Most disruptive startups // 2024
All year long, TechCrunch covers startups, everything from unicorns to tiny seed-stage launches. We are, in many ways, the startup experts.
To create this list, organized alphabetically, we looked back through our year’s worth of coverage for startups that stood out to us. They have fascinating new technologies, business models, or founder stories, or are pushing an industry forward in exciting ways.
You’ll note that OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and other big AI model makers and newsmakers (like Perplexity), are not named on this list. While these companies are among the most disruptive of the year — and possibly of a lifetime — we focused on those startups that aren’t as well-known or highly watched.
TechCrunch has compiled a list of standout startups from the past year, focusing on those with innovative technologies, business models, or founder stories, while intentionally excluding major AI players like OpenAI and Anthropic. The list is organized alphabetically and includes detailed descriptions of each company, their funding, and what makes them disruptive. These startups are pushing boundaries in areas like AI, robotics, space technology, energy, healthcare, fintech, and more.
The startups highlighted can be grouped into the following areas:
AI & Software: Startups like Abridge (AI medical scribe), Anysphere (AI coding assistant), Black Forest Labs (AI image generator), /dev/agents (AI agent OS), ElevenLabs (synthetic voice generation), Emergence (AI knowledge worker platform), Etched (AI chips), Exa (AI search engine), GPTZero (AI detection), Magic (AI code generation), Poolside (AI coding platform), Profound (AI search analytics), and Letta (AI memory for LLMs).
Robotics: Agility Robotics (humanoid robots), Covariant (AI for production robots), and Tennibot (tennis ball collecting robot).
Aerospace: Apex (satellite buses), Beta Technologies (electric aircraft), Hermeus (hypersonic aircraft), Impulse Space (orbital transfer vehicles), Varda Space (in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing), Xona Space Systems (satellite navigation), and Whisper Aero (quiet electric propulsors).
Energy: Fervo Energy (geothermal), KoBold Metals (AI for mineral exploration), Spoor (AI for bird detection at wind farms), and Zap Energy (fusion power).
Healthcare: Abridge (AI medical scribe), Oura (health tracking ring), PromiseBio (AI for precision medicine), Roon (video-based Q&A with doctors), Salva Health (portable breast cancer detection), and Pair Team (connecting underserved communities to healthcare resources).
Fintech: Bloom Money (digitized ROSCA), Slice (fintech bank).
Transportation & Logistics: Joco (e-bike docking network), Waabi (autonomous trucking), and Wayve (autonomous driving software).
Other: By Rotation (fashion rental & social app), Cyera (AI for data security), Nodal (surrogacy matching), Physics Wallah (affordable education), Polymarket (prediction marketplace), Spawning (AI training opt-out), Island (secure enterprise browser), and Wiz (cloud security).
Defense Tech: Helsing (AI software for defense), Saronic (autonomous ships for defense),
The list showcases a range of innovative approaches and highlights the diverse areas where startups are making significant contributions. It also includes information on funding, location, and key investors, providing a comprehensive overview of the emerging startup landscape.
