Beyond Earth: Why Space Is Becoming the Next Innovation Platform
The space race is entering a new chapter.
For much of the 20th century, space exploration was defined by historic firsts: the first satellite, the first human in orbit, the first Moon landing. Governments invested enormous resources in proving that something could be done.
Today, the focus is shifting.
Space is becoming more commercial, more connected and increasingly driven by technologies that can operate with less human intervention. Rockets are still essential, but they are only one part of a much larger ecosystem that includes artificial intelligence, robotics, satellite networks, advanced materials, biotechnology and autonomous systems.
The new space race is no longer simply about reaching space. It is about making space useful.
From exploration to infrastructure
The transformation is already visible in Earth’s orbit.
Satellites have become essential infrastructure for communications, navigation, weather monitoring, Earth observation and data services. At the same time, launch costs and new commercial models have made it possible for more companies to participate in the space economy.
According to the OECD’s Space Economy at a Glance 2026, more than 14,000 active satellites were operating around Earth at the end of 2025. Private operators accounted for 88% of satellites launched during the year, compared with just 23% in 2010.
This growth is changing the nature of the industry.
Space is increasingly looking less like a collection of extraordinary missions and more like a technology ecosystem — one where data, computing, communications and automation have to work together continuously.
Intelligence is moving into orbit
One of the most important developments is the growing role of artificial intelligence.
Spacecraft generate enormous amounts of data, but sending everything back to Earth for analysis is not always the most efficient approach. More capable onboard computing and AI could allow spacecraft to process information closer to where it is collected.
NASA and IBM, for example, have developed an open-source Lunar Foundation Model intended to help researchers work with lunar data and identify geological features, including potential water-ice deposits.
This represents a broader direction for the industry.
Future spacecraft will increasingly need to do more than observe. They will need to interpret information, identify changes and support decisions with limited communication from Earth.
In this sense, intelligence itself is becoming part of space infrastructure.
Robots will extend human reach
The further humanity moves from Earth, the more important autonomous technology becomes.
Communication delays, extreme environments and the cost of sending humans everywhere make robotics a natural part of future exploration and infrastructure.
NASA’s CAPSTONE programme has already tested technologies connected with autonomous navigation and communications in lunar orbit. Future missions are expected to develop these capabilities further, including autonomous navigation and spacecraft coordination.
Robots could eventually perform many of the difficult and repetitive tasks required to establish a sustained presence beyond Earth — from inspecting equipment to transporting materials and supporting construction.
This is where space technology starts to overlap with robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing on Earth.
The Moon as a proving ground
The Moon is becoming particularly important because it offers a nearby environment for testing technologies that could eventually support deeper space exploration.
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme has created opportunities for private companies to deliver scientific and technological payloads to the lunar surface.
But a successful lunar mission is about much more than landing.
Long-term activity on the Moon will require dependable power, communications, navigation, transportation, robotics, materials and resource-management technologies.
In other words, the challenge is shifting from landing somewhere to building the systems that allow activity to continue once you arrive.
That is a very different kind of space race.
Space could also become a laboratory
Some of the most interesting opportunities may come from technologies that use space to solve problems back on Earth.
Microgravity creates conditions that cannot easily be reproduced on our planet. Researchers and companies are exploring its potential for pharmaceutical research, biotechnology, materials and manufacturing.
At the same time, satellites are already providing services with direct benefits on Earth, from monitoring environmental changes to supporting communications and observing agricultural and industrial activity.
The relationship between Earth and space is therefore becoming increasingly circular:
Technology goes into space. New capabilities are developed there. The benefits can return to Earth.
The less visible technologies may matter most
The future of the space economy will not be built entirely around spectacular launches.
Some of the most important innovations may be much less visible.
Better energy systems. More resilient materials. Autonomous navigation. Space communications. Robotic maintenance. Advanced computing. Lunar logistics. Manufacturing in microgravity.
Each solves a practical problem. Together, they create the foundations for a much larger ecosystem.
This is also why space is increasingly connected to other areas of innovation. The World Future Awards recognises Space alongside categories including Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Machine Intelligence, Biotechnology, Chemicals & Materials, Telecommunications, Drones and Green & Alternative Energy.
The boundaries between these industries are becoming less clear — and that is where some of the most interesting innovation is happening.
Space is becoming a platform
Perhaps the biggest change is the way we think about space itself.
For generations, space was primarily somewhere to explore.
Now it is becoming somewhere to operate.
Satellites form networks. Autonomous spacecraft navigate orbit. Robots can work in extreme environments. Researchers study biology and materials in microgravity. Companies are developing infrastructure and services around an increasingly active space economy.
The next stage will be about connecting all of these capabilities.
AI will make systems smarter. Robotics will extend human reach. New materials will make extreme environments more manageable. Communications will connect increasingly distant operations. And new commercial models will help turn individual technologies into functioning ecosystems.
The first space race demonstrated that humanity could leave Earth.
The new one is about discovering what humanity can build once it gets there.
And that may prove to be an even more transformative chapter.
💬 What technology will have the biggest impact on the future of space?
Share your thoughts with World Future Awards — we want to hear from the people building, investing in and imagining what comes next.
From AI-designed medicines and precision gene editing to cancer vaccines, engineered cells and next-generation healthcare, these are the technologies and companies changing the future of biology.
Biotechnology has entered a different kind of era.
For decades, some of the industry’s biggest ideas lived mostly in laboratories: gene editing, engineered cells, computational drug discovery, personalized medicine and synthetic biology. In 2026, many of these technologies are moving closer to something much more consequential – real-world clinical and commercial applications.
The change is not being driven by one breakthrough.
It is happening where AI meets biology, genetics meets engineering, and massive datasets meet increasingly precise therapeutic technologies.
That convergence is creating a new generation of biotech companies capable of tackling problems that were once considered too complex, too expensive or simply impossible.
Why 2026 Matters for Biotech
The industry’s focus is shifting from possibility to proof.
AI is moving beyond experiments and into actual R&D workflows. Benchling’s 2026 biotech AI research found that leading use cases already include literature review, protein structure prediction, scientific reporting and target identification, while the biggest challenges remain data quality and validation.
At the same time, gene, cell and RNA therapies continue to expand. The ASGCT 2026 Q2 landscape report recorded eight new gene, cell and RNA therapy approvals, while also highlighting accelerated development of mRNA-encoded CAR-T approaches.
But the market is becoming more disciplined. KPMG’s 2026 outlook notes significant headwinds for cell and gene therapy investment, showing that scientific promise alone is no longer enough: clinical evidence, safety, manufacturing and commercial viability matter just as much.
That makes 2026 particularly interesting.
The biotech industry’s next chapter will be decided not by the most exciting idea, but by the technologies that can cross the gap between breakthrough science and measurable human impact.
25 Biotech 25 BREAKTHROUGHS TO WATCH BY WFA EDITORIAL TEAM:
This is a curated watchlist, not a ranking of clinical efficacy or investment performance. The companies represent different stages of development, from research platforms to clinical and commercial programs.
1. AI IS BECOMING PART OF THE DRUG-DISCOVERY ENGINE
The first biotech revolution of the AI era was about prediction.
The next one is about design.
Companies such as Isomorphic Labs, Recursion, Generate: Biomedicines, Xaira Therapeutics and Insilico Medicine are building systems that use machine learning to understand biological data, identify targets, design molecules or proteins and accelerate experimentation.
The important shift is that AI is becoming embedded in the R&D process rather than existing as a separate technology layer.
Recent research in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery argues that the field is now moving toward a more evidence-driven understanding of where AI genuinely improves drug discovery and development.
Insilico offers a particularly interesting example. Its CEO Alex Zhavoronkov said in July 2026 that integrating AI with its research operations had reduced parts of its drug-development timeline dramatically, although its candidates still require the full clinical and regulatory process.
The future question is no longer whether AI can participate in drug discovery. It is where it can produce measurable clinical advantage.
2. GENE EDITING IS MOVING CLOSER TO THE PATIENT
CRISPR changed the scientific conversation. The next generation is changing the therapeutic one.
Base editing, prime editing and in-vivo gene editing are expanding the possibilities of genetic medicine.
Companies including Beam Therapeutics, Prime Medicine, Verve Therapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics and Scribe Therapeutics are exploring ways to correct, silence or rewrite disease-associated genetic information.
The attraction is obvious: instead of managing a disease indefinitely, some therapies aim to address its biological cause.
But this is also where caution matters most. Gene editing remains technically demanding, and clinical safety, delivery and durability are central questions.
The breakthrough is not simply being able to edit DNA. It is learning how to do it safely, precisely and at scale.
3. WHAT IF THE BODY COULD MANUFACTURE ITS OWN THERAPY?
One of the most intriguing directions in biotechnology is in-vivo cell engineering.
