CNBC is currently accepting applications for the 2026 Disruptor 50 list. The list is our 14th annual survey of venture-backed companies across industries that are innovating, experimenting with AI, and putting it to work at scale.
The submission deadline is Monday, February 23rd at 11:59pm EST.
Open to all independent, privately held companies formed on or after January 1, 2011, any company founder, management, investor in the company, or their spokesperson can access and submit an application.
Candidates go through a comprehensive and rigorous process where they are examined and scored across a wide range of quantitative and qualitative criteria, including scalability, revenue and user growth, and use of breakthrough technology.
2026 could be a turning point for both technology and capital markets. SpaceX, the only company other than OpenAI to top CNBC’s annual Disruptor 50 list twice, is preparing to go public this year with the potential to raise tens of billions of dollars and be valued at more than $1 trillion. The listing, which could be the biggest IPO in history, highlights broader changes. Even the most capital-intensive and long-term-focused technology companies are increasingly holding themselves accountable in the public markets.
This shift reflects a broader realignment across the technology sector. The era of speculative growth, where scale and ambition often outweighed a clear path to profitability, is giving way to a more pragmatic, enterprise-focused model of disruption. In 2026, a company’s competitive advantage will be less likely to be determined by the capital it raises and more likely to be determined by its ability to transform that capital into durable, scalable businesses that can meet public market expectations.
However, private capital remains abundant and willing to fund large-scale long-term investments, especially for generative AI companies. OpenAI and Anthropic raised a total of $176.5 billion in venture funding in the first three quarters of 2025, according to PitchBook data.
CNBC’s two advisory boards—one comprised of leading academic thinkers in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the other comprised of a group of leading venture capitalists—provide the weighting of quantitative criteria that underpins the list’s unique methodology that has made the Disruptor 50 designation the gold standard in the startup community. Quantitative scores are combined with qualitative ratings and editorial reviews conducted by CNBC staff, who read all submissions in the process of finalizing this year’s 50 Disruptors.
The 2,026 winners will be notified in March and the list will be announced on CNBC’s television, digital and social platforms in May.
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