Seven Australian companies have earned spots on the 2025 Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list. The annual list, now in its fifth year, highlights emerging businesses across the region, with this year’s entries collectively raising nearly $3 billion in funding.
Australia’s entries cover everything from battery tech to digital health.
Blinq is replacing paper business cards with a digital platform now used in 189 countries. Heidi Health is applying AI to automate clinical documentation for doctors. In energy, ElectraLith is commercialising Monash University research to refine lithium without water or chemicals, while Sicona Battery Technologies has developed new anode materials that make batteries charge faster and last longer.
Ecojoule Energy, based in Queensland, is tackling grid instability with storage and voltage regulation devices. Sydney-based Neara builds virtual models of electrical networks to help utilities manage infrastructure under stress, and Unleash Live uses AI video analytics to monitor everything from airport passenger flows to industrial sites.
Australia had the largest presence in the Energy & Green Tech sector, contrasting the increasing focus on AI and deep tech in the Asia-Pacific.
Companies from 16 countries and territories have made the list, spanning 10 industries from finance and E-commerce to space technology. Biotechnology and healthcare has dominated with 18 features, followed by enterprise technology and robotics with 16.
Venture capital across Asia-Pacific is starting to recover after hitting a decade low at the end of 2024. A KPMG report cited by Forbes Asia notes India, Japan and Singapore as the main beneficiaries of renewed investor appetite.
That shift is reflected in this year’s 100 to Watch list. India leads with 18 companies, while Japan has risen to equal second place with Singapore at 14 each. China follows with nine, alongside Indonesia and South Korea with eight apiece. Australia sits just behind with seven.
Blinq
Category: Consumer Technology
Year Founded: 2017 • CEO: Jarrod Webb
Paper business cards are passé, according to Blinq, which has been pushing the digital alternative since its founding eight years ago. Users can tap into the company’s platform to create digital business cards with personal QR codes. That cool convenience has so far drawn 2.5 million users across 189 countries, according to the company, with some 80% of them in the U.S. In June, it raised $25 million in a series A funding round led by Touring Capital with participation from Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital and HubSpot Ventures. Founder and CEO Webb is an alumnus of the 30 Under 30 Asia list.
Heidi Health
Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
Year Founded: 2021 • CEO: Thomas Kelly
ElectraLith
Category: Energy & Green Tech
Year Founded: 2021 • CEO: Charlie McGill
ElectraLith’s patented technology, which originated from research at Monash University, can extract and refine lithium without using water or chemicals to produce lithium hydroxide, a key component for batteries used in everyday electronic devices and EVs. The startup’s Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R) proprietary process can be powered by renewable energy. In January, ElectraLith raised A$27.5 million ($17.8 million) in a series A funding round led by Australian investment firm Main Sequence.
Sicona Battery Technologies
Category: Energy & Green Tech
Year Founded: 2019 • CEO: Christiaan Jordaan
A deep tech startup, Sicona Battery Technologies produces new anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. SiCx, Sicona’s technology, blends silicon nanoparticles and graphite to improve performance, enabling up to 20% higher energy density over conventional graphite-only battery cells (reducing battery size) and a 40% faster charging rate, according to the company. Sicona has raised $32 million in funding from investors including VC firms Artesian, Waratah Capital, Riverstone Ventures, Chaos Ventures and Investible Climate Tech Fund. In May, the company signed a strategic partnership and technology licensing agreement with Indian specialty chemicals manufacturer Himadri, which will invest A$15 million ($9.9 million) in the startup and establish a SiCx plant in India. Sicona also plans to expand its pilot plant in Australia and build a second plant in the U.S.
EcoJoule Energy
Category: Energy & Green Tech
Year Founded: 2018 • CEO: Michael Wishart
With its range of power management products, Queensland’s EcoJoule Energy aims to help manage the problem of electricity-grid instability as more households opt for solar power. Its battery storage device, EcoSTORE, stores excess solar energy while its EcoVAR regulator helps reduce voltage swings. In March, EcoJoule Energy raised A$15 million ($9.9 million), in what was its first round of external funding, from investors including Ellerston Capital and Fifth Estate Asset Management. The company’s customers include Ausgrid, AusNet Services and Endeavour Energy.
Neara
Category: Enterprise Technology & Robotics
Year Founded: 2016 • CEO: Daniel Danilatos
Neara helps electric utilities develop virtual models of their distribution networks to identify potential problems and prevent disruptions caused by severe weather and other outage risks. Originally launched as Power Lines Pro, Neara’s clients include Essential Energy, one of Australia’s largest state-owned power grids. Last October, the Sydney-based company raised A$45 million ($29 million) in a series C funding round led by private equity giant EQT to accelerate global expansion.
Unleash Live
Category: Enterprise Technology & Robotics
Year Founded: 2016 • CEO: Hanno Blankenstein
Unleash live is a cloud-based platform that helps companies analyze live video from drones, CCTV and mobile devices. For instance, an airport using Unleash live can monitor passenger flows at its terminals, including public transportation arrivals, security kiosks and boarding areas. In May, the company raised A$17 million ($11.1 million) in a series B funding round.
This story was originally published on forbes.com/forbesasia/
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