Traditional CAR-T therapy involves taking cells from a patient, engineering them outside the body and then returning them.
Companies such as Umoja Biopharma and Sana Biotechnologyare exploring approaches that could move more of this process inside the patient.
ASGCT’s 2026 Q2 report highlights accelerating development of mRNA-encoded CAR-T approaches, illustrating how quickly the cell-therapy landscape is evolving.
If successful, these approaches could potentially simplify manufacturing and make sophisticated cell therapies more accessible.
It is one of the clearest examples of biotech moving from engineering cells outside the body to engineering biology inside it.
4. CAN WE ENGINEER NEW ORGANS?
The global shortage of transplantable organs remains one of medicine’s most difficult problems.
eGenesis is pursuing a radically different answer: genetically engineered pig organs designed for human transplantation.
The concept brings together gene editing, immunology, transplantation and animal biotechnology.
It also represents a much bigger idea:
What if the supply of organs could eventually become an engineering problem rather than a donor problem?
The science is still developing, and major questions around safety, rejection and long-term outcomes remain.
But xenotransplantation is no longer purely theoretical – making it one of the most important areas to watch.
5. THE CANCER VACCINE GETS A NEW LIFE
For years, scientists have searched for ways to turn the immune system into a personalized weapon against cancer.
mRNA technology may offer one of the most promising routes.
Moderna and Merck’s personalized cancer vaccine program has become a major example of this approach, with late-stage melanoma data reported in August 2026 showing significant efficacy.
The concept is strikingly different from a conventional vaccine.
Instead of giving every patient the same treatment, the vaccine can be designed around mutations identified in an individual’s tumor.
The idea is simple to explain, but extraordinarily complex to execute: teach the immune system what makes a particular cancer different.
6. THE “UNDRUGGABLE” CANCER TARGETS ARE BECOMING DRUGGABLE
Cancer research has spent decades trying to attack RAS, a family of proteins involved in many cancers.
In August 2026, Revolution Medicines received accelerated FDA approval for Rasonque, a RAS-targeted treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer.
The significance goes beyond one drug.
It illustrates a broader shift in oncology: advances in molecular biology, structure-based design and precision medicine are making previously difficult targets increasingly accessible.
The oncology breakthroughs of the next decade may come from targets scientists once thought they could not reach.
7. METABOLIC MEDICINE IS BECOMING MUCH BIGGER THAN WEIGHT LOSS
GLP-1 drugs transformed the obesity conversation.
The next phase is broader.
Researchers and pharmaceutical companies are exploring how metabolic therapies could affect diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk remain central players in this race, while the industry is increasingly exploring oral formulations and next-generation mechanisms.
This is a good example of a broader biotech trend:
A successful therapy can create an entirely new biological platform — and then expand far beyond its original indication.
8. HEALTHCARE IS MOVING TOWARD PREDICTION
Another major change is happening outside traditional drug development.
Companies such as Neko Health and Tempus AI are building systems around the idea that better data can help healthcare detect risk earlier and personalize treatment.
The underlying ambition is a shift from:
“Treat the disease.”
to:
“Understand the biology before the disease becomes advanced.”
AI-enabled diagnostics and digital health are among the areas executives identify as important development priorities for 2026.
9. CAN AGING BECOME A BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING PROBLEM?
Longevity remains one of biotech’s most controversial — and fascinating — frontiers.
Retro Biosciences is investigating cellular mechanisms associated with aging and rejuvenation.
The important point is not whether humanity will “live forever.” There is no evidence to make that claim.
The much more credible question is:
Can specific biological processes associated with aging eventually become therapeutically modifiable?
That question alone is enough to make longevity one of the fields worth watching closely.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Across all 25 companies, one pattern keeps appearing:
biology is becoming increasingly programmable.
AI helps scientists model it.
Gene editing changes it.
RNA can instruct it.
Cell therapy can redirect it.
Synthetic biology can engineer it.
Data can measure it.
And increasingly sophisticated clinical systems can test whether those interventions actually help patients.
This convergence is changing the economics and the philosophy of biotech.
Deloitte’s 2026 Life Sciences Outlook found that executives expect cell, gene and RNA therapies to be among the modalities contributing most to revenue growth over the next two to three years.
Meanwhile, IQVIA reports that AI capabilities are increasingly influencing discovery, clinical planning, operations, portfolio decisions and regulatory processes.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
The next three to five years will likely be less about spectacular laboratory demonstrations and more about proof.
Can an AI-designed drug succeed in humans?
Can gene editing remain precise enough for widespread use?
Can cell therapies become easier and cheaper to manufacture?
Can engineered organs survive long term?
Can personalized cancer vaccines work across different tumor types?
Can preventive health systems actually improve outcomes rather than simply produce more data?
These are the questions that will separate biotechnology’s most important breakthroughs from its most exciting experiments.
And that may be the defining theme of biotech’s next chapter:
Proof over promise.
WHY THESE BREAKTHROUGHS MATTER
The companies on this list are working on very different technologies.
But they share a common ambition: to make biology more understandable, measurable and ultimately more controllable.
That is why biotechnology deserves attention far beyond the pharmaceutical industry.
The breakthroughs emerging today could influence how we prevent disease, develop medicines, treat cancer, manage chronic conditions, replace organs and understand aging.
The future of medicine may not simply be about discovering better drugs.
It may be about learning to program biology itself.
Resources & Research
Selected open research and industry sources:
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery — Artificial intelligence in drug discovery: what it is, where we stand and the path forward, August 2026.
AI is moving beyond the screen. As intelligent machines begin to perceive, adapt and act in the physical world, a new question is emerging for business leaders: where will physical AI create the greatest competitive
For decades, robots have been remarkably good at doing exactly what they were programmed to do.
They weld the same joint thousands of times. They move the same component along the same production line. They sort packages, vacuum floors and transport materials along carefully defined routes.
But ask an old-generation robot to deal with an unexpected object, a crowded workspace or a task it has never seen before, and its limitations quickly become obvious.
That is beginning to change. In 2026, a new category of technology is moving from laboratories and demonstrations into factories, warehouses, logistics networks and other real-world environments: physical AI.
The idea is simple but profound. Instead of programming a machine for every possible situation, AI gives it the ability to perceive its surroundings, interpret what is happening, make decisions and adapt its actions in real time.
Deloitte describes physical AI as the convergence of AI and robotics that enables machines to perceive, understand, reason about and interact with the physical world. Its 2026 technology outlook argues that the transition from prototype to production is already underway.
That could make 2026 an important turning point.
Not because humanoid robots are suddenly ready to replace human workers everywhere. They are not.
But because the economic question is changing.
The question is no longer: “Can we build a robot that walks like a human?”
It is: “Can an intelligent machine perform useful work in the real world, safely and economically?”
And that is a much more consequential question.
From automation to physical intelligence
The first generation of industrial robotics was built around predictability.
A robot arm in an automotive factory could perform an incredibly precise sequence of movements, but the environment around it had to be designed for the robot.
Parts arrived in predictable positions. Workflows were standardized. Humans and machines were usually separated.
This model created enormous productivity gains, but it also created a boundary: traditional automation works best when the world behaves exactly as expected.
Physical AI attempts to remove some of those limitations.
Modern systems combine cameras, tactile sensors, spatial computing, onboard processors and AI models that can translate perception into physical action. A robot can potentially recognize an object, determine how to pick it up, understand where it needs to go and adjust its movements when something changes.
That sounds like a relatively small technical improvement.
It is not.
It represents a shift from automation to adaptation.
A traditional robot might be told: Pick up this object from this location and put it here.
A physical-AI system is being developed toward something closer to: Find the object, determine the best way to handle it, complete the task and adapt if the environment changes.
That distinction is at the heart of the robotics race now underway.
The factory is becoming the first proving ground
One of the clearest signs that this technology is moving beyond the hype cycle is the growing number of experiments inside actual industrial environments.
BMW provides a particularly interesting example.
In 2025, BMW’s Spartanburg plant in the United States deployed Figure AI’s Figure 02 humanoid robot. Over approximately ten months, the robot contributed to the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles, moved more than 90,000 components and operated for around 1,250 hours.
The experiment was not about creating a futuristic spectacle.
The robot was performing repetitive, physically demanding work: retrieving and positioning sheet-metal parts for welding.
And BMW has continued the experiment.
In 2026, the company introduced a new humanoid-robot pilot at its Leipzig plant, using AEON from Hexagon Robotics for tasks including high-voltage battery assembly and component production. BMW says the project is part of a broader effort to integrate physical AI into its global production system.
Figure has also returned to BMW’s Spartanburg operation with its newer Figure 03 robot, moving beyond the earlier pick-and-place application toward more complex logistics and sequencing tasks.
This matters because factories are unforgiving environments.
