December is usually a time for looking back, but it’s also one of the best moments to look ahead. As 2025 draws to a close, a new wave of startups is quietly shaping what the next chapter of technology, business and everyday life might look like.
Some are tackling global challenges head-on, others are refining overlooked corners of the market and many sit at the intersection of emerging tech and practical problem-solving. Together, they offer a snapshot of where innovation is heading next.
Startups In the Limelight
For this year’s 12 Days of Startups, we are spotlighting a dozen companies that stood out in December 2025 for very different reasons. From climate and sustainability to cybersecurity, payments, retail, sports, data and space-adjacent technology, the list reflects just how wide the modern startup landscape has become.
What links these businesses is not a single sector or trend, but a shared focus on execution: turning complex ideas into products that feel timely, relevant and increasingly necessary. Some are scaling fast, others are still flying under the radar, but all of them hint at the directions founders, investors and customers will be paying closer attention to in 2026.
Our 12 Days of Startups: Wrapped for 2025
This is our complete list of all 12 of the startups named in TechRound’s exclusive Christmas special, 12 Days of Startups 2025.
Day 1, Planet Smart
Planet Smart is a London-based deep tech startup revolutionising biomaterials for a cleaner planet. Founded by Dr Gerald Marin and Maurice Rüttimann, the company’s flagship innovation, PlanetSorb, is the world’s first naturally biodegradable superabsorbent polymer, designed to replace fossil-based plastics in hygiene, agriculture, packaging and mining waste.
Planet Smart tackles microplastic pollution without compromising performance or cost, offering scalable, high-performance alternatives to conventional materials. In 2025, the company secured $1 million in pre-seed funding, launched PlanetSorb and began commercial trials with global hygiene brands. In 2026, Planet Smart aims to expand manufacturing and broaden applications worldwide.
Day 2, Selene
Selene is an AI-driven customer engagement platform that delivers true 1:1 personalisation at scale. By analysing each customer’s behavior, purchase history and engagement patterns, Selene autonomously crafts and delivers messages across email, SMS, WhatsApp, push and in-app channels, without manual intervention.
Designed for e-commerce, B2B, consumer apps and multi-location businesses, the platform adapts in real time to optimise timing, content and channel selection, ensuring communications feel personal and brand-aligned.
Selene transforms complex, labor-intensive marketing operations into an AI-first system, helping brands increase engagement, conversions and customer lifetime value while reducing reliance on traditional marketing teams and tools.
Day 3, SimSpace
SimSpace is a cybersecurity company providing a realistic, intelligent cyber range that bridges the “train-test gap” for modern organizations. Founded by innovators from US Cyber Command and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, SimSpace enables continuous mission rehearsal and objective validation of people, processes, technologies and AI agents in environments that mirror real-world operational complexity.
Serving universities, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, the platform helps teams optimise SOC workflows, test AI decision logic and measure resilience under adversarial pressure. In 2025, SimSpace expanded globally, enhanced AI capabilities and raised $39M in funding. In 2026, it plans to scale AI-native readiness and mission-specific cyber terrains.
Day 4, Datactics
Datactics Ltd. is a Belfast-based Data Readiness company specialising in user-friendly data quality and matching software. With a team of 35 experts, Datactics helps international banks, government and other organisations clean, de-duplicate and structure vast datasets, enabling accurate regulatory reporting, single customer views and AI-driven initiatives.
Their platform empowers business teams to build powerful workflows without programming, combining data quality and matching in one solution. In 2025, Datactics grew revenue by over 30%, added five new retail banks and expanded sector expertise. In 2026, the company plans to advance AI-driven data monitoring and autonomous issue resolution to maximise real-world impact.
Day 5, Global Talent PR
Global Talent PR is a specialised media relations firm helping professionals secure earned media coverage to support extraordinary talent visa applications, including U.S. EB-1A, O-1, National Interest Waiver and UK Global Talent visas.
Founded by tech PR veterans Kristen Hoff and Lara Miller, the firm crafts personalised narratives and places content in publications that reflect genuine expertise, ensuring coverage holds up under immigration scrutiny.
