Forbes, TrueBridge Detail Under-$1 Billion Startup Selection Method as AI Dominates 2026 List
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 28
Forbes, TrueBridge Detail Under-$1 Billion Startup Selection Method as AI Dominates 2026 List
3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 28
Summary
Forbes and TrueBridge said every Next Billion-Dollar Startups candidate must be U.S.-based, privately held, venture-backed, valued below $1 billion and willing to share confidential operating data.
TrueBridge collects and analyzes submissions including revenue, customer metrics and valuations, then combines them with public information to score revenue growth, adoption, hiring, capital efficiency, valuation and financing history.
The framework also weighs less-quantifiable factors such as founders’ entrepreneurial and technical track records, competitive positioning and the long-term durability of each company’s market.
Artificial intelligence—especially agentic AI across software, legal, healthcare, cybersecurity and finance—heavily shaped this year’s cohort, reflecting where startup innovation and investment are now concentrated.
The methodology has stayed largely intact since 2015, and Forbes says many past honorees later became unicorns, went public or were acquired.