The business world is on the march, and 2025 promises to be a year of innovation and fresh horizons.
As consumer preferences shift and technologies transform, small businesses are evolving to fit new needs. From sustainable solutions to state-of-the-art tech services, these small businesses have become the future.
Speaking of which, you may have heard the term “small business” many times. In case you’re unfamiliar with this term, here’s an easy definition by Investopedia:
“A small business is a company of relatively limited size, as measured by its revenue, number of employees, or both.”
To make it much easier, a small business is a company with small/limited employees and revenue.
Now, you might think, “Well if a small business has a limited workforce and gains, why is it important?”
A good question, and here’s a good answer: it’s important because it propels innovation, creates jobs, and contributes to local communities.
Allow us to elaborate.
Generally, small businesses introduce new products and services, sowing the seeds of increased competition and encouraging larger companies to improve. Moreover, they reduce unemployment and grease the wheels of the economy. They also support local or small-scale economies by circulating money within the community, which leads to further prosperity.
Did you have the importance of small businesses down pat?
Without a doubt, small businesses are the heartbeat of the American economy.
Looking toward the future of innovation and entrepreneurship, these 25 emerging small businesses are definitely shaping the landscape in 2025.
Chosen for their unique approaches, groundbreaking solutions, and the pledge of transformative impact, each company represents the cutting edge of their respective industries.
Let’s give you the names of these small businesses you’ll most likely watch thriving in the coming year. They’re the next wave of game-changers.
NextNav
Founders: Dr. Arun Raghupathy (Co-Founder), Mariam Sorond (Chief Executive Officer)
Revenue: $4.4 million
Estimated Revenue: $2.04 billion
Founded in: 2020
Headquarters: Reston, Virginia
NextNav, Inc. develops advanced positioning, navigation, and time solutions. Their Pinnacle system provides floor-level altitude services to devices equipped with barometric pressure sensors.
Causal
Founders: Taimur Abdaal (Co-Founder), Lukas Koebis (Co-Founder)
Funding Raised: $25 million
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: London, England
Causal is a business planning platform designed to help companies build models, visualize data, and communicate with numbers. They integrate with data sources like accounting software, HR systems, and CRMs to enable businesses to pull live data into their models and dashboards.
Parallel
Founder: Diana Heldfond (Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $22.8 million
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: New York
Parallel is a tech-forward provider of learning assessments and support services for students with learning differences. The company specializes in neurodevelopment assessments and treatment solutions for conditions such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and executive dysfunction.
Bandana
Founders: Caleb Lee (Co-Founder), Timothy Makalino (Co-Founder), Larry Zhang (Co-Founder)
Funding Raised: $8.5 million
Founded in: 2022
Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
Bandana is an online job platform streamlining human resource management, particularly for hourly wage workers. It gives details regarding pay, health insurance, paid time off, and job locations.
Esper Bionics
Founder: Anna Believantseva (Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer)
Funding Raised: $2 million
Founded in: 2019
Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
Esper Bionics is an innovative engineering company that develops human enhancement devices. They improve the quality of life of individuals with limb issues through a wearable brain-computer interface controlled by a cloud-based software solution.
Kira Learning
Founder: Jagriti Agrawal (Co-Founder and Vice President), Andrea Pasinetti (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $22.5 million
Trending Revenue: $2.5 million
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Kira Learning is an AI-powered educational platform dedicated to revolutionizing computer science and AI education for K-12 students. They prepare them for success in a future where AI and technology are increasingly significant.
VeraDermics
Founder: Reid Waldman (Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $38 million
Founded in: 2019
Headquarters: New Haven, Connecticut
VeraDermics is a medical dermatology company focused on developing innovative, first-in-class therapeutics for common skin conditions. They harness front-line clinical experience to identify and administer treatments for real-world patient needs.
Encora Therapeutics
Founders: Daniel Carballo (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer), Alison Davanzo (Co-Founder and Head of Operations), Kyle Pina (Co-Founder and Head of Engineering)
Funding Raised: $17.6 million
Founded in: 2018
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Encora Therapeutics is a healthcare technology company that develops wearable neurostimulation devices for people with neurological movement disorders. They aim to deliver affordable, personalized, and non-invasive solutions to relieve tremors and promote better liveability.
Dosso Beauty
Founder: Kadidja Dosso
Estimated Revenue: $1 million
Founded in: 2018
Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dosso Beauty is a Black-owned company versed in hypoallergenic braiding hair and organic hair care products. They’re set on offering high-quality, non-irritating hair products for anyone with sensitive scalps and skins.
Viv
Founder: Katie Diasti (Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $1 million
Founded in: 2019
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Viv revolves around women’s health and wellness and is proficient in sustainable, eco-friendly menstrual care products. They prioritize and provide modern, earth-friendly period care solutions that are kind to women and the environment.
Calyan Wax
Founder: Jacob Johnson (Chief Executive Officer)
Expected 2023 Revenue: $7 million
Founded in: 2017
Headquarters: Arlington, Texas
Calyan Wax is a candle company that crafts premium and eco-friendly soy candles while supporting a noble cause. They strive to provide a simple way for people to join the fight against human trafficking in the United States.