In 2025, Global Talent PR more than doubled revenue, expanded services to include awards and judging opportunities, and launched a startup package for founders. In 2026, the firm plans to grow its UK visa support and develop long-term media strategies for clients.
Day 6, Todyl
Todyl is a cloud-first cybersecurity company providing a unified platform that integrates SASE, SIEM, endpoint protection, MXDR, and compliance tools into a single agent tailored for MSPs and mid-market businesses.
Designed to simplify security for SMBs, Todyl replaces fragmented enterprise tools with a cohesive solution that reduces complexity and risk. Delivered exclusively through MSP partners, the platform enables scalable, enterprise-grade protection with SMB-friendly ease.
In 2025, Todyl ranked on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and Inc. 5000, expanded globally and launched innovations unifying cybersecurity, risk, and compliance. In 2026, it will enhance intelligence-led automation, compliance frameworks, identity protection and partner enablement.
Day 7, incentifi
incentifi is a wellness platform that turns healthy habits into real-world rewards, linking everyday movement, mindfulness and wellness behaviours to cashback, travel savings and digital gift cards.
By creating a closed-loop ecosystem, incentifi motivates employees to move more, feel better and engage consistently, while helping businesses foster healthier, more productive teams.
In 2025, the company closed a £4m pre-seed round, strengthened its product and advisory team, and redesigned its platform for scale.
In 2026, incentifi will launch a UK pilot programme, expand its partner ecosystem, enhance its rewards engine, and prepare for global growth, starting with the UAE.
Day 8, SPORTL
SPORTL is a fitness-booking startup transforming how people access gyms and studio classes with a flexible, pay-as-you-go model. Users can browse, book and attend classes without subscriptions or long-term commitments, while gyms and studios can fill unused class capacity and generate new revenue.
SPORTL complements traditional memberships by connecting spare spots with real-time consumer demand. In 2025, the company built a strong partner network, refined its business model, raised investment and prepared for launch. In 2026, SPORTL plans a full London rollout, an ambassador programme and lifestyle partnerships to make fitness more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Day 9, JoinDig
JoinDig is an AI-powered shopping platform that helps users find the best deals on new and pre-loved products in seconds. By allowing shoppers to upload a product link or image, JoinDig compares prices across thousands of retailers and marketplaces, highlights cashback opportunities and surfaces sustainable alternatives, all in one place.
Founded by Ashley Bailey, JoinDig is on a mission to simplify smart shopping and help consumers save money while making more conscious choices. Following strong growth and investment momentum in 2025, the company is poised for further innovation and expansion in 2026.
Day 10, LO:TECH
LO:TECH is a digital asset trading firm that applies traditional financial compliance standards to blockchain markets. As digital asset markets evolve toward mainstream institutional adoption, LO:TECH focuses on transparent operations and client alignment, aiming to demonstrate responsible practices in a sector still building its credibility with traditional finance.
The company provides liquidity services, market data, and execution services using proprietary infrastructure. LO:TECH performs rigorous client due diligence and uses transparent fee structures that align its interests with clients. The firm works with credible projects and institutions while avoiding speculative trends.
Day 11, Oversecured
Oversecured scans Android and iOS apps to find security vulnerabilities before attackers do. We’ve exposed critical flaws in apps like TikTok and devices from Xiaomi, Google and Samsung – who ranked us number one1 in their detection program. Our clients include Expedia Group, TikTok, Samsung, Google, Mercado Libre and Keeper.
Companies connect our scanner to development pipelines to catch problems before release, cutting security review time up to 90%. The platform tests both code and running apps, working with final app files without needing source code. Each discovered flaw comes with actual attack code showing developers exactly what a hacker would do and how to fix it.
Day 12, ATMO
ATMO, founded in 2016 in San Francisco, pioneers wearable air quality trackers like Atmotube PRO 2, blending lab-grade sensors (CO₂, PM1/2.5/10, NOx, VOCs) with Air Balance™ – a daily wellness score combining environmental and lifestyle data.
Trusted by Johns Hopkins and 100+ institutions, ATMO has sold 50K+ units in 40+ countries. ATMO customers are health-conscious individuals and tech-savvy organizations who harness data to understand how their environment affects their performance, recovery, and wellbeing.