A robot demonstration can look impressive for five minutes.
A production line is different.
A production robot has to work repeatedly, safely, predictably and at a cost that makes commercial sense.
That is the real test.
Why companies are interested now
The sudden interest in physical AI is not being driven by technology alone.
There is an economic problem waiting for a solution.
Many industries are facing labor shortages, aging workforces and difficulty filling physically demanding or repetitive positions.
The International Federation of Robotics identifies labor gaps as one of the major robotics trends of 2026, arguing that automation can help companies address shortages while allowing workers to move toward higher-value activities.
This changes the narrative around robots.
For years, the public debate was largely framed as: Will robots take our jobs?
In many industries, the more immediate question may be: Who will do the jobs if there aren’t enough people to do them?
That distinction is important.
A warehouse struggling to recruit workers for repetitive material handling may not be looking for a machine to replace its entire workforce.
It may simply need a way to handle tasks that are difficult to staff.
A manufacturing company may want robots to perform repetitive lifting while employees focus on quality control, process management and problem solving.
A hospital may use robots to transport materials so medical staff can spend more time with patients.
A construction company may eventually use autonomous machines for dangerous or physically exhausting tasks.
The most successful applications may therefore be the ones where human capabilities and machine capabilities complement each other.
The humanoid question
So why humanoid robots?
If the goal is simply automation, why build a machine with two arms and two legs?
The answer is surprisingly practical.
Our world has been designed for human bodies.
Factories, warehouses, stairs, tools, shelves, vehicles, doors and workstations were largely designed around the way humans move.
A humanoid robot could potentially operate within those environments without requiring companies to redesign everything around a specialized machine.
That does not automatically make humanoids the best solution.
In many cases, a wheeled robot, robotic arm or specialized autonomous machine will remain cheaper and more efficient.
But general-purpose humanoids could become attractive where flexibility matters more than maximum efficiency on a single task.
That is why the competition is intensifying.
China’s Unitree, for example, is rapidly expanding its humanoid robotics business and preparing for a major public-market debut. Reuters reported this month that the company had delivered around 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots across its models as of July.
The company has also attracted investment from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which Reuters reported acquired a 2.31% stake during Unitree’s Shanghai IPO process. The companies plan to collaborate around AI, robotics and embodied intelligence.
Meanwhile, Nvidia is increasingly positioning itself as part of the robotics ecosystem, providing the computing platforms and AI technologies that allow machines to perceive and act in physical environments. Nvidia’s partnerships now extend into humanoid robotics, including work with LG and Unitree.
The competition is therefore becoming much broader than a race between robot manufacturers.
It is becoming a race involving:
AI models + chips + sensors + robotics + data + manufacturing + energy + software.
The missing ingredient: data from the physical world
There is, however, one enormous challenge.
AI models became powerful partly because the digital world generated an extraordinary amount of training data.
The internet gave machines access to text, images, video, code and other forms of information at unprecedented scale.
Robots do not have that luxury.
A robot needs to understand:
friction
weight
balance
force
distance
movement
spatial relationships
physical consequences
human behavior
And collecting that data is difficult.
You cannot simply download a trillion examples of how to pick up a fragile object in every possible environment.
Robotics companies therefore rely increasingly on simulation, synthetic data, teleoperation, imitation learning and reinforcement learning to teach machines how to operate.
Deloitte notes that physical AI increasingly combines simulation, synthetic data, reinforcement learning and imitation learning to help robots develop behaviors before those systems are deployed in the real world.
But simulation has limits.
The real world is messy.
A simulated floor does not have exactly the same friction as a real floor. A virtual object does not have the same weight distribution as a physical one. People behave unpredictably.
Teaching a machine to operate safely in this environment may ultimately require enormous amounts of real-world experience.
That could make physical-world data one of the most valuable assets in the next generation of AI.
The robot’s “body” may become as important as its brain
There is another important shift happening.
The robotics race is not only about increasingly intelligent software.
It is also about better hardware.
Robots need:
better batteries
lighter motors
more capable actuators
advanced cameras
tactile sensors
edge computing
improved hands and grippers
faster communication
safer movement systems
One particularly interesting frontier is robotic touch.
Humans don’t just see objects. We feel them.
We know how hard to grip a glass without crushing it. We can detect when something starts slipping from our hand. We can manipulate objects without consciously calculating every movement.
Robots still struggle with these seemingly simple abilities.
New electronic-skin technologies are now being developed to give robots greater tactile sensitivity, potentially allowing machines to detect pressure, force and slipping in ways that more closely resemble human touch.
That may sound like a small engineering detail.
It isn’t.
The closer machines get to sensing the world as humans do, the wider the range of physical tasks they may eventually be able to perform.
What happens to human jobs?
This is where the conversation becomes much more complicated.
There is no credible reason to believe that humanoid robots will simply replace humans across the economy in the next few years.
The technology is still expensive. Reliability remains a challenge. Safety standards are evolving. Many tasks are far more difficult to automate than they appear.
And physical intelligence is not the same thing as human intelligence.
A robot may become extraordinarily good at a particular physical task while still struggling with basic common-sense situations that humans handle effortlessly.
But that does not mean the impact on employment will be small.
Technology does not need to replace an entire occupation to change it.
It only needs to change the tasks within it.
Consider a warehouse worker.
If a robot takes over lifting and moving repetitive loads, the human role could shift toward supervising machines, managing exceptions, checking quality and solving operational problems.
A technician may spend less time physically carrying components and more time maintaining intelligent systems.
A factory worker may become an operator of robotic systems rather than simply an operator of machinery.
In other words, the future workplace may not be:
Humans vs. robots.
It may increasingly become:
Humans managing, directing and collaborating with robots.
That shift will require new skills.
And that may ultimately be one of the biggest challenges of the physical AI revolution.
The biggest opportunity may be boring
There is a tendency for technology media to focus on spectacular robots.
A robot dancing.
A robot running.
A robot doing a backflip.
A robot talking to a journalist.
These demonstrations are entertaining, but they are not necessarily economically important.
The real breakthroughs may be much less glamorous.
A robot that can reliably unload a truck for eight hours.
A machine that can inspect a power line without putting a human at risk.
A system that can move hospital supplies through a building overnight.
A robot that can work alongside a human on a manufacturing line without stopping production.
A machine that can adapt when something goes wrong instead of waiting for an engineer.
Those are the applications that could transform industries.
The measure of success will not be:
“Does the robot look human?”
It will be: “Does the robot solve a real problem?”
What could happen next?
If the current trajectory continues, the next few years could produce a gradual rather than sudden transformation.
First, robots will remain concentrated in controlled environments.
Factories.
Warehouses.
Distribution centers.
Hospitals.
Infrastructure sites.
Then, as perception, reasoning, mobility and safety improve, machines will begin operating in increasingly unpredictable environments.
That could eventually bring physical AI into construction, agriculture, retail, hospitality and domestic environments.
But there is an important caveat.
The technology will not develop in isolation.
Regulation, insurance, labor policy, safety standards, cybersecurity and public acceptance will all influence how quickly robots enter everyday life.
Deloitte notes that scaling physical AI requires collaboration between technology providers, enterprises and regulators.
That means the physical AI revolution is not simply an engineering challenge.
It is an economic and social one.
The real question isn’t whether robots will work
The technology industry has spent years asking whether AI can think.
Now it is asking whether AI can act.
That is a different challenge.
A digital AI system can generate an incorrect paragraph.
A physical AI system can drop a heavy object.
A chatbot can give bad advice.
A robot can physically hurt someone.
That makes safety, reliability and human oversight fundamental.
As machines gain greater autonomy, society will need to decide where autonomy is acceptable, where human control is mandatory and who is responsible when an autonomous system makes a mistake.
The answers will not come entirely from engineers.
They will require policymakers, business leaders, workers, researchers and the public to participate in shaping the rules.
From artificial intelligence to physical intelligence
The most interesting thing about robotics in 2026 is not that machines are becoming more human-like.
It is that AI is becoming physical.
For most of the modern AI boom, intelligence existed on screens.
Now it is beginning to inhabit machines that can move through factories, streets, warehouses and eventually our homes.
That changes the scale of the opportunity.
Software can transform how we communicate.
Physical AI could transform how we build, manufacture, transport, maintain, explore and work.
The winners of this next technological era may not simply be the companies with the smartest AI.
They may be the companies that figure out how to connect intelligence with the physical world in a way that is useful, safe and economically sustainable.
And perhaps the biggest question for the workforce is not whether machines will take our jobs.
It is whether we will be ready to work alongside them.
What do you think?
If physical AI continues to advance at its current pace:
Which industry will be transformed first by intelligent robots: manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, construction, agriculture or something else?
And perhaps the more important question:
Would you trust an intelligent robot to work alongside you?
