Startups Magazine is proud to present its annual list of the top startups, showcasing businesses that are not only breaking new ground but also driving meaningful change.

From game-changing technologies to disruptive business models, these startups represent the best and brightest of this year’s entrepreneurial talent.

Space DOTS

Space DOTS is on a mission to make on-orbit qualification of advanced materials and small components faster, cheaper, and simpler. Its platform tests products in harsh and hard-to-reach environments, at a cost that fits the customers' qualification budget, and in a timeframe that won’t leave the technology that is being tested outdated.  

In Bianca Cefalo, CEO and Co-Founder of Space DOTS’s own words, Space DOTS is “trying to redefine the way materials are qualified for space applications. In terms of hardware, what we’re doing is a smartphone-sized test lab that is the first one actively testing material properties of advanced materials in orbit.”  

Greenzy

Greenzy is a Belgian greentech startup, founded by Adélaïde Biebuyck, Laetitia Dupret, and Fiona Milano. Together, these three women have developed a smart home composter, aimed at making composting easy, fast, and educational. The development of this smart composter for the home means that households can transform food waste into something valuable.   

To compost, the user places their organic waste into the composter, and then turns the handle, which crushes and mixes the organic waste. Sensors are located inside which detect anomalies to avoid odours occurring. This information is then sent to the user via an app that informs them of the state of the compost within. The sensors can detect if the mixture is too dry and needs water added, or if it needs to be mixed, which will ensure that the compost produced is perfect for garden use.

XPANCEO

Roman Axelrod is the Founder of XPANCEO, a deeptech startup which is at the forefront of the next generation of computing. The startup is developing an invisible and weightless smart contact lens that feels as natural to the wearer as their own vision.  

XPANCEO has already developed four prototypes of smart contact lenses which are as thin as medical ones with XR, health monitoring, night vision, and zoom features. Currently, there is a separate prototype for each feature, but the final product, which is scheduled for testing in 2026, will combine these features into a single, all-in-one lens. 

Maven Pet

Maven Pet has developed a wearable sensor, which is worn as a collar, that monitors multiple touchpoints, such as respiratory rate, heart rate, sleep, and relevant clinical behaviours such as water intake and scratching, for household pets. Its mission is to improve the way owners take care of their pets, and make pro-active, rather than reactive, pet ownership the norm.

“Our goal is to build technology to allow pets to communicate,” Maven Pet’s Founder and CEO, Guilherme Coelho, explained. 

Vox Aeris

Vox Aeris is on a mission to democratise access to clean air through advanced air purification technology. It is developing a pre-treatment solution for commercial systems, ensuring air can be purified more efficiently.   

Vox Aeris originally began with a portable purifier prototype but has since shifted its efforts to commercial and industrial applications. However, the technology used – acoustic agglomeration – remains the same.  

Alpha Femtech

Alpha Femtech, that has developed its innovative Artemis bodysuit, merges smart technology and fashion to change the look, feel, and future of women's health, offering holistic menstrual cycle management whilst challenging societal norms to provide both physical and psychological benefits to women.

Goodr

Founded by Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Goodr offers an end-to-end waste management solution that helps businesses dispose of their waste. Where it expands beyond a mere waste removal service is the way Goodr does it. Companies that use its service allow any leftover food to be distributed through various channels by Goodr to the people in the community who most need assistance.

“I was shocked to learn how much food is wasted in this country,” explains Crowe-Houston. Inspired into action, and with the market of food delivery apps beginning to blossom, Crowe-Houston had the idea to make an app for food waste and repurposing, and in 2017, Goodr was born.  

Samphire Neuroscience

Samphire Neuroscience is a science-first company focused on developing its Nettle headband technology that can alleviate menstrual symptoms and other issues women experience, such as PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and endometriosis.

The design of the headband was intentional, to avoid the medical device appearing too clinical and able to be used in everyday scenarios, like going to work and being at the gym. It was important for the startup to go against the notion that menstrual pain has been accepted as a part of life, though it shouldn’t have to be.