Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen describes disruption in business as \u201ca process whereby a smaller company with fewer resources is able to successfully challenge established incumbent businesses\u201d in his book, The<\/a> <\/span>Innovator\u2019s<\/a> <\/span>Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Since this theory of disruptive innovation was introduced in the pages of this book in 1995, it has continued to hold true for entrepreneurs<\/a> and business leaders of big and small enterprises.<\/p>\n Today, however, this phrase has evolved into something broader. The original theory of disruption focused on smaller entrants challenging incumbents with simpler, cheaper alternatives that redefined market expectations.<\/p>\n Over the last decade, disruption often entails leveraging technology to reimagine entire industries, from customer experience to operational frameworks, making the word synonymous with scalable transformation rather than just market entry.<\/p>\n \u201cThis means that you must pair innovation with flawless execution to enable scale and sustained impact, ensuring new ideas can reach mass adoption and fundamentally reshape industries,\u201d Avi Pardo, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at LeapXpert<\/a>, shares.<\/p>\n In D-ID<\/a> CEO Gil Perry\u2019s words, \u201cThe definition has evolved to reflect speed and iteration. Disruption is no longer a singular event; it\u2019s continuous. It\u2019s all about moving faster than the market and staying ahead of the curve by creating moats that constantly evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n I think this broader understanding of disruption has significant implications for how startups operate today. Now, it\u2019s not just about the initial breakthrough. It\u2019s about staying ahead, continuously innovating, and adapting to shifting market demands.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Without further ado, here are five examples of disruptive startups I found to inspire you.<\/p>\n This AI startup is building what it intends to be the \u201cGoogle for Work,\u201d which is both ambitious and timely, especially in an era where information overload hampers productivity. Founded in 2019, Glean is a workplace search and knowledge management platform designed to make finding information within organizations seamless.<\/p>\n By integrating with various tools such as Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and other productivity software, Glean allows employees to quickly locate documents, messages, or answers they need across multiple platforms \u2014 all from a single search bar.<\/p>\n As of May 2023, the average American employee uses 11 different applications<\/a> to carry out their daily responsibilities and spends an average of 13 minutes searching for information on each of these apps, bringing the total number of hours spent to 1.8 daily<\/a>. In fact, 20% of the average work week<\/a> is spent trying to find and understand information. This translates to a loss of productivity that could cost Fortune 500 companies as much as $12 billion<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n According to its co-founder, the company was born out of this frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt becomes very difficult for companies today to organize all of their internal company knowledge and data, across hundreds of different applications, to make it easily accessible,\u201d Arvind Jain<\/a> shared with Fortune <\/em>in a recent interview. With Glean, this process is simplified with intelligent search capabilities powered by AI.<\/p>\n The enterprise search market is projected to reach $8.4 billion by 2032<\/a>, and Glean\u2019s innovative approach positions it as a significant disruptor in this domain. In just five years, the company has achieved a valuation of $4.6 billion and recognition in the industry through its inclusion in prestigious lists such as Forbes AI 50<\/a> and Gartner\u2019s 2024 Cool Vendors for Digital Workplace Applications<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the data chaos the world has been thrown into, finding anything can reenact a literal needle-in-the-haystack scenario. This is why I believe solving this problem across industries and business functions will remain increasingly relevant as technologies advance.<\/p>\n Case in point: HubSpot\u2019s free AI Search Grader<\/a> helps brands and marketers understand how they show up in Large Language Models (LLM) and AI search.<\/p>\n Founded in 2020, Salvador Technologies provides a solution that ensures operational continuity for companies in the event of a cyber-attack, cyber-incident, or any kind of failure in the manufacturing market landscape.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s platform allows these organizations to swiftly restore operations in case of a cyber-attack within 30 seconds \u2014 an incredible feat in the cybersecurity world. Relying on the Salvador platform means manufacturing organizations can continuously operate avoiding the huge financial losses associated with such attacks or costly interruptions to their operations.<\/p>\n Traditional recovery methods in manufacturing environments can lead to extended downtimes<\/a>, often lasting days or weeks, resulting in substantial operational and financial losses.<\/p>\n Salvador Technologies\u2019 solution disrupts this norm by offering a zero downtime platform, thanks to its 30-second recovery time. The company does this through its patented air-gapped technology<\/a> that isolates backups, preventing unauthorized access to an organization\u2019s valuable data and ensuring data integrity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started from talking to potential customers, hearing their pains, what solutions they have today, and what they think we can help them with our technology. In parallel, we aligned our strategy with OT automation vendors who supply systems to our customers and have high interest to improve their cyber-resiliency,\u201d Alex Yevtushenko<\/a>, co-founder and CEO at Salvador Technologies, shared with me.<\/p>\n Today, Yevtushenko\u2019s team has the strongest patented air-gap technology, but more than this, \u201cwe have the platform to give the feeling of resiliency to our users and be ready when a cyber-attack hits,\u201d Yevtushenko says.<\/p>\n Since 2021, the Israeli startup has raised a total funding of $9.5 million led by Pitango VC and PICO Partner Ventures. Another noteworthy achievement for Salvador Technologies is their selection for a $2.2 million cybersecurity project<\/a> funded by the BIRD Foundation. I think these investments underscore the industry\u2019s confidence in its innovative approach to cyber-resilience.<\/p>\n Six years ago, Valentina, Isabela, and Cristina worked on a theoretical university project that has since metamorphosed into Salva Health today. Founded in 2019, Salva Health is a Colombian startup dedicated to enhancing early detection of breast cancer, particularly in underserved populations.<\/p>\n Their flagship product, Julieta, is a portable device that analyzes breast tissue to identify cancer risks. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Julieta accelerates diagnoses, making early detection accessible even in remote areas.