Share your perspective.
About World Future Awards
At World Future Awards, we follow the technologies, companies and people turning ambitious ideas into real-world impact.
From artificial intelligence and robotics to space technology, advanced manufacturing, energy and emerging technologies, our focus is on the innovations that have the potential to shape the future.
Is your company building one of them?
Applications for the World Future Awards are open to innovative companies, startups and technology leaders from around the world.
The builders shaping AI, robotics, climate tech, health, fintech, cybersecurity, space and the future of work.
Which companies are building the next technology era? This World Future Awards watchlist highlights 50 venture tech companies in 2026 and the leaders turning ambitious ideas into practical infrastructure.
The current technology cycle is moving beyond consumer apps and minor software upgrades. Instead, founders are tackling harder problems. They are developing artificial intelligence, robotics, clean energy, healthcare platforms, financial infrastructure, cybersecurity systems and commercial space technologies.
These businesses are difficult to build. Many require advanced research, patient capital, regulatory discipline and real-world deployment. Yet that challenge is precisely why they matter. The strongest venture-backed companies are not simply growing quickly. They are changing how the physical and digital economy works.
For World Future Awards, venture technology offers an early view of the future. It is where scientific ambition meets investment, and where risky ideas become operating companies. Often, these companies introduce important tools before the wider market fully understands their potential.
At a glance 50 companies across eight future-focused sectors. An editorial watchlist, not a ranking selection based on innovation relevance, market visibility, momentum and WFA fit a strong focus on companies building infrastructure rather than isolated features.
Why venture tech matters in 2026
The venture market has changed since the low-interest, high-valuation boom. Funding is still available. However, investors are more selective, and capital is increasingly concentrated in companies with clear technical advantages and strong category potential.
Recent venture reports show the scale of that concentration. KPMG’s Venture Pulse Q1 2026 reported $330.9 billion in global venture capital investment across 8,464 deals. AI companies were behind many of the quarter’s largest transactions.
PitchBook-NVCA also described Q1 2026 as an unusually concentrated market. A small number of very large deals had a major effect on the headline totals. In addition, OECD research found that AI firms captured 61% of global venture capital investment in 2025. Generative AI companies alone attracted $35.3 billion.
As a result, capital is not moving evenly across the startup ecosystem. It is clustering around companies that appear foundational. These businesses could become core infrastructure for the next decade.
Three shifts stand out:
AI concentration: investors continue to support model developers, infrastructure providers and applied AI platforms.
Deep-tech momentum: robotics, energy, biotech and space companies are attracting attention because technical difficulty can create lasting defensibility.
Deployment pressure: strong demonstrations are no longer enough. Companies must show reliable products, real customers and a credible path to scale.
What “venture tech” means today
Venture tech once described almost any young technology company backed by venture capital. Today, the category is broader and more consequential. It includes frontier AI laboratories, robotics companies, climate infrastructure startups, AI-first healthcare platforms, biotech businesses, fintech rails, cybersecurity systems, private space companies and adaptive enterprise software.
These businesses do not share one product type. Instead, they share the scale of the problems they are trying to solve. They aim to change how intelligence is accessed, how machines operate, how energy is produced, how medicine is practiced, how money moves and how software is protected.
This feature is not a ranking. It is an editorial watchlist of 50 companies and leaders selected for their innovation relevance, visibility, recent momentum and fit with the World Future Awards focus on future-shaping products, platforms and services.
AI and model infrastructure
AI remains the centre of gravity in venture technology. However, the market has moved beyond chat interfaces. Leading companies are now building models, developer tools and workflow infrastructure for search, legal work, software development, enterprise knowledge, media production and research.
Leaders to watch:
OpenAI — Sam Altman, CEO
Anthropic — Dario Amodei, Co-founder & CEO
Mistral AI — Arthur Mensch, Co-founder & CEO
Perplexity — Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder & CEO
Cohere — Aidan Gomez, Co-founder & CEO
Hugging Face — Clément Delangue, Co-founder & CEO
Glean — Arvind Jain, Founder & CEO
Harvey — Winston Weinberg, Co-founder & CEO
Anysphere — Michael Truell, Co-founder & CEO
ElevenLabs — Mati Staniszewski, Co-founder & CEO
Synthesia — Victor Riparbelli, Co-founder & CEO
Runway — Cristóbal Valenzuela, Co-founder & CEO
Together AI — Vipul Ved Prakash, Co-founder & CEO
Sakana AI — David Ha, Co-founder & CEO
The next AI winners will not be judged by model performance alone. Trust, distribution, compute strategy and workflow depth will also matter. Most importantly, successful products must become useful and dependable inside real organisations.
Robotics, physical AI and autonomous systems
After years of software “eating the world,” AI is beginning to move through it. Robotics and autonomous systems bring machine intelligence into warehouses, roads, industrial sites, hospitals, cities and homes.
Leaders to watch:
Figure AI — Brett Adcock, Founder & CEO
1X Technologies — Bernt Øivind Børnich, Founder & CEO
Agility Robotics — Peggy Johnson, CEO
Skild AI — Deepak Pathak, Co-founder & CEO
ANYbotics — Péter Fankhauser, Co-founder & CEO
Zipline — Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Co-founder & CEO
Wayve — Alex Kendall, Co-founder & CEO
The sector is now moving from demonstration to deployment. Therefore, the strongest companies will be those that make robotics reliable, useful and economically practical outside controlled environments.
Climate, energy and industrial transformation
Climate tech has developed from a sustainability narrative into an infrastructure race. Companies in this sector are working on fusion, battery materials, long-duration storage, carbon removal, carbon transformation and green hydrogen.
Leaders to watch:
Commonwealth Fusion Systems — Bob Mumgaard, CEO
Helion Energy — David Kirtley, Founder & CEO
Form Energy — Mateo Jaramillo, Co-founder & CEO
Redwood Materials — JB Straubel, Founder & CEO
Climeworks — Christoph Gebald, Co-founder & Co-CEO
Twelve — Nicholas Flanders, Co-founder & CEO
Electric Hydrogen — Raffi Garabedian, Co-founder & CEO
These are capital-intensive fields. Nevertheless, they can reshape the physical economy. The leading companies are not selling climate optimism; they are building systems that could make industrial decarbonisation technically and economically possible.
Healthtech, biotech and AI for science
Healthcare is one of the most demanding markets for innovation because the stakes are human. At the same time, the opportunity is enormous. AI can reduce administrative work, support clinicians, improve preventive care and accelerate drug discovery.
Leaders to watch:
Abridge — Shivdev Rao, Founder & CEO
Hippocratic AI — Munjal Shah, Co-founder & CEO
Neko Health — Hjalmar Nilsonne, Co-founder & CEO
Insilico Medicine — Alex Zhavoronkov, Founder & CEO
Generate:Biomedicines — Mike Nally, CEO
Cradle — Stef van Grieken, Co-founder & CEO
Speed alone will not determine success. Healthtech and biotech companies also need clinical evidence, regulatory discipline and trust from doctors, patients and research institutions.
Fintech and global financial infrastructure
The strongest fintech companies are no longer focused only on making payments easier. Increasingly, they act as operating systems for global business. Their platforms combine payments, banking, spend management, cross-border transactions and financial automation.
Leaders to watch:
Stripe — Patrick Collison, Co-founder & CEO
Revolut — Nik Storonsky, Co-founder & CEO
Ramp — Eric Glyman, Co-founder & CEO
Brex — Henrique Dubugras, Co-founder & Co-CEO
Airwallex — Jack Zhang, Co-founder & CEO
As companies become more international, financial infrastructure must become faster, more flexible and easier to integrate.
Cybersecurity and trust infrastructure
Security is becoming a critical layer of the AI economy. Software is produced faster, systems are more automated and sensitive data moves across more tools. Consequently, trust, governance and secure infrastructure are strategic advantages.
Leaders to watch:
Wiz — Assaf Rappaport, Co-founder & CEO
Chainguard — Dan Lorenc, Co-founder & CEO
Semgrep — Isaac Evans, Founder & CEO
Island — Mike Fey, Co-founder & CEO
AI can help defenders, but it can also strengthen attackers. For that reason, cybersecurity businesses may become some of the most important infrastructure companies of the decade.
Space technology and frontier infrastructure
Space is moving from a government-dominated frontier toward a commercial infrastructure market. Satellite connectivity, advanced manufacturing, orbital logistics, research platforms and private space stations are becoming serious venture categories.
Leaders to watch:
Astranis — John Gedmark, Co-founder & CEO
Relativity Space — Tim Ellis, Co-founder & CEO
Varda Space Industries — Will Bruey, Co-founder & CEO
Impulse Space — Tom Mueller, Founder & CEO
Axiom Space — Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO
The opportunity extends beyond launch services. Companies are building the systems required for a broader, more reliable commercial space economy.
