Every year, CNBC scans the globe looking for the 100 venture-backed start-ups that have the potential to transform industries and become tomorrow's household names. Our 2019 Upstart 100 list showcases young start-ups that are building and scaling businesses addressing the rapidly changing technological era we live in. Selected from more than 600 nominees globally, each one was scored on eight equally weighted quantitative metrics (read more about our methodology here).
Each Upstart has raised no more than $50 million in venture capital, which means valuations are still relatively low, while promise and potential are high. And although the unicorns of 2019 have represented at times frothy, fadlike market trends, the Upstart 100 companies present a broader picture of where venture capitalists are placing their bets in the more distant future.
The companies that made this year's Upstart 100 list represent nearly every sector of the economy, from enterprise software and finance to insurance, health care and retail. They come from 10 different countries, 16 U.S. states and DC. Of the 100, 25 are led by women. All of them are less than five years old, but 40 are less than three years old and 11 were founded just last year.
And all of the 100 companies on the list have quickly become entrepreneurial success stories worth keeping an eye on.
Upstart 100 2019
Company | Description | Headquarters | Founded |
---|---|---|---|
AiFi | AI-driven checkout-free systems for retail stores | Santa Clara, CA | 2016 |
Airspace Technologies | Logistics platform for time-sensitive shipments, like donated organs or replacement parts | San Diego | 2019 |
AISERA | AI-driven help desk for IT, HR and customer service | Palo Alto, CA | 2017 |
Alpha Medical | Mobile platform providing basic health-care services for women | Palo Alto, CA | 2017 |
Aporeto | Cybersecurity solution for hybrid and multicloud workplace applications | San Jose, CA | 2016 |
Arkose Labs | Fraud and abuse prevention for large enterprises, backed by PayPal | San Francisco | 2017 |
Arrcus | Flexible operating system for enterprises, deployable in data centers and on the cloud | San Jose, CA | 2016 |
Attabotics | Robotic supply chain system that reduces warehouse space needs | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 2016 |
Awake Security | Automated cyberthreat detection and triage | Santa Clara, CA | 2014 |
Axonius | Cybersecurity for a company's myriad connected devices | New York | 2017 |
Beddr | FDA-cleared sleep-monitoring app | Mountain View, CA | 2017 |
Beekeepers Naturals | Health and wellness products made from honey and honey byproducts | Los Angeles | 2015 |
Bloomscape | E-commerce houseplants | Detroit | 2018 |
Blue Hexagon | Deep-learning cybersecurity platform founded by a former Qualcomm engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 2017 |
BookDoc | Appointment booker and online health-care platform | Selangor, Malaysia | 2015 |
brrr° | Maker of cooling fabrics for apparel brands like Gap and Jos. A. Bank | Atlanta | 2015 |
CHEQ | AI-driven ad verification that exposes fake fans | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2016 |
Cmd | Data breach prevention for Uber and other cloud-first companies | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 2016 |
cmorq | Subscription-based blockchain and cryptocurrency data | New York | 2018 |
CodeSignal | Data-driven talent discovery that's taking on bias in hiring | San Francisco | 2015 |
Common Networks | Wireless internet provider built on open 5G technology | San Francisco | 2016 |
Coord | Urban 'curbside data' platform for government, construction and transportation | New York | 2016 |
Cumulus Digital Systems | Internet of Tools-powered platform that makes industrial facilities safer | Boston | 2018 |
Cylus | Tech designed to protect railway and metro systems from cyberthreats | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2017 |
Daily Harvest | Frozen healthy food, including soups, smoothies and bowls delivered straight to your door. | New York | 2015 |
Deep Genomics | AI-derived genetic therapies and medicines | Toronto | 2014 |
Dispatch | Courier platform designed for same-day delivery tracked in real time | Bloomington, MN | 2016 |
DUST Identity | Tech that binds digital records with a physical identity layer | Boston | 2018 |
Eclypsium | Cloud platform that protects organizations from nontraditional firmware attacks | Beaverton, OR | 2017 |
FintruX Network | Peer-to-peer blockchain lending for start-ups and small businesses | Singapore | 2017 |
FlavorCloud | Friction-free international shipping and returns for retailers | Seattle | 2018 |
Fleetsmith | Automated Apple device management for IT teams | San Francisco | 2016 |
Flutterwave | Digital payment platform for global merchants and payment-service providers | Lagos, Nigeria | 2016 |
FOSSA | Open-source management software for enterprise teams from Uber to Verizon | San Francisco | 2015 |
FutureFuel.io | Benefits solutions for employers to help employees manage student debt. | Boston | 2016 |
