Forbes Asia names 15 Singapore firms on list of 100 small companies to watch in 2026

[SINGAPORE] Forbes Asia released its sixth annual edition of the 100 to Watch list on Tuesday (Aug 25) – a compilation of small businesses and startups on the rise in the Asia-Pacific region – which featured 15 Singapore companies. 

It was the second-largest representation from a single country, after India with 19 companies.

China was in third position with 10 companies on the list, while Japan and South Korea offered nine each. Indonesia and Australia both had eight companies on the list.

The companies on the entire list have raised a total of US$2.4 billion to date – including nearly US$1 billion in 2026 thus far.

All companies on the list have Apac headquarters, are privately owned for-profit ventures, and have no more than US$50 million in annual revenue and US$100 million in total funding till Aug 15.

AI-backed, green tech businesses dominate

Nearly a quarter of the entries are enterprise-technology companies offering artificial intelligence-related services.

Pollo AI, for instance, is a Singapore company helping brands generate marketing videos using scripts, templates and multimodal AI-generation models.

Forbes Asia noted that another sector rapidly picking up speed is robotics, with 10 companies making the cut.

“They span the gamut – from makers of service robots to support the elderly, to builders of specialised automatons for research labs that can relieve scientists of grunt work,” it added.

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Biotech companies are also harnessing the power of robotics, such as India’s Theranautilus, a developer of medical nanorobots, which work inside the body to deliver targeted cancer therapies.

Green tech and sustainability companies, too, remain in sharp focus, with 10 of the 100 companies – including Australian plastic-alternatives producer Uluu – providing solutions for environment-related issues.