Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for the seventh time during his second term, flouting the political risk of holding a high-profile meeting with the increasingly unpopular leader amid the US-Israel war with Iran.

On Jesse Vega’s first date with Deaunda Lira, a romantic sushi dinner in Colorado Springs three years ago, he was upfront: He has epilepsy and suffers severe seizures. “It could be scary,” Jesse, 49, recalls telling her. Deaunda, 52, was wary at first, especially after witnessing one of his seizures firsthand. But she shortly came around. “He’s so handsome, I’m gonna have to give it a try,” she remembers thinking, laughing.

For a dozen years, Forbes has partnered with TrueBridge Capital Partners to highlight the companies that are likely to become unicorns in the near future. To qualify, startups must be venture-backed, based in the U.S. and worth less than $1 billion. In a sign of the times: Nearly all this year’s list members use AI in some fashion as they work on everything from bone marrow to biological threats, cybersecurity to creative design. Our track record is striking: Of the 275 alumni of this list, 60% did indeed become unicorns, including household names Duolingo and DoorDash. Another 60 were bought (or were merged). Nearly half of last year’s picks already are worth more than a billion. There have been surprisingly few disasters—just six companies, about 2%, imploded or shut down.

Every year, thousands of venture-backed startups raise millions in capital, generate headlines and promise to reshape entire industries. Only a small fraction ultimately become enduring, category-defining businesses.

The 2026 Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups list recognizes the companies that appear best positioned to make that leap. While this year's companies span industries from healthcare and cybersecurity to legal services and insurance, many share a remarkably consistent set of characteristics.