horizons Ventures and others.

Category: Enterprise Technology

Founded: 2023 • CEO: Matthew Sebastian

Jakarta-based Cekat.AI automates customer service through AI bots capable of answering customer questions on its clients’ websites and across messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. It also creates customer profiles for sales teams to follow up on leads. The company says over 3,000 customers across 15 industries use its software, including healthcare group Siloam Hospitals and convenience-store chain Indomaret. It raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round from Insignia Ventures Partners in April to recruit more software engineers and fund regional expansion.

Centricity WealthTech

Founded: 2021 • CEO: Manu Awasthy

Centricity WealthTech is a full-service software provider for independent financial advisors. Through its platform, called One Digital, it provides a back-office team to help advisors draft pitches and handle complex client questions while offering access to financial products normally reserved for clients of big banks. The Gurgaon-based startup closed a $29 million series A round in August led by SMBC Asia Rising Fund. Earlier investors include Lightspeed India Partners.

Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare

Founded: 2024 • CEO: Sun Jie

ChemT Biotechnology’s AI-enabled software speeds up the process of making biologics, drugs derived from a living source, that target diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Instead of relying on trial and error, the Singapore startup uses an AI-based virtual cell platform to predict and control how living cells behave while producing biologics. ChemT says its software has increased drug output by 50% and cut production timelines by 40% in certain cell types. In June, the startup raised $4 million in a seed round of funding from investors including Wavemaker Ventures, Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator and Seeds, an arm of Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Category: Enterprise Technology

Founded: 2024 • CEO: Justin Banusing

With headquarters in both Manila and Los Angeles, Clouted is a marketing platform that automates short-form video creation and distribution. By combining a network of over 100,000 freelance video editors and AI to optimize where and how videos are promoted across social media, the startup claims to have run video distribution campaigns for brands such as movie studio Lionsgate and Grammy-winning producer Zedd. In May, it raised $7 million in seed funding from investors led by Slow Ventures. Its backers also include AppWorks, a16z Speedrun and Peak XV’s Surge.

Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare

Founded: 2019 • CEO: Hon Weng Chong

Cofounded by medical doctor Hon Weng Chong, Cortical Labs builds computers that combine lab-grown human brain cells with silicon chips. Still emerging, these biological computers promise to transform everything from neurological drug testing to training AI. In March, the Melbourne-based firm partnered with Singapore’s DayOne to build a data center that could deploy up to 1,000 of its biological........

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