Enterprise software and the future of work
AI, global hiring and flexible collaboration are reshaping the workplace. As a result, the next generation of enterprise software is becoming less rigid and more adaptive.
Leaders to watch:
Notion — Ivan Zhao, Co-founder & CEO
Deel — Alex Bouaziz, Co-founder & CEO
The strongest platforms help distributed teams organise knowledge, make faster decisions and manage international operations.
What the 50 venture tech companies have in common
The companies on this watchlist operate in very different markets. Even so, the strongest businesses share several characteristics:
They build infrastructure, not just individual features.
They operate in markets where technical difficulty can create defensibility.
They combine ambitious research with practical deployment.
They treat trust, security and reliability as product requirements.
They solve problems that matter to large industries or global systems.
Another pattern is clear: AI is no longer a single vertical. It is becoming an operating layer across legal work, healthcare, coding, robotics, cybersecurity, drug discovery, knowledge management and creative production.
Therefore, the central question is no longer whether AI will influence venture tech. The question is which companies will use it to create products that work in complex, regulated and physical environments.
What comes next for venture technology
The next phase will be defined by execution. AI companies must convert attention into durable products and revenue. Robotics companies must prove that intelligent machines can operate safely and consistently. Climate companies must move from pilot projects to industrial scale.
Meanwhile, healthtech and biotech companies must balance speed with evidence. Cybersecurity providers must protect systems that are changing faster than many organisations can govern them.
The venture market is also likely to remain top-heavy. Investors will continue to fund companies they believe can define a category. Everyone else will need to prove more with less. Although that pressure is difficult, it may reward businesses with real technology, serious teams and a clear reason to exist.
Venture tech belongs in the World Future Awards conversation
World Future Awards recognises innovation that can shape society, improve industries and create better ways of living and working. Venture tech belongs in that conversation because it is often where the future becomes visible first.
The leaders featured in this research are not only building companies. They are testing new assumptions: intelligence can become more accessible, machines can become more useful, energy can become cleaner, healthcare can become more proactive, finance can become more global, software can become more secure and space can become part of the commercial economy.
That is the real story behind the venture tech companies of 2026. It is not only about funding rounds or valuations. It is about turning difficult technology into infrastructure that people and organisations can use.
Anthropic develops Claude and focuses on AI safety, enterprise adoption, and frontier model research. Amodei is a key voice in responsible AI and model capability debates.
One of the central companies in the 2025-2026 AI investment cycle.
Mistral AI is a European frontier AI company known for open and commercial model releases. Mensch represents Europe’s push to build globally competitive AI infrastructure.
Recognized on AI startup/watch lists and in European deep tech coverage.
Perplexity is building AI-native search and answer technology for consumers and knowledge workers. Srinivas has become a recognizable founder in the new search and agentic information layer.
Major AI search scale-up frequently cited in AI startup coverage.
Cohere builds enterprise-focused large language models and retrieval systems. Gomez is known as one of the authors of the Transformer paper and a founder focused on secure enterprise AI.
Recognized in AI market reports and enterprise AI analysis.
Hugging Face has become a core platform for open-source AI models, datasets, and collaboration. Delangue leads one of the most developer-loved companies in the AI ecosystem.
Widely cited in AI ecosystem reports and open-source AI discussions.
Glean builds enterprise search and AI assistants that connect workplace knowledge. Jain brings strong product and infrastructure experience to the enterprise AI category.
Prominent enterprise AI company in 2025-2026 funding and adoption discussions.
Harvey applies generative AI to legal workflows, professional services, and enterprise knowledge work. Weinberg represents a new wave of vertical AI founders.
Frequently covered as a leading vertical AI company for law firms and enterprises.
Anysphere is the company behind Cursor, an AI-powered code editor. Truell represents the developer tools segment where AI is quickly changing software creation.
Cursor became one of the most discussed AI developer products of 2025.
ElevenLabs builds AI voice, audio generation, dubbing, and creative speech tools. Staniszewski leads one of the most visible companies in synthetic media.
Recognized in AI startup and European deep tech reports.
Synthesia creates AI video generation tools for enterprise communication and training. Riparbelli is a leading founder in synthetic video and business communication.
Runway builds generative AI tools for video, design, and creative production. Valenzuela has helped make AI creation more accessible to artists, studios, and brands.
Recognized in AI 50-style coverage and generative media reports.
Together AI provides infrastructure for training, fine-tuning, and running open models. Prakash is building in the critical compute and model deployment layer.
Part of the fast-growing AI infrastructure category in 2025-2026.
Sakana AI is a Tokyo-based AI research lab exploring nature-inspired AI and new model-development approaches. Ha is known for research leadership and creative machine learning work.
Recognized in global AI startup coverage and funding discussions.
Figure AI develops humanoid robots for labor, logistics, and industrial environments. Adcock is one of the most visible founders in the humanoid robotics boom.
Humanoid robotics attracted strong funding and media attention in 2025-2026.
Agility Robotics builds Digit, a humanoid robot for logistics and warehouse use cases. Johnson leads commercialization efforts in practical industrial robotics.
Agility is cited in major robotics interviews and AI influence coverage.
Skild AI builds foundation models for robotics and embodied intelligence. Pathak’s academic and startup work sits at the intersection of reinforcement learning and real-world robots.
Physical AI and robotics foundation models are key 2025-2026 venture themes.
ANYbotics develops autonomous inspection robots for industrial sites. Fankhauser leads a Swiss robotics company focused on safety, inspection, and operational efficiency.
Recognized as a strong European robotics scale-up.
Zipline uses autonomous aircraft for instant logistics and medical delivery. Rinaudo Cliffton has helped build one of the world’s most visible drone delivery networks.
Well-known venture-backed robotics/logistics company with broad deployment footprint.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is pursuing commercial fusion energy. Mumgaard leads one of the most advanced private fusion efforts with a strong scientific and venture backing story.
Fusion remains one of the highest-impact climate and energy bets in venture-backed deep tech.
Helion Energy is building fusion power technology with a direct electricity generation approach. Kirtley represents the founder-led push toward commercially viable fusion.
Fusion energy continues to attract attention in climate tech and frontier hard tech.
Form Energy develops long-duration iron-air battery systems for the electric grid. Jaramillo leads a company addressing renewable energy storage at utility scale.
Long-duration storage is a key category in climate tech investment.
Redwood Materials focuses on battery recycling, materials recovery, and circular supply chains. Straubel brings Tesla and battery expertise to a critical climate infrastructure problem.
Battery recycling and critical minerals remain important climate tech themes.
Climeworks builds direct air capture technology for carbon removal. Gebald is a notable European climate tech founder in one of the most visible carbon removal companies.
Direct air capture remains a prominent climate tech and net-zero category.
Twelve converts CO2 into chemicals, fuels, and materials using electrochemistry. Flanders leads a company turning carbon into a feedstock for industrial transformation.
Carbon transformation remains an important frontier in climate tech.
Electric Hydrogen develops high-power electrolyzers for low-cost green hydrogen production. Garabedian leads a climate company targeting heavy industry decarbonization.
Green hydrogen is a key climate infrastructure category despite market selectivity.
Abridge uses AI to generate clinical documentation and reduce administrative load for clinicians. Rao combines medical practice with health technology entrepreneurship.
One of the most visible healthcare AI scale-ups in recent funding and adoption coverage.
Hippocratic AI develops safety-focused healthcare agents for non-diagnostic patient-facing tasks. Shah is a serial founder working at the intersection of AI and healthcare access.
Healthcare agents are part of the broader shift toward vertical AI.
Neko Health builds preventive health scanning and diagnostics experiences. Nilsonne leads a European healthtech company focused on early detection and consumer-friendly care.
European healthtech scale-up attracting global attention.
Generate:Biomedicines uses machine learning to design novel proteins and therapeutics. Nally leads a company positioned at the intersection of biology, computation, and drug development.
Generative biology is a frontier category in biotech venture investing.
Stripe builds financial infrastructure for internet businesses. Collison remains one of the most influential founders in global fintech and developer-first payments.
Late-stage private fintech leader with global infrastructure relevance.
Revolut is a global financial super-app spanning banking, payments, trading, and business accounts. Storonsky leads one of Europe’s most valuable private fintech companies.
European fintech leader often referenced in venture ecosystem reports.
Ramp builds finance automation, corporate cards, and spend management tools for businesses. Glyman leads a fast-growing fintech focused on efficiency and cost control.
Strong recent fintech growth and funding visibility.
Brex provides corporate cards, expense management, and financial services for startups and enterprises. Dubugras is a prominent fintech founder from Brazil operating globally.
Airwallex builds global payments and financial infrastructure for businesses. Zhang leads a major Asia-Pacific fintech scale-up with global expansion momentum.
