Nominations are open for the inaugural AI 100
A new annual ranking of the 100 most important private AI companies worldwide, from foundation models to vertical AI, to robotics, and beyond.
Published on Oct 5, 2026
In partnership with Newcomer, Bessemer Venture Partners is launching the AI 100. Nominations are now open, and we'll announce the inaugural list on Newcomer.co and onstage at the Cerebral Valley AI Summit on November 12, 2026.
For a decade, the Cloud 100 has measured the best and most enduring software companies; the AI era is changing what great looks like. In our 2025 State of AI report, the fastest AI startups reached roughly $40 million ARR in their first year of commercialization and $125 million in their second, generating $1.13 million ARR per full-time employee, four to five times the typical SaaS benchmark. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are growing faster than the list was ever built to capture, so we're updating it to keep pace with the transition to AI.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, a company must build AI or the systems AI runs on: AI applications and agents, vertical AI, models, infrastructure, compute, security, defense, deep tech, robotics, or physical AI. The companies defining this era are not only shipping software; they are building the chips, the autonomy stacks, and the machines.
We consider any private company that meets the eligibility criteria, regardless of how much it has raised. Companies must be independent: no majority strategic or private equity acquisition, and no public listing.
How are companies evaluated?
We consider and evaluate nominated companies, past Cloud 100 winners, and recognized category leaders. We weigh four factors in the evaluation process. We use these factors, and their weights, to select, score, and rank the winners.
We consider only independent AI companies that have not historically had a majority strategic or private equity M&A transaction or a public listing.
- Estimated valuation (30%): Based on third-party data providers, we estimate valuation. In some cases, this estimate is a range rather than a specific number.
- Operating metrics (20%): As part of the nomination process, we collect ranges for metrics like revenue and growth.
- People & culture (15%): Based on third-party data providers, we evaluate each company on both size (e.g., # of people, growth in # of people) and culture.
- Market leadership (35%): We assess each company's position within its sector using a combination of independent third-party sources (analyst reports, public usage and traffic data, customer reviews). We weigh scale, growth, customer adoption, and technical differentiation.
We use these factors and their weights to select, score, and rank the winners.
Submit here: https://theai100.com/
Good luck to the submitters!