Fahlo
Founders: Carter Forbes (Co-Founder), DJ Gunter (Co-Founder)
Expected Revenue: Over $35 million
Founded in: 2018
Fahlo is a company that combines fashion with wildlife conservation. They sell bracelets equipped to track a real wild animal using an app. Fahlo allows customers to feel connected to wildlife, which is conducive to conservation work.
SuperMush
Founder: Alli Schaper (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $3 million
Expected Revenue: $1.5 million
Founded in: 2020
Headquarters: Venice, California
SuperMush is a lifestyle brand that creates mushroom-based superfood supplements to enhance mental and physical well-being. They offer a range of organic mushroom sprays to replace sugary supplements, sleeping aids, and caffeine.
Zapps Wholesale
Founder: Anthony Zappitelli (President)
Expected Revenue: $50 million
Founded in: 2017
Headquarters: Belmont, North Carolina
Zapps Wholesale is a wholesale distribution company that provides first-rate truckloads of products from some of the largest retailers in the world at wholesale prices. From electronics to apparel, they stock in bulk and sell at fair prices.
Bluedot
Founders: Ferhat Babacan (Co-Founder), Selinay Parlak (Co-Founder)
Funding Raised: $5 million
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Bluedot provides electric vehicle (EV) charging and fleet management solutions. They simplify the transition to green energy for EV drivers and fleet managers.
Iron Abode
Founder: Melanie Montierth (Chief Executive Officer)
Lifetime Revenue: $12 million
Founded in: 2018
Headquarters: Sugar City, Idaho
Iron Abode is a home decor manufacturing company that produces personalized and high-end shelving solutions. They make it convenient for customers to add personalized and stylish shelving to their homes, mixing functionality with elegance.
Trilobio
Founders: Roya Amini-Naieni (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer), Maximilian Schommer (Co-Founder and Head of Robotics)
Funding Raised: $3 million
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Trilobio is a biotechnology company adept at synthetic biology and lab automation. They envision reforming life science research by providing sophisticated robotic lab automation modules and a platform for distributing lab protocols as code.
Basecase Capital
Founder: Alana Goyal (Managing Partner)
Funding Raised: $99 million
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Basecase Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in seed to early-stage companies, particularly in the software, IT, and AI industries. They aspire to empower innovative startups and furnish them with the needed capital and strategic guidance.
Hivemind
Founder: Evan Fisher (Managing Director)
Funding Raised: $40 million
Founded in: 2022
Headquarters: New York
Portal Ventures invests in pre-seed-stage companies, especially those in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors. They encourage the next generation of tech entrepreneurs to move forward and provide them with crucial investments and directions.
Team DSB
Founder: Dillon St. Bernard
Estimated 2023 Revenue: $450,000
Founded in: 2021
Headquarters: New York
Team DSB is a social impact-focused creative agency that offers imaginative direction, communication strategy, and project management. They work with nonprofit organizations (NGOs) and drive social change.
Moolah Kicks
Founder: Natalie White
Funding Raised: $4.97 million
Founded in: 2020
Headquarters: New York
Moolah Kicks is a women’s basketball brand that creates sneakers designed for female athletes. They concentrate on biomechanically tailoring these sneakers to support female basketball players.
Econergy
Founder: Atticus Francken (Co-Founder)
Expected Revenue: $100 million
Founded in: 2018
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Econergy is a sustainability and renewable energy company operating across the United States. They’re devoted to facilitating the shift to renewable energy sources for different organizations and helping them form or join energy coalitions.
Baleena
Founders: Julia Yan (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer), Sarah Beth Gleeson (Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer), Shoshana Weintraub (Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer)
Funding Raised: $460,000
Founded in: 2022
Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Baleena is a materials engineering startup tackling microplastic pollution in the fashion supply chain. They utilize bio-inspired filter technology that integrates into washing machines, captures microfibers released during washing, and prevents them from entering waterways.
Conduit Tech
Founder: Marisa Reddy (Co-Founder)
Funding Raised: $5 million
Founded in: 2022
Headquarters: Somerville, Massachusetts
Conduit builds innovative system design and sales tools for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) contractors. They offer load calculations, 3D models, and project planning in terms of design. For sales, they provide tools that assist in creating customized, accurate estimates on-site in a few minutes.
3Laws Robotics
Founder: Andrew Singletary (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
Funding Raised: $2 million
Founded in: 2022
Headquarters: Pasadena, California
3Laws Robotics develops safety solutions for autonomous and human-operated robotic systems. They create plug-and-play modules that ensure only safe actions are passed down to robot actuators, meeting the goals of real-time safety analytics, collision avoidance, geofencing, stabilization, and fault management.
Take a deep dive into our SlideShare and enter the world of creative power and success!
As we celebrate these trailblazers shaping the future, it’s evident that small businesses will remain essential drivers of economic growth and societal advancement.
Keep an eye on these players – they embody the very essence of creativity and transformation in the business world.
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