Asia-Pacific fintech leader with international growth profile.
Chainguard builds secure software supply chain infrastructure and hardened open-source components. Lorenc is an important founder in securing how modern software is built.
Software supply chain security remains a priority area for enterprises and investors.
Island created an enterprise browser designed for security, productivity, and manageability. Fey brings deep cybersecurity leadership experience to a new enterprise software category.
Raised major funding and reached a multi-billion valuation in 2025 coverage.
Astranis builds small geostationary satellites to expand broadband connectivity. Gedmark leads a space startup targeting lower-cost connectivity infrastructure.
Private space infrastructure remains a strong frontier tech category.
Relativity Space develops reusable rockets and advanced manufacturing approaches for launch. Ellis is one of the most prominent founders in private aerospace.
Space and launch infrastructure continue to attract strategic venture attention.
Varda Space Industries develops in-space manufacturing and reentry capsules. Bruey leads a company exploring how microgravity can enable new industrial processes.
Space manufacturing is one of the more futuristic venture-backed categories.
Impulse Space builds in-space transportation and orbital maneuvering vehicles. Mueller brings rocket engineering credibility from SpaceX to next-generation space logistics.
Space logistics is an emerging layer in commercial space infrastructure.
Axiom Space is developing a commercial space station and private astronaut missions. Bhatia leads the company’s commercial transformation of low-Earth orbit.
Axiom appointed Bhatia CEO in 2025 and continues commercial space station work.
Notion is a workspace and productivity platform increasingly integrating AI into collaboration. Zhao has built a design-led company with a passionate global user community.
Notion remains a major private productivity platform and AI workspace contender.
Deel builds global HR, payroll, compliance, and workforce management infrastructure. Bouaziz leads a company that reflects how work has become more distributed and international.
Major venture-backed software scale-up with global enterprise relevance.
Is your company building a breakthrough? World Future Awards welcomes innovations in AI, robotics, climate tech, healthtech, biotech, fintech, cybersecurity, space technology and the future of work. Apply for World Future Awards
#
Category
Company
Leader
WFA angle
1
AI & Model Infrastructure
OpenAI
Sam Altman CEO
A defining company in generative AI, agentic systems, developer ecosystems, and applied AI infrastructure.
2
AI & Model Infrastructure
Anthropic
Dario Amodei Co-founder & CEO
Important for AI safety, enterprise AI, model competition, and long-context AI products.
3
AI & Model Infrastructure
Mistral AI
Arthur Mensch Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around European AI sovereignty, open models, and high-growth venture leadership.
4
AI & Model Infrastructure
Perplexity
Aravind Srinivas Co-founder & CEO
Relevant for AI search, productivity, knowledge interfaces, and next-generation user behavior.
5
AI & Model Infrastructure
Cohere
Aidan Gomez Co-founder & CEO
Strong fit for enterprise AI, sovereign AI, and B2B AI adoption.
6
AI & Model Infrastructure
Hugging Face
Clément Delangue Co-founder & CEO
Great WFA story around open-source infrastructure, community-led AI, and democratized machine learning.
7
AI & Enterprise Productivity
Glean
Arvind Jain Founder & CEO
Strong angle around the future of work, AI assistants, enterprise knowledge, and productivity infrastructure.
8
AI & Legal Tech
Harvey
Winston Weinberg Co-founder & CEO
Useful for WFA angle around specialized AI, legal transformation, and high-value professional automation.
9
AI & Developer Tools
Anysphere
Michael Truell Co-founder & CEO
Excellent angle around AI coding, software productivity, and the future of developers.
10
AI & Voice
ElevenLabs
Mati Staniszewski Co-founder & CEO
Relevant for media, entertainment, accessibility, localization, and AI-generated content.
11
AI & Video
Synthesia
Victor Riparbelli Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around future media, learning, enterprise video, and AI content creation.
12
AI & Creative Tools
Runway
Cristóbal Valenzuela Co-founder & CEO
Strong fit for creative AI, film, media production, and human-centered technology.
13
AI & Infrastructure
Together AI
Vipul Ved Prakash Co-founder & CEO
Important angle around AI infrastructure, open models, and scalable deployment.
14
AI & Research Labs
Sakana AI
David Ha Co-founder & CEO
Great global angle for Japan-based AI innovation and alternative AI research philosophies.
15
Robotics & Physical AI
Figure AI
Brett Adcock Founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around physical AI, robotics labor, automation, and future workplaces.
16
Robotics & Physical AI
1X Technologies
Bernt Øivind Børnich Founder & CEO
Good angle around robotics, household automation, and embodied AI.
17
Robotics & Physical AI
Agility Robotics
Peggy Johnson CEO
Strong WFA angle around useful robotics, AI-enabled labor support, and safe deployment.
18
Robotics & Physical AI
Skild AI
Deepak Pathak Co-founder & CEO
Very strong angle around robotic foundation models and the next frontier after chatbots.
19
Robotics & Autonomous Systems
ANYbotics
Péter Fankhauser Co-founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around industrial robotics, energy infrastructure, and autonomous inspection.
20
Robotics & Drone Logistics
Zipline
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around life-saving logistics, autonomous delivery, healthcare access, and global operations.
21
Autonomous Mobility
Wayve
Alex Kendall Co-founder & CEO
Strong angle around autonomous vehicles, AI driving systems, and Europe’s venture ecosystem.
22
Climate & Energy Tech
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Bob Mumgaard CEO
Excellent WFA angle around deep tech, clean energy, and long-term infrastructure transformation.
23
Climate & Energy Tech
Helion Energy
David Kirtley Founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around breakthrough energy and the future of clean baseload power.
24
Climate & Energy Tech
Form Energy
Mateo Jaramillo Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around grid resilience, renewable energy storage, and clean infrastructure.
25
Climate & Circular Economy
Redwood Materials
JB Straubel Founder & CEO
Relevant for circular economy, EV supply chains, battery materials, and sustainable manufacturing.
26
Climate & Carbon Removal
Climeworks
Christoph Gebald Co-founder & Co-CEO
Good WFA angle around carbon removal, climate infrastructure, and science-based innovation.
27
Climate & Carbon Transformation
Twelve
Nicholas Flanders Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around carbon utilization, sustainable aviation fuel, and climate-positive materials.
28
Climate & Green Hydrogen
Electric Hydrogen
Raffi Garabedian Co-founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around green hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, and clean manufacturing.
29
Healthtech & AI
Abridge
Shivdev Rao Founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around healthcare AI, clinician productivity, patient communication, and responsible automation.
30
Healthtech & AI
Hippocratic AI
Munjal Shah Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around AI healthcare assistants, safety, and scalable patient support.
31
Healthtech & Preventive Care
Neko Health
Hjalmar Nilsonne Co-founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around preventive medicine, health data, and consumer health innovation.
32
Biotech & AI Drug Discovery
Insilico Medicine
Alex Zhavoronkov Founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around AI drug discovery, biotech acceleration, and future health innovation.
33
Biotech & Protein Design
Generate:Biomedicines
Mike Nally CEO
Good WFA angle around generative biology and AI-powered therapeutics.
34
Biotech & AI Design
Cradle
Stef van Grieken Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around AI-enabled biology, protein design, and faster scientific discovery.
35
Fintech & Payments
Stripe
Patrick Collison Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around financial infrastructure, online commerce, and developer platforms.
36
Fintech & Digital Banking
Revolut
Nik Storonsky Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around global fintech, digital banking, and financial access.
37
Fintech & Spend Management
Ramp
Eric Glyman Co-founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around AI-enabled finance operations and modern business infrastructure.
38
Fintech & Business Banking
Brex
Henrique Dubugras Co-founder & Co-CEO
Strong WFA angle around startup finance, global entrepreneurship, and fintech infrastructure.
39
Fintech & Global Payments
Airwallex
Jack Zhang Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around cross-border payments, fintech infrastructure, and global commerce.
40
Cybersecurity & Cloud Security
Wiz
Assaf Rappaport Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around cloud security, enterprise resilience, and Israeli cybersecurity leadership.
41
Cybersecurity & Software Supply Chain
Chainguard
Dan Lorenc Co-founder & CEO
Great WFA angle around cybersecurity, open-source trust, DevSecOps, and software infrastructure.
42
Cybersecurity & Developer Security
Semgrep
Isaac Evans Founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around secure software development, developer tooling, and AI-era application security.
43
Cybersecurity & Enterprise Browser
Island
Mike Fey Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around secure work, enterprise browsers, and AI-era data protection.
44
Space Tech
Astranis
John Gedmark Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around satellite internet, space infrastructure, and global connectivity.
45
Space Tech
Relativity Space
Tim Ellis Co-founder & CEO
Great WFA angle around space launch, 3D printing, and advanced manufacturing.
