Agnikul, GalaxEye, ePlane Co among 10 Indian startups on WEF list

Business Standard

7 days ago

Ten Indian startups working on cutting-edge technologies— from artificial intelligence to space tech — have made it to the World Economic Forum's prestigious list of top 100 emerging companies for 2025.
The annual list by WEF tech pioneers highlights the most promising global innovators shaping the future across sectors.
The Indian startups featured in the list include Equal, GalaxEye, Agnikul, CynLr, Dezy, Digantara, Exponent Energy, Freight Tiger, SolarSquare, and The ePlane Co.
'At SolarSquare, our mission is to build India's most trusted residential solar brand. Our full-stack integrated approach is designed to make rooftop solar reliable and hassle-free,' Shreya Mishra, co-founder at SolarSquare, said.
The company has already solarised almost 30,000 homes through their platform and by the end of 2025, it aims to double the count to nearly 60,000.
Notably, four portfolio companies— Agnikul, ePlane, CynLr, and GalaxEye — of deep-tech investor Speciale Invest made it to the list.
Vishesh Rajaram, the managing partner of the venture capital firm, said, 'This global recognition affirms not only their audacious visions across space launch, flying taxis, robotic vision, and multi-sensor satellite intelligence, but also marks a pivotal moment for India's rise as a deep tech leader.'
Suyash Singh, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of space-tech startup GalaxEye said, 'To be named along with other deep-tech pioneers from India and around the world is a proud moment for us. This recognition is a validation of our global vision of enhancing earth observation capabilities and providing actionable geospatial data to critical sectors around the world.'
At present, the company is using its Series A funding of $10 million for the launch of its first satellite 'Mission Drishti,' which it targets to launch by the end of this year.
Equal Identity is a platform enabling secure, real-time, consent-based data sharing for over 80 million people across financial services, insurance, healthcare, employment, and housing. In March 2025 alone, the company processed more than 101 million transactions and is likely to cross one billion annual transaction run rate in FY26, up from just 75,000 paid transactions in FY24.
'The trajectory highlights both the institutional demand for verified data and the trust in our privacy-first approach. As we look ahead, we're focused on strengthening this infrastructure further with deeper integrations, AI-led verification, and governance models that ensure personal data can be used responsibly to unlock access and opportunity,' said Keshav Reddy, the company's founder, adding that Equal's selection as a tech pioneer is a reflection of its scale, depth, and urgency of the infrastructure.
Interestingly, last year, the same number of startups were part of the list. These included companies such as Amperehour, Cropin, Entri, HealthPlix, International Battery Company, Niramai, NxtWave, Pixxel, Sarvam AI, and String Bio.