Grabango | Checkout-free shopping technology created by a Pandora co-founder | Berkeley, CA | 2016 |
Helium Health | Electronic medical records for Africa's premier hospitals | Lagos, Nigeria | 2016 |
Honeybee Health | Online pharmacy offering prescription meds at direct wholesale prices | Los Angeles | 2018 |
IllumiCare | Data platform helping health-care providers order fewer and less-expensive tests and medications | Birmingham, AL | 2014 |
Indio Technologies Inc | Digitized insurance application and renewal process for businesses | San Francisco | 2016 |
Iris Automation | Drone operation helping autonomous vehicles avoid obstacles and collisions from the sky | San Francisco | 2015 |
Knoq | Automated door-to-door sales and cause-based canvassing | Boston | 2015 |
Linktree | Tool to let users like Alicia Keys and Pearl Jam push fans to multiple links in their Instagram bio | Melbourne, Australia | 2016 |
Locus Biosciences | CRISPR-engineered antibacterial products | Morrisville, NC | 2015 |
Lolli | Bitcoin rewards for online shoppers | New York | 2018 |
Luminance | AI-driven analysis of legal documentation | Cambridge, UK | 2015 |
Made In | Direct-to-consumer kitchen cookware backed by a Bonobos co-founder | Austin, TX | 2017 |
Mammoth Biosciences | The world's first CRISPR-based disease detection platform | San Francisco | 2017 |
Mented Cosmetics | Online cosmetics store designed with women of color in mind | New York | 2017 |
Modern Fertility | Fertility hormone testing at a fraction of the traditional cost | San Francisco | 2017 |
Movandi | 5G developer expanding wireless communication and connectivity worldwide | Irvine, CA | 2016 |
Nabta Health | Health platform designed for women in the Middle East and North Africa | Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2017 |
Nanit | AI-driven baby-monitoring devices created to track sleep behavior and patterns | New York | 2014 |
NeuroFlow | Digital platform specifically designed to track mental health and wellness | Philadelphia | 2017 |
Nobul | Real estate marketplace where brokers and agents compete for consumer's business | Toronto | 2016 |
Obsidian Security | Cyberthreat protection for enterprise cloud infrastructures and data centers | Newport Beach, CA | 2017 |
Opsani | DevOps software that continuously optimizes cloud infrastructure anytime new code is created | Redwood City, CA | 2015 |
Origin | 3-D printer for manufacturing materials and consumer-grade products | San Francisco | 2015 |
OSARO | AI-derived software designed to automate industrial robotics | San Francisco | 2015 |
Overtime | Digital sports network built for young audiences and amateur athletes. | New York | 2016 |
Papa | Grandkids on demand | Miami | 2017 |
Perksy | Real-time market research gamified for millennial and Gen Z audiences | New York | 2015 |
Petal | Credit cards for people without credit history | New York | 2016 |
Petram Data | AI-driven consumer marketing insights and customer acquisition | Detroit | 2018 |
Platform Science | Fleet management platform for enterprises in the trillion-dollar logistics industry | San Diego | 2014 |
Polyverse | Preventing large-scale cyberattacks by making operating systems unique | Bellevue, WA | 2015 |
Proscia | Cancer-fighting pathology software for medical labs | Philadelphia | 2014 |
Proxy | App-based office entry that also addresses privacy concerns | San Francisco | 2016 |
Pryon | AI-automated enterprise workloads from the architect of Amazon's Alexa | Raleigh, NC | 2017 |
Qordoba | Digital copywriter that synchronizes the style, terminology and voice for companies like Twitter and Intuit | San Francisco | 2015 |
Quantum Metric | Digital intelligence platform helping companies identify their most profitable business opportunities | Monument, CO | 2015 |
RenoRun | Building materials delivered to a jobsite in under two hours | Montreal | 2016 |
ROYBI | Educational robots teaching kids early-childhood developmental skills | Palo Alto, CA | 2017 |
Saudi Internet Health Application Technology Company | Online appointment booking with Saudi doctors in more than 100 different medical specialties | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 2016 |
Seed Health | Microbial sciences company using bacteria to improve human and environmental health | Los Angeles | 2015 |
ShopShops | Global marketplace connecting retailers and brands with cross-border shoppers | New York | 2016 |
Sigma Computing | Cloud-first analytics tool from the former CTO of Salesforce | San Francisco | 2014 |
Silverfort | The first agentless multifactor authentication provider | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2016 |
Simple Health | Online consultations prescribing everything from contact lenses to birth control | New York | 2016 |
Sisu | Operational analytics for businesses looking to better understand their own metrics | San Francisco | 2018 |
Skylar | Natural, hypoallergenic perfume from a former VP of Jessica Alba's Honest Company | Los Angeles | 2017 |
SmartRent | Smart apartments helping landlords cut operating cost |