46
Space Tech
Varda Space Industries
Will Bruey Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around in-space manufacturing, materials, pharma, and commercial space infrastructure.
47
Space Tech
Impulse Space
Tom Mueller Founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around orbital logistics, space infrastructure, and frontier engineering.
48
Space Tech
Axiom Space
Tejpaul Bhatia CEO
Strong WFA angle around commercial space, orbital infrastructure, and future human spaceflight.
49
Enterprise Software & Productivity
Notion
Ivan Zhao Co-founder & CEO
Good WFA angle around future of work, knowledge management, AI productivity, and community-led product growth.
50
Enterprise Software & Future of Work
Deel
Alex Bouaziz Co-founder & CEO
Strong WFA angle around future of work, global employment infrastructure, and operational technology.
How gaming became the world’s most exciting laboratory for technology, creativity, and human connection Gaming is no longer just entertainment — it is becoming one of the most powerful innovation engines of the future.
There was a time when gaming was seen as a hobby: something people did after school, after work, or on the weekend with friends. Today, that idea feels almost ancient.
Gaming is now a global culture, a creative economy, a technology test lab, a social network, a competitive sport, and a billion-dollar business all at once. It is where artificial intelligence meets storytelling, where virtual worlds become real communities, and where the next generation of consumers spends time, money, and imagination.
The most interesting part? The industry is not being shaped by one type of leader. It is being built by platform builders, studio founders, esports executives, game designers, hardware innovators, engine architects, and creative visionaries who understand that the future of gaming is bigger than the screen.
At World Future Awards, where innovation is celebrated across fields that shape tomorrow’s society, gaming deserves special attention. It is one of the few industries where technology, emotion, design, business, and community all collide in real time.
From Players to Creators. The modern gamer is no longer only a player – increasingly, they are also a creator.
One of the biggest shifts in gaming is the rise of user-generated content. Platforms such as Roblox have shown that the future is not only about studios producing games for players. It is also about giving players the tools to build, share, monetize, and grow their own worlds.
This is why leaders such as David Baszucki of Roblox have become central figures in the future of interactive entertainment. Roblox is not just a game platform; it is a global playground for imagination, entrepreneurship, and social connection.
The same creator-first movement is influencing many parts of the industry. Game engines, modding communities, virtual economies, and creator marketplaces are turning gaming into a participatory culture. The next breakthrough game may not come only from a traditional studio. It may come from a teenager, a small creator team, or a community that knows exactly what it wants to play.
The Technology Behind the Magic. Behind every unforgettable game world is an invisible architecture of technology.
Real-time graphics, cloud infrastructure, AI-assisted design, motion capture, cross-platform systems, and powerful game engines are making gaming more cinematic, more immersive, and more scalable. This is where leaders such as Kim Libreri of Epic Games stand out. Unreal Engine has become far more than a game development tool — it is used across film, architecture, automotive visualization, virtual production, and digital experiences.
Gaming technology now influences industries far beyond entertainment. The tools created for virtual worlds are becoming tools for real-world simulation, training, design, and storytelling.
That is why gaming is one of the most future-facing industries in the world. It does not simply respond to technology trends. Very often, it creates them.
The New Power of Gaming Communities. Gaming communities are becoming some of the most active and loyal audiences in the digital economy.
For years, publishers focused mainly on the launch of a game. Now, the real challenge begins after launch.
The most successful gaming companies are not only selling products. They are managing living worlds, long-term communities, esports ecosystems, creator networks, seasonal content, and global fan cultures.
This is where leaders such as A. Dylan Jadeja of Riot Games and Alban Dechelotte of G2 Esportsrepresent a larger industry transformation. Gaming is no longer only about playing. It is about belonging.
A great game can become a place where people meet friends, follow teams, watch tournaments, create memes, buy digital items, and build identity. In this sense, games are competing not only with other games, but also with social media, streaming platforms, music, sports, and even fashion.
The Leaders to Watch
The gaming industry is full of powerful personalities whose work continues to define what comes next. Among the most influential names are:
Asha Sharma at Microsoft/Xbox, representing the next chapter of large-scale gaming platforms and AI-powered ecosystems.
Matt Booty at Xbox Game Studios, helping guide one of the world’s largest portfolios of game studios and franchises.
Kim Libreri at Epic Games, advancing the future of real-time 3D and creative technology.
DavidBaszucki at Roblox, proving the power of user-generated worlds and creator economies.
Laura Mieleat Electronic Arts, shaping major entertainment franchises and large-scale game development strategy.
Strauss Zelnickat Take-Two Interactive, leading one of the most influential companies in premium gaming IP.
A. Dylan Jadeja at Riot Games, expanding the future of live-service games, esports, and global fandom.
Johanna Faries at Blizzard Entertainment, steering one of gaming’s most iconic creative brands.
Hermen Hulst at PlayStation Studios, representing premium console experiences and cinematic game storytelling.
Jade Raymond of Haven Studios, known for major studio building and creative leadership.
Mike Morhaime of Dreamhaven and Blizzard legacy, whose influence on studio culture remains significant.
Riccardo Zacconi of King, linked to one of mobile gaming’s biggest success stories, Candy Crush.
Brenda Romero of Romero Games, a respected creative voice in game design and education.
Jenova Chen of thatgamecompany, known for emotional, artistic, and human-centered game experiences.
Alban Dechelotte of G2 Esports, helping turn esports teams into global entertainment brands.
Together, these leaders show how wide the gaming industry has become. It is no longer only about consoles or mobile apps. It is about engines, communities, creators, competition, storytelling, hardware, AI, and culture.
AI Enters the Game
AI is beginning to reshape how games are imagined, produced, tested, and personalized.
Artificial intelligence is one of the most discussed topics in gaming today — and also one of the most sensitive.
AI can help accelerate concept art, testing, localization, coding, animation, customer support, and procedural content. It may help smaller teams build bigger worlds and allow larger studios to personalize game experiences in new ways.
But the industry is also asking difficult questions. How should AI be used ethically? How can companies protect artists, writers, designers, and developers? What happens to originality when machines can produce content at speed?
The future will not belong to companies that simply use AI because it is fashionable. It will belong to those that use it intelligently — as a tool that supports human creativity rather than replacing it.
What Comes Next?
The gaming industry is entering a new stage. The next few years will likely be defined by several major directions:
Gaming platforms will become more social, more creator-driven, and more open to cross-platform play.
AI will become a normal part of development pipelines, but companies will need clear rules and responsible creative standards.
Esports will continue evolving from tournament culture into broader entertainment, lifestyle, and brand ecosystems.
In-game advertising and digital commerce will grow, especially as brands look for more natural ways to reach younger audiences.
Game engines will expand beyond gaming, becoming infrastructure for virtual production, simulation, education, and future digital experiences.
Mobile gaming will remain enormous, but growth will increasingly depend on quality, retention, community, and smarter monetization.
Most importantly, the line between “game,” “social platform,” “entertainment brand,” and “creative economy” will continue to blur.
Why Gaming Belongs in the Future Conversation
Gaming has become one of the clearest mirrors of where technology and society are going. It shows how people want to connect, compete, create, learn, escape, and express themselves.
It is also one of the rare industries where innovation is immediately tested by millions of people. A new interface, mechanic, marketplace, or social model does not stay theoretical for long. Players respond quickly. Communities grow or disappear. Ideas succeed because people actually choose to spend time with them.
That makes gaming a powerful field for recognition.
The leaders shaping this industry are not only building entertainment products. They are building new forms of culture, technology, and digital life. They are helping define how future generations will play, learn, socialize, and imagine.
And in a world where innovation often feels distant or complicated, gaming reminds us of something essential: the future should not only be smarter. It should also be more creative, more human, and maybe even a little more fun.
Conclusion
World Future Awards celebrates companies and leaders whose innovations are shaping tomorrow. If your company is creating breakthrough products, platforms, technologies, or experiences in gaming, esports, entertainment, AI, virtual worlds, or interactive media, now is the time to share your achievement with a global audience.
As digital assets continue their transition from niche technology to mainstream financial infrastructure, the industry is undergoing a profound transformation. Users and businesses alike are no longer looking for isolated cryptocurrency tools; they are seeking seamless ecosystems that combine infrastructure, digital asset infrastructure, wallet functionality, exchange-related tools, and payment functionality within a single environment. EMCD has emerged as a leader in this new era, earning the prestigious World Future Awards 2026 title in the B2B Software category for Best Integrated Digital Asset Ecosystem.
EMCD traces its origins back nine years, when Michael Jerlis and a team of fewer than five people began developing a Bitcoin mining pool. What began as a mining-focused operation has since grown into one of the top mining pools in the world and a full-fledged fintech ecosystem serving more than 550,000 users across 120-plus countries — a trajectory that mirrors the evolution of the crypto industry itself.
