IoT Startup of the Year

About this award

The IoT Startup of the Year Award shines a spotlight on early-stage companies making a significant mark in the Internet of Things. This award honors startups that combine fresh ideas with tangible results, demonstrating the potential to reshape industries through connected technologies.

Startups play a unique role in IoT by moving quickly, taking risks, and testing bold ideas. From hardware and platforms to vertical-specific solutions, these organizations prove that innovation is not limited to established players. Winners show both creativity and execution, with evidence of early traction that signals staying power.

This category recognizes teams that not only launch innovative products or services, but also show the vision and momentum to scale. By honoring the most promising IoT startups, this award highlights the new leaders pushing the connected era forward.

What this award recognizes

• Early-stage IoT companies with standout products, platforms, services, or connected solutions
• Startups demonstrating meaningful traction through funding, partnerships, pilots, customer adoption, or deployment progress
• Companies with clear potential for market impact, scalability, and long-term growth
• Teams translating technical innovation into practical value for customers, industries, or communities

Who should enter

Entries are welcome from startups and early-stage companies building IoT products, platforms, devices, services, or vertical solutions with evidence of customer, market, technical, or partner momentum.

Judging criteria

• Innovation: Originality of the product, platform, service, business model, or connected technology approach
• Traction: Early adoption, customer wins, pilot programs, funding milestones, partnerships, or deployment progress
• Execution: Delivery quality, roadmap progress, technical maturity, and ability to turn vision into action
• Potential: Market fit, scalability, growth prospects, and long-term relevance within the IoT ecosystem
• Impact: Evidence that the startup is solving a meaningful problem and creating measurable value

Eligibility

• Open worldwide to startups and early-stage companies operating in the Internet of Things
• Companies should generally be within the startup stage, often founded within the past 5 to 7 years
• The product, solution, or service should be released, updated, adopted, validated, or materially advanced within the applicable award year
• Entries should include evidence of customer traction, market validation, funding, partnerships, pilots, or measurable outcomes
• Confidential materials may be summarized or redacted for judging, with references included where possible

What to submit

• Executive summary covering the company’s vision, innovation, market opportunity, progress, and outcomes
• Evidence of traction, such as funding milestones, customer wins, pilot results, deployment metrics, partnerships, or press coverage
• Supporting materials, including product pages, screenshots, case studies, media coverage, investor materials, or customer examples
• Optional pitch deck excerpt, video demo, founder statement, or reference contact

Best of 2026 schedule

• Entries Open: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
• Early Bird Deadline: Friday, January 15, 2027
• Final Entry Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2027
• Winners Announced: Tuesday, March 9, 2027