Nine Tech Startups Revealed as Finalists

We’re excited to announce the innovative tech startup finalists in the 2026 Future of Capitalism Competition!

From pioneering clean energy solutions to cutting-edge AI these visionary entrepreneurs aim to reshape the world we live in, with both their technology and commitment to giving something back to society as a whole through using both their commercial success and business acumen to support social projects.

Selected from an exceptional 645 submissions from 84 countries, they are set to pitch for a share of $1m USD investment.

This is a global competition that aims to discover entrepreneurs who not only have the passion, enthusiasm and commitment to succeed with their business enterprise but to share their commercial success through the support of social projects that will improve the world we live in.  

Pitch day takes place on the 3 February, at the Shard, London courtesy of Warwick Business School (WBS).

Our finalists are:

Kisui, a Japanese AgriRobot company, that develops AI-powered autonomous robots. Their core platform, Adam, which is inspired by lunar rover technology, helps farmers work more efficiently, reducing physically demanding labour in aging farming communities.

Otermans Institute, a UK-based research-led AI organisation specialising in human-centered AI and digital learning with a keen focus on underserved communities. This year they launched the world's first and only native AI offline learning solution and through this, 200,000 new users enlisted in a single quarter.

Shifted, a French EnergyTech company with a novel air battery that provides long-duration, low-cost, location-independent renewable energy storage, delivering a reliable source of 24/7 clean power for micro-grids and independent networks. Designed to ensure energy security, resilience and price certainty, the system can also provide heat and cooling for industrial processes.

Phyll a US company that are building a real-time intelligence layer for the built world, without the requirement for any new hardware. They turn existing video streams (dashcams, CCTV, phones, drones) into a live map of roads, utilities, and critical infrastructure assets, helping utilities, cities, and insurers surface risk, degradation, and early signs of failure, 100x cheaper and up to 25–50% faster than field surveys.

Octavia Carbon a startup that is transforming the carbon removal frontier in Kenya through the development of pioneering geothermal integrated DAC technology that filters CO2 from the atmosphere for permanent underground storage. Their mission is to help reverse the effects of climate change while advancing green growth and local industrial development in the region.

a UK AgriTech startup with a mission to increase food production by 20% with a solution that is low-cost, highly scalable and runs on natural sunlight. The company has developed an active material that can be retrofitted or used in new-build greenhouses, it turns unused ultraviolet light to red light that plants use for photosynthesis, resulting in higher crop yields in a world where 800 million people are starving, and climate change is putting food security at risk.

Tandem Repeat, a US DeepTech innovator that aims redefine the $3T materials industry through scalable biomanufacturing. By pioneering cost-effective, eco-friendly textile fibres utilising the core technology of integrated fermentation they can produce competitive, high-performance alternatives to traditional natural fibres such as wool, cashmere, and cotton, mitigating critical supply constraints inherent in natural production.

Peris.ai, this Singapore CyberTech startup has developed an AI-CISO platform powered by coordinated multi-agent automation. They connect to cloud, infrastructure, endpoints and business systems, continuously monitoring controls, collecting audit-ready evidence and detecting threats in real time. By automating work that normally requires a large security and compliance team, Peris.ai helps organisations in emerging and developed markets stay secure, meet regulations and scale with confidence.

WeavAir, also based in Singapore, has created AI-driven digital twinning software that transforms building and infrastructure operations. Leveraging satellite imagery, IoT sensor networks, and advanced predictive models, their platform reduces operational costs, improves energy efficiency and accelerates decarbonisation, empowering enterprises to make smarter, data-driven decisions while achieving measurable environmental impact.

​Competition Director, Robert Brown comments:

These selected finalists have captured the collective attention of our shortlisting panel with a combination of their innovative technologies, potential for growth, and their desire to give something back to society.

They will be pitching to a line-up of judges that includes tech investment specialists, experienced entrepreneurs, leading academics and angel These include world renowned economist Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Police and Oxford University and author of The Future of Capitalism (the competition’s namesake), Refuge, the Bottom Billion, and other books on social and economic reform.

Thanks to all the applicants who entered this year's Future of Capitalism competition, we encourage all entrepreneurs to apply for future competitions.

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