Today, EMCD is recognized globally for operating one of the industry’s leading mining pools, consistently ranked among the top Bitcoin mining pools worldwide. However, the company’s success extends far beyond mining. The expansion was deliberate and user-driven: as EMCD’s mining community grew, so did demand for integrated tools to store, exchange, and manage digital assets without leaving the platform. EMCD responded by building out a comprehensive suite of products — a digital asset wallet, P2P trading and exchange tools, Coinhold, OnLock, Indesk — all connected within a single ecosystem
Central to the ecosystem is EMCD’s globally trusted mining pool, which provides miners with reliable infrastructure, competitive fees, and advanced performance tools. Yet what truly distinguishes the company is its ability to connect mining operations directly with a broader financial ecosystem. Users can seamlessly move digital assets into the custodial wallet, generate yield on their crypto with Coinhold, trade through peer-to-peer, diversify their portfolio, and top up their Payment Card to pay for groceries without leaving the platform.
This integrated approach addresses one of the biggest challenges facing the cryptocurrency industry: fragmentation. Historically, users have needed multiple providers to manage different aspects of their digital asset journey. EMCD’s ecosystem model removes these barriers by creating a cohesive environment where services work together seamlessly, improving efficiency while reducing complexity.
For individual users, this translates into a more accessible and intuitive experience. Crypto holders can securely store assets, generate rewards on their crypto through Coinhold, make payments using Payment Cards, and participate in the broader digital economy through a single interface. By combining sophisticated capabilities with a user-friendly experience, EMCD has made digital assets more approachable for both experienced users and newcomers alike.
A defining characteristic of EMCD’s success is its commitment to bridging the gap between advanced blockchain infrastructure and practical everyday usability. While many platforms focus either on technical sophistication or ease of use, EMCD has successfully combined both. The result is an ecosystem that delivers professional-grade functionality while remaining accessible to a broad audience.
“Digital assets are no longer a niche — they are becoming the infrastructure of everyday financial life,” said Michael Jerlis, CEO & Founder of EMCD. “History doesn’t remember the platforms that simply existed. It remembers the ones that changed how people relate to money. That is what we are building at EMCD — not just tools, but a new reality where anyone can manage, grow, and use digital assets without friction.”
The World Future Awards recognition acknowledges EMCD’s role in driving this transformation. The company’s integrated ecosystem demonstrates how digital asset platforms can evolve from specialized tools into comprehensive financial infrastructures that support both personal and business needs. By connecting mining, payments, asset management, yield generation, and business solutions within a single ecosystem, EMCD is helping define the next generation of digital finance.
As adoption of blockchain technologies and digital assets accelerates worldwide, companies capable of simplifying complexity while expanding utility will play a critical role in shaping the future. Through its innovative ecosystem approach, global reach, and commitment to user-centric design, EMCD has positioned itself at the forefront of this evolution.
World Future Awards is proud to announce EMCD as the winner of the 2026 World Future Awards in the B2B Software category for Best Integrated Digital Asset Ecosystem.
The award recognizes EMCD’s outstanding contribution to the evolution of digital finance through its comprehensive ecosystem that brings together mining services, wallet functionality, exchange-related tools, and digital asset products within a unified platform.
As digital assets continue to gain global adoption, the need for accessible, secure, and integrated solutions has become increasingly important. EMCD has distinguished itself by creating an ecosystem that simplifies how individuals and businesses interact with digital assets, reducing the complexity traditionally associated with cryptocurrency services.
EMCD traces its origins back to 2017 when it began as a Bitcoin mining pool, and has since evolved into a full-fledged fintech ecosystem serving more than 550,000 users across 120-plus countries and $80 million under management. The company’s expansion has been deliberate and user-driven: as the platform’s mining community grew, so did the demand for integrated tools to store, exchange, and deploy digital assets without leaving the ecosystem. EMCD responded by building out a comprehensive suite of products — including a digital asset wallet, P2P trading and exchange tools, Coinhold (wallet with rewards on crypto), OnLock, Indesk, — all united by a single mission: making currencies digital and crypto accessible to everyone.
The World Future Awards recognized EMCD for its innovative ecosystem-driven approach and its ability to bridge advanced blockchain infrastructure with practical everyday usability. The platform’s focus on integration, accessibility, and efficiency reflects the future direction of the digital asset industry, where users increasingly expect connected solutions rather than fragmented services.
“Winning this World Future Awards is a significant milestone for EMCD — but for us, it means more than recognition,” said Michael Jerlis, CEO & Founder of EMCD. “We have never been driven by the pursuit of scale alone. From day one, the goal has been to change the reality around us — to make digital finance more accessible, more intuitive, and more meaningful for everyone who uses it. This award reflects that mission.”
Speexx, the leading people development platform, has announced the launch of Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff, a specialized digital language training solution designed for railway professionals working in multilingual, safety-critical and cross-border environments.
The new solution combines industry-specific e-learning, virtual group lessons, language assessment, curated railway content, and AI-enabled speaking practice through Speexx Talk™. It supports rail operators, infrastructure organizations, public transport providers, and railway service companies in building the language skills their teams need for operational communication, passenger interaction, cross-border collaboration, and professional development.
Built for the Realities of Railway Work
Railway organizations operate in a highly regulated, multilingual environment where clear communication is essential. Teams need to communicate across roles, locations, languages, and borders, often under time pressure and with safety implications.
At the same time, Europe is actively discussing how to reduce language barriers in cross-border rail. RailNetEurope’s Language Programme focuses on more efficient international train operations through improved communication, while the European Union Agency for Railways supports the European Commission on common requirements for vocational education, competence assessment, and staff certification. The current debate around the Train Drivers Directive has also brought the question of language competence and cross-border mobility back onto the European rail agenda.
Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff helps organizations prepare for this changing environment with scalable, role-relevant language learning that reflects the communication needs of railway professionals.
Human-Curated Railway Content, Enhanced by AI
The training covers fundamental railway knowledge for professionals across the sector and includes thousands of exercises, plus a dedicated library of specialized and curated railway content. The content is developed and reviewed by humans, ensuring relevance, accuracy, and practical value for learners.
Speexx Talk™ adds AI-enabled conversation practice to help learners build confidence in realistic, job-related scenarios. Learners can practice speaking, receive instant feedback, and strengthen their communication skills in a safe digital environment before applying them on the job.
Unlike generic language training, Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff focuses on the terminology, situations, and communication patterns that matter in rail, from operational coordination and safety-related exchanges to customer-facing conversations and everyday collaboration.
Designed for Multilingual Railway Teams
Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff is available in 30+ languages, supporting both English as a shared language for international collaboration and local language learning for country-specific operations.
The solution can be adapted for different learner groups, including:
Train drivers and operational staff
Station and customer service teams
Onboard personnel
Traffic control and coordination teams
Technical and maintenance staff
Safety, compliance, and training teams
Multilingual frontline and deskless workers
With mobile access, virtual group lessons, e-learning modules, language assessment, and enterprise reporting, the solution is built for distributed railway workforces and can be integrated into existing learning ecosystems.
Proven Experience with Leading European Rail Operators
Speexx already partners with major European railway organizations, including SBB, BLS, and DB Cargo, to deliver role-specific language training, language assessment, e-learning, and live online training for multilingual railway teams.
In its work with SBB, Speexx supported a tailored, mobile-accessible language training program for multiple target groups, including safety-related communication and role-specific expertise. The program combined e-learning modules, online workshops, and virtual group lessons with integration into SBB’s learning systems.
This experience gives Speexx a strong foundation for helping railway organizations scale language training across teams, functions, and countries while keeping learning relevant to the operational context.
A European Solution for a More Connected Rail Sector
“Rail is one of Europe’s most important connectors, but language remains one of the barriers to smoother cross-border operations,” said Beate Gallist, Head of Product at Speexx. “With Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff, organizations can build the communication skills their people need for safer collaboration, better passenger service, and more flexible multilingual operations. This is not generic business language adapted for rail. It is sector-specific language training built around the real work of railway professionals.”
Speexx Online Language Training for Railway Staff is available to organizations worldwide and can be deployed as part of broader ai-enabled language training, onboarding, compliance, frontline development, and talent mobility programs.
About Speexx
Speexx is a leading people development platform for the digital workplace, offering corporate language training, business coaching, mentoring, intercultural programs, AI coaching, and skills assessment for large organizations. Speexx supports more than 1,800 organizations and 8 million users worldwide with secure, enterprise-ready solutions delivered in 30+ languages.
Speexx integrates with client people technology and supports international organizations with scalable learning experiences, reporting, compliance, and learner support. The company meets GDPR and CCPA requirements, holds ISO, TISAX, and AZAV certifications, and has received more than 200 industry awards.