<\/p>\n The stats are staggering: 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will face a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Yet, when detected in its earliest, localized stages, the survival rate is an astonishing 99%<\/a>. This emphasizes the life-saving potential of early detection. However, the reality remains stark \u2014 the barriers to access to early detection diagnosis are still high for women in underserved communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is where Salva Health\u2019s Julieta disrupts the traditional paradigm. Unlike conventional screening tools that require expensive equipment, trained specialists, and established healthcare infrastructure, Julieta is portable, user-friendly, and AI-powered. It brings early detection directly to the communities that need it the most, effectively bridging a long-standing healthcare gap.<\/p>\n \u201cSix years ago, nobody would have believed that it would be possible to create a device like Julieta,\u201d Valentina Agudelo<\/a>, founder and CEO of Salva Health, shared in an interview with Context<\/a>. \u201cSo, in addition to believing it, it is about not resting until we know that we are making the best attempt to make this project, with which we want to generate impact, possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently, the Salva Health team beat over 2,000 applicants to win TechCrunch Disrupt\u2019s Startup<\/a> Battlefield<\/a> competition in San Francisco, earning a $100,000 prize. Competing against projects from 17 countries in 2023, they secured first place<\/a> in the prestigious Global eAwards by NTT DATA FOUNDATION competition and also received an Unlock Her Future recognition out of over 900 projects.<\/p>\n I believe, like Salva Health, the startups that scale are the ones that embody the perfect blend of purpose and technology, changing lives in the most innovative ways possible.<\/p>\n LeapXpert is a business communication platform that enables enterprise employees to engage with their clients through popular messaging applications like iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram, WeChat, Signal, and LINE in a safe and secure manner.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s solution helps to govern business communications, ensuring enterprise information security, data retention, and regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n If I had a penny for every time I stumbled on a debate about which messaging platforms are best suited to business communication, I would be making down-payments on a personal Optimus humanoid robot by now.<\/p>\n Even though 65% of consumers<\/a> prefer to use messenger apps to interact with companies, businesses need to comply with regulations and maintain proper documentation. The challenge is finding a way to balance these competing demands, ensuring compliance while giving employees the freedom to interact with clients through their preferred messaging apps.<\/p>\n What LeapXpert steps in to do is to \u201c…redefine enterprise communication by bridging the gap between outdated, secure-but-unloved legacy systems and modern, user-friendly messaging channels that were previously outside corporate control,\u201d Avi Pardo shares. This, in my opinion, is wonderful as you can meet your customers and clients right where they are without jumping through regulatory hoops.<\/p>\n Recent company milestones include recognition by Gartner as a Cool Vendor<\/a>, winning Microsoft Partner of the Year<\/a>, winning the UC Awards for Best Unified Communication Platform for 2024<\/a>, and being named in Deloitte\u2019s Fast 500<\/a> as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the U.S. and the 14th fastest-growing company headquartered in New York City.<\/p>\n Established in 2017 by innovators Gil Perry, Sella Blondheim, and Eliran Kuta, D-ID began its journey by developing the first facial image de-identification solution, aiming to protect individual privacy without compromising usability.<\/p>\n Over time, the company has evolved into a global leader in generative AI, using deep learning and image processing technologies to create solutions that animate photos, videos, and text. The company\u2019s AI-powered Creative Reality technology transforms static images into dynamic, animated, and conversational media.<\/p>\n When D-ID started in 2017, it was navigating largely uncharted waters in generative technology, a market valued at nearly $17 billion in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cD-ID has consistently redefined what\u2019s possible with AI and video, starting with our original core technology \u2014 protecting privacy by disrupting facial recognition,\u201d Perry begins.<\/p>\n From there, Perry notes, the team turned to generative AI-powered creation, launching Deep Nostalgia, one of the first viral AI apps that brought still images to life.<\/p>\n \u201cOur next leap was Chat.D-ID, which gave LLMs a face and voice, making digital interactions more human and engaging. Today, we\u2019re focused on interactive Agents and Natural User Interfaces (NUI), building digital humans that feel intuitive and lifelike to interact with and enabling enterprises to connect with their users in an entirely new way,\u201d Perry says.<\/p>\n D-ID\u2019s innovative approach has garnered significant attention and investment, securing a total of $48 million in funding over seven rounds, with a notable $25 million Series B round<\/a> in March 2022.<\/p>\n![\"Download](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/abd7b602-9e3e-4329-9e66-48b8c21353fb.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
What is a disruptive startup?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5 Disruptive Startups to Inspire You<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. <\/strong>Glean<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"disruptive](\"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/disruptive-startups-2-20250227-587183.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat does Glean do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why is it disruptive?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. <\/strong>Salvador Technologies<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"disruptive](\"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/disruptive-startups-3-20250227-7010087.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat does Salvador Technologies do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why is it disruptive?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. <\/strong>Salva Health<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"most](\"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/disruptive-startups-4-20250227-2988874.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat does Salva Health do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why is it disruptive?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. <\/strong>LeapXpert<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"disruptive](\"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/disruptive-startups-5-20250227-8404285.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat does LeapXpert do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why is it disruptive?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. <\/strong>D-ID<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"disruptive](\"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/disruptive-startups-6-20250227-9691961.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat does D-ID do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why is it disruptive?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/track.hubspot.com\/__ptq.gif?a=53&k=14&r=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hubspot.com%2Fsales%2Fdisruptive-startups&bu=https%253A%252F%252Fblog.hubspot.com%252Fsales&bvt=rss\")
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