Startups driven by artificial intelligence dominated the winners of the First Competition of the South Summit Madrid 2026, and Singapore is among the Asian markets represented in what the organizers call the international program of the event at the moment.
The South Summit Madrid 2026, co-organized by IE University, in a statement on May 19 said that 50 out of 100 startups use artificial intelligence as a core technology in their businesses, which shows the growing role of AI in the global business process.
The finalists were selected from more than 4,500 applications from 110 countries, with 26 countries making the final list, up from 22 countries last year. Organizers described the competition as their “most international, mature, and AI-driven” event to date.
Singapore secured three places in the finals, while South Korea also had their last start at the tournament. Singapore-based finalists include OmniShelf in Digital & Tech Solutions, Ailytics in Industry 5.0, and cybersecurity company Peris.ai in Trust Tech & Data. South Korea’s HISTRAGER has been shortlisted under Digital & Tech Solutions.
Europe accounted for approximately 77% of the final launch, while the United States represented 6% of the total. Latin America also increased its presence in the tournament, increasing to 10 finalists from seven last year.
Spain had the most players in the finals with 44 starts, followed by Portugal with seven and the United States with six. France had five finalists, while Italy and the United Kingdom had four each.
The competition also showed the increasing growth of startups around the world. Organizers said 57% of the finalists earn more than $150,000, while 35% generate more than $500,000 a year. About 60 percent have raised more than $1 million, and 53 percent are already funded by venture capital firms.
Among the selected startups, 36 are already in the scaleup phase, while 46 have registered at least one patent. In addition, 38 startups have at least one female founder.
Winners were grouped into 10 categories, including climate technology, fintech, healthcare, mobility, business solutions, and trust technology.
Winners in the Climate Tech & Sustainability category included EarthScan, Green Growth, MESPAC, NPHarvest, Ocean Oasis, Phen Olives, PowerUP, Ravenwits, Solfium, and UniSCool.
Finalists include Ciudadela, Fibrazo, FindNido, FoodieFame, Cook, Macadam, Manie, Ochy, Qualla, and Tangy Market.
In Digital & Tech Solutions, finalists include Arq Quantum Technologies, Astroteq.ai, HISTRANGER, Lokutor, LunaLift, Oasy, OmniShelf, Spendbase, tranSkriptorium AI, and Ubicuity.
The Fintech & Insurtech category included Brokerware AI, CryptoMate, Dalatea, Dost, EthicHub, Granter, Inititiv, PagaFactu, Paynest, and VENDY.
Future of Work and Talent finalists include Kincode AI, Diingu, Nova, OneNewOne, Sendsteps AI, Space To Grow, Stemdo, Trainect, Valeria, and Worksible.
Winners in the health category included 60Nd, Altum Sequency, FLOMICS, iYoni App, MedicubeX, Miramoon, Moonlight AI, Nanogrow Biotech, PREDICTHEON, and Tissue Dynamics.
The Industry 5.0 finalists included A4Radar Vitals, Ailytics, Ainwater, Dairy Tech, Dottir Labs, Floatech, Mapsi, NanoChronia, URAPHEX, and Xplorobot.
In Mobility & Smart Cities, finalists include boxful, DeepNeurotic, DeterCamAI, Mettis AI, Mobi, Nido Constructech, Serp Energy, UP’ONE, Xplora Srl, and ZYON Helmets.
Trust Tech & Data winners include Captain Compliance, Coalex.ai, Judit, Metadataworks Limited, MicelioData, Naltilia, Peris.ai, Riskita, Secrets Vault, and simpleblock.
Enterprise Solutions finalists included Any Format, Dealcar, KonvoAI, Libertify, LoopOS, Service Club, Silmaril Technologies, SmarterMRP, Sosource, and Wise CX.
The South Summit Madrid 2026 will be held from June 3 to 5 at La Nave in Madrid, where the winners will present their projects to investors, organizations, and technology companies.
Organizers said startups that have already participated in the competition have raised more than $20.5 billion in 14 previous programs. – Arjay L. Balinbin
