The World Economic Forum announces the 2025 cohort of its Technology Pioneers community, a group of 100 early-stage companies from 28 countries driving innovation across industries and borders. With 10 Indian startups featured in the list, this year’s cohort showcases greater diversity beyond Silicon Valley and the rise of more ambitious frontier technologies.
- Along with Exponent Energy, nine other Indian startups earned a spot on the World Economic Forum’s prestigious Technology Pioneers list.
- Launched in 2000, the WEF Technology Pioneers initiative annually spotlights early-stage companies whose breakthrough technologies have the potential to transform industries and improve society.
Among the 10 Indian companies, Bengaluru-based EV startup Exponent Energy has secured its position in the global list of rising deep-tech startups. The recognition underscores Exponent Energy’s breakthrough in the rapid charging space. The company has developed a full-stack system capable of charging any size of EV battery from 0 to 100% in just 15 minutes and giving a 3000-cycle life warranty for EVs (a new industry standard), all done on affordable Li-ion cells.
Joining Exponent Energy on the 2025 list are nine other distinguished Indian deep-tech startups:
- Agnikul – Providing affordable and customisable space launch services.
- CynLr – Building robots with intuitive vision and enabling manufacturers and logistics providers to build fully automated factories.
- Dezy – Leveraging AI-powered diagnostic technology to build affordable and
accessible dental care. - Digantara – Providing crucial operational support to commercial space operators and space surveillance intelligence to global space agencies.
- Equal – Providing an integrated solution that combines identity verification with consent-driven financial data sharing.
- Freight Tiger – Building India’s largest software-enabled freight network to help businesses move goods with full visibility, efficiency and lower costs.
- GalaxEye – Creating a comprehensive, multi-sensor Earth observation system.
- SolarSquare – Helping homes switch to solar in India with its full-stack solar panel systems.
- The ePlane Co. – Developing flying electric taxis designed for intra-city transportation.
Collectively, this cohort reflects the strength of India’s innovation landscape, spanning across clean energy, mobility, logistics, robotics, space tech, health tech, and fintech, signalling the country’s rising influence in shaping global deep-tech frontiers.
For example, Exponent Energy has raised $44.6 million in pre-series A, series A, and B funding from top national, international, and strategic investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Eight Roads Ventures, YourNest VC, 3one4 Capital, AdvantEdge VC, and the family office of Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman & CEO, Hero MotoCorp. Arun Vinayak and Sanjay Byalal co-founded Exponent in 2020, and as of right now, the company has more than 2000 EVs using its technology across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.
The WEF Technology Pioneers programme, which was started in 2000, honours early-stage businesses every year whose innovative innovations have the potential to revolutionise sectors and advance society. The 2025 list, which includes more than 1,200 former alumni, includes 100 innovators from 28 nations using frontier technology to address global issues. A two-year involvement with the Forum, participation in international discussions, and attendance at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions—this year from June 24 to 26 in Tianjin, China—are all part of the programme for selected Pioneers.
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