Forbes Asia has released the sixth annual edition of its 100 to Watch list, spotlighting small companies and startups on the rise across the Asia-Pacific region, with artificial intelligence emerging as the dominant theme running through nearly the entire cohort. Close to a quarter of the 100 selected companies are enterprise technology firms offering AI-related services, reflecting how deeply automation and machine learning tools have embedded themselves into everyday business operations across the region rather than remaining confined to a narrow technology sector alone.
India leads the list with 19 companies, followed by Singapore with 15, China with 10, Japan and South Korea with nine each, and Indonesia and Australia with eight each, spanning 16 countries and territories in total. Robotics emerged as a particularly fast-growing category, with 10 companies making the cut ranging from service robots supporting elderly care to specialized lab automatons relieving scientists of repetitive research tasks, while biotech firms are increasingly harnessing robotics too, including a developer of medical nanorobots invisible to the naked eye capable of delivering targeted cancer therapies. Green tech and sustainability also featured prominently, with 10 companies addressing environmental challenges, including a producer of a seaweed-based plastic alternative and a supplier of modular systems that transform seawater and industrial effluents into fresh water.
Pakistan placed two companies on this year’s list. LAAM Technologies, the Lahore-based online fashion marketplace cofounded by brothers Arif and Amir Iqbal, was recognized for its platform selling 1,500 South Asian brands to customers in Pakistan, the Middle East, the UK, and the US, alongside its B2B platform Octane that helps brands expand internationally. The company raised a 5.5 million dollar seed round led by UAE-based Disrupt.com and Pakistan’s own Zayn VC in December 2024, and recently held a fashion week in Lahore showcasing 37 Pakistani brands.
MedIQ Smart Healthcare, the Islamabad-based healthcare platform led by chief executive officer Saira Siddique, earned its place through a comprehensive service connecting patients, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and insurers across more than 100 Pakistani cities, serving over 350 corporate clients. MedIQ secured 6 million dollars in series A funding in April 2025 from Qatar’s Rasmal Ventures and Saudi Arabia’s Joa Capital specifically to accelerate expansion into the Middle East. Companies featured across the full list have collectively raised over 2.4 billion dollars to date, including nearly 1 billion dollars in 2026 alone, with Forbes Asia editorial director Rana Wehbe Watson noting that the list continues to highlight startups leading the region’s next wave of innovation, powered largely by AI, while candidates were required to be privately owned, headquartered in Asia-Pacific, and hold no more than 50 million dollars in annual revenue and 100 million dollars in total funding through mid-August to qualify.
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