Top Industrial Startups in 2026

WHOOP is the performance optimization system that helps elite athletes and teams win. WHOOP provides athletes, coaches, and trainers with a continuous understanding of strain and recovery to balance training, reduce injuries, and predict performance. The system is currently being used by professional and collegiate athletes, Olympians, and the United States military. At WHOOP our mission is to create a product that makes individuals and teams perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives.

In a world of rising cybersecurity threats, Dragos protects the most critical infrastructure - those that provide us with the tenets of modern civilization - from increasingly capable adversaries who wish to do it harm. Devoted to codifying and sharing our in-depth industry knowledge of ICS/OT systems, Dragos arms industrial defenders around the world with the knowledge and tools to protect their systems as effectively and efficiently as possible. Dragos was founded by renowned ICS/OT practitioners who have defeated adversaries for the U.S. government, ally nations, and global firms. Today, Dragos is on a mission to protect the world’s most critical infrastructure and safeguard civilization. We know that’s a mission you can get behind.

Outrider, the pioneer in autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, helps large enterprises improve safety, increase efficiency, and optimize their workforce. The only company exclusively focused on automating all aspects of yard operations, Outrider eliminates manual tasks that are hazardous and repetitive. Outrider’s mission is to drive the rapid adoption of sustainable freight transportation by deploying zero-emission systems. Outrider is a private company backed by NEA, 8VC, and other top-tier investors.

We are a recognized global leader in multiple enterprise technology markets. Markets called intelligent business process management systems (iBPMS), dynamic case management (DCM), digital process automation (DPA), and low-code development.

Kinetic is an award-winning startup building wearable technology for the industrial workforce. Our experienced team is backed by top tier VCs and insurance companies who share our passion for better predicting and reducing workplace injuries. We are dramatically scaling up our operations, and will be multiplying by 10 the number of devices in the field over the next 6-9 months. Our technology is making sure the front-line workers that physically support our economy get home injury free and protected from COVID-19. Our mission is to create a safer workplace and a better life for the industrial workforce.

Canvass Analytics provides industrial AI for the manufacturing sector. Canvass’ patent-pending AI platform enables intelligent industrial operations by empowering plant operators with data-driven insights to improve operational processes, optimize assets and reduce costs. Canvass’ customers include some of the world's largest industrial companies from the manufacturing and oil and gas industries.

We build process management and automation software for some of the largest companies operating in additive manufacturing/3D printing, backed by data. Our connectivity to machines and modularity in performance sets us apart. Today, our tools are helping to make companies more knowledgeable and efficient at using additive manufacturing for production. Tomorrow, we'll enable them to start making parts remotely - the future of manufacturing is distributed.

Each day, very smart people find themselves looking to augment their understanding of a topic before making major investment and business decisions. Guidepoint helps to answer clients’ most pressing business questions by opening unique windows into the minds of the most experienced and enlightening experts, known as Guidepoint Advisors. Since our launch in 2003, we’ve set up more than 500,000 connections between our clients and Advisors. Our multinational client list includes seven of the top 10 global consulting firms, seven of the top 10 largest hedge funds, and many of the largest private equity firms and Fortune-ranked companies. Guidepoint’s five offices, New York, London, Singapore , Shanghai and Hong Kong, provide 24/7, quick and agile, service.

At Maihem, our mission is to empower every manufacturer, no matter their scale, to invent and build anything using intelligent robots. We are witnessing the start of a new industrial revolution—an era of rapid innovation and advanced manufacturing powered by AI and robotics. We aim to lead this shift by putting these tools into the hands of every manufacturer, ensuring the power to invent and build at scale isn’t a privilege of the few. But this era of abundance depends on solving a systemic labor crisis. For any economy to advance its industry and secure its supply chains, it must address the work that no longer attracts a human workforce. We are building AI to handle the dull, dirty, and dangerous. By offloading the hazardous and the mundane to intelligent machines, we empower manufacturers to compete globally while driving prosperity locally. In doing so, we enable the creation of new, purposeful jobs—ensuring that the future of innovation remains human-centric, boundless, and accessible to all. We are: - Backed by Y Combinator and founders of PayPal, Affirm, Slack – with a $6M seed round. Scout investments by Sequoia, a16z, Accel, and Kleiner Perkins. - Founding team of AI PhDs and previous startup CTOs** – everyone has a founder/CTO background. - Building with real industry partners from the start** – focused on shipping robotic solutions for real-world deployment in record time. Founding Team: - Max Ahrens (Founder & CEO):** ML PhD + Postdoc (Oxford University); led AI research projects with the Alan Turing Institute and UK Ministry of Defence; ex-McKinsey. - Simon White (Founding Software Engineer):** former YC startup founder/CTO; ex-defence systems engineer. - Joel Kang (Founding Product Engineer):** former AI startup founder/CTO; ex-LinkedIn; product-minded engineer focused on shipping end-to-end systems.

Next Generation Platform for Industrial OEMs, Powered by IoT and GenAI to double their Aftermarket revenue, increasing their EBITDA and driving customer loyalty in the B2B Industrial space.