BONFIRE’S RISE 50: TOP PURPOSE-DRIVEN STARTUPS
Fifty startups with fifty causes that deserve a little extra recognition.
We’re launching Bonfire’s Rise 50 list to showcase early stage startups on a mission to make the world a better place.
Purpose is good for business, too.
Purpose-led and growth-oriented aren’t mutually exclusive.
In a crowded tech world, having a clear, authentic purpose is a great (and underrated) tool for differentiation. It creates a strong foundation for founders and teams to build unique brands, strong product visions, and long-term business strategies.
As brand advisors and enthusiasts, we come across many early-stage startups, and always get excited when we see one leading with purpose. Yes, it’s possible to grow your business while doing great work! In fact, these fifty startups together have raised over $460 million in funding and amassed over 330,000 LinkedIn followers.
So, about this list…
How’d we build the Rise 50 list?
We did some digging among early-stage startups across all industries to identify those who strongly vocalize their purpose, mission, and vision. This might mean they’ve published a manifesto or mission statement. Or, it may have come through in their founder story or employer branding.
The Rise 50 list consists of pre-seed to Series B startups (and one bootstrapped company—shout out, Do Good Points!) who we believe walk the walk when it comes to building a purpose-driven company. While every company has a unique mission, we’ve grouped them into five categories of impact:
Equalizing access and opportunity
Shaping a clean, sustainable future
Driving social impact and community
Reimagining healthcare and wellness
Building the future technology
Category
Access & opportunity
These startups are built with certain communities in mind and use technology to equalize access to essential services—from financial tools for immigrants and renters to healthcare solutions for the LGBTQIA+ and deaf communities. They’re grounded in the idea that all people deserve to thrive, no matter their background.
Ava
What Ava is: AI-based speech recognition and live captioning solution
Their mission: To empower 466M deaf and hard-of-hearing people to live in a fully accessible world. Watch the TedxTalk to learn the origin story.
Their website: www.ava.me
Funding: Series A
BrightUp
What BrightUp is: Financial wellness benefit provider
Their mission: To democratize wealth-building and well-being. Learn more about their company ethos.
Their website: www.getbrightup.com
Funding: Pre-seed
Dollaride
What Dollaride is: Clean transportation for underserved communities
Their vision: We envision a future where sustainable, efficient, and affordable transportation is available to everyone. Read more about their origin story.
Their website: www.dollaride.com
Funding: Pre-seed
Folx Health
What Folx Health is: The first digital healthcare service provider for the LGBTQIA+ community
Their mission: To create a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where you can receive the highest quality of care without fear of discrimination. Discover their impact.
Their website: www.folxhealth.com
Funding: Series B
Jeenie
What Jeenie is: Direct-To-Interpreter (DTI) platform
Their mission: To give a voice to the vulnerable, empowering humans everywhere through communication for equitable access to life-saving and life-changing needs. Read how they plan to achieve this.
Their website: jeenie.com
Funding: Series A
Lami
What Lami is: Digital insurance platform for agents and brokers
Their mission: To break the 3% insurance penetration barrier in Africa. Learn more about their mission and impact so far.
Their website: www.lami.world
Funding: Seed
My Beacon
What My Beacon is: Financial app purpose-built for immigrants
Their mission: To help newcomers settle with ease and build their future with confidence. Read more about their purpose here.
Their website: www.mybeacon.ca
Funding: Seed
PurposeMed
What PurposeMed is: Secure virtual healthcare platform
Their mission: To improve access to complex care for underserved communities. Find out the “why” behind PurposeMed.
Their website: www.purposemed.com
Funding: Seed
Suma Wealth
What Suma Wealth is: Wealth building digital platform for the Latinx community
Their mission: To bring financial inclusion to the Latinx community by making money matters relatable, accessible, and simple to understand. Dig deeper into their approach here.
Their website: www.sumawealth.com
Funding: Seed
Viva Benefits
What Viva Benefits is: Rent-to-invest platform
Their mission: To close the 40x renter wealth equity gap. Dig deeper into their mission here.
Their website: www.vivabenefits.com
Funding: Pre-seed
Category
Climate & clean tech
These startups are harnessing innovative technologies to tackle climate change and drive sustainability. From carbon removal and clean hydrogen production to advanced energy storage and water treatment, these companies are working to reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and create scalable solutions for a greener future.
Captura
What Captura is: Carbon removal solution
Their mission: To harness the power of the ocean to heal the climate. Discover the values that drive them here.
Their website: www.capturacorp.com
Funding: Series A
Epyr
What Epyr is: Thermal energy storage solution
Their mission: To deliver pragmatic solutions for industrial heat decarbonization. Learn more about the problem they seek to solve.
Their website: www.epyr.co
Funding: Pre-seed
E-Zinc
What E-Zinc is:
Their mission: To develop the world’s most affordable, safe and reliable long-duration energy storage solution that meaningfully accelerates the energy transition towards a zero-carbon system. Find out their vision for the future.
Their website: www.e-zinc.ca
Funding: Series A
General Galactic
What General Galactic is: Fossil-free fuel and energy
Their purpose: To transform the world’s energy supply chain—making clean fuel affordable and accessible, anywhere in the world. Learn about their approach.
Their website: www.gengalactic.com
Funding: Seed
Mote
What Mote is: Carbon removal and clean hydrogen production
Their mission: To remove carbon from the atmosphere to help avoid dangerous climate change. Read their sustainability statement to understand their approach as a Triple Bottom Line company.
Their website: www.motehydrogen.com
Funding: Series A
Pani
What Pani is: AI platform for water treatment
Their vision: To accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable water supply. Read Pani’s origin story.
Their website: www.pani.global
Funding: Seed
sequestra
What sequestra is: A solution for turning residues into building materials that store carbon dioxide forever
Their mission: To pioneer adaptable processes empowered by machine learning, ensuring cost-optimized carbonation for diverse materials. Find out their impact goal.
Their website: www.sequestra.tech
Funding: Pre-seed
VEMS
What VEMS is: Digital platform for smart energy transitions
Their mission: To build the Internet of Energy and make the digital transformation of energy a reality. Meet the team behind the mission.
Their website: www.v-ems.com
Funding: Seed
Safi
What Safi is: AI-powered global B2B marketplace for trading recyclables
Their mission: To improve recycling inefficiency and put an end to the unnecessary use of virgin materials. Learn more about the team behind the mission.
Their website: www.safi.co
Funding: Series A
CleanHub
What CleanHub is: An asset-light waste management system
Their mission: To end plastic polution. For clean oceans. Learn about their theory of change.
Their website: www.cleanhub.com
Funding: Series A
Category
Community & social impact
From improving access to education and affordable housing to tackling food waste and enhancing public safety, these companies are working to empower communities and drive social good. Whether through AI, fintech, or community-driven platforms, they’re making a meaningful impact on both individuals and society as a whole.
abillion
What abillion is: P2P marketplace for sustainability
Their mission: To help a billion people save the planet. See their community impact so far.
Their website: www.abillion.com
Funding: Series A
AllVoices
What AllVoices is: All-in-one employee relations platform
Their mission: To foster healthy workplaces and to make workplaces safer. Learn more about their story.
Their website: www.allvoices.co
Funding: Series A
Builders Patch
What Builders Patch is: Finance software for multifamily housing
Their mission: To speed up the creation of affordable housing through faster financing. Discover the “why” behind Builders Patch.
Their website: www.builderspatch.com
Funding: Seed
Do Good Points
What Do Good Points is: A platform that gamifies giving
Their mission: To activate and empower the next generation of do gooders. Read their values here.
Their website: www.dogoodpoints.com
Funding: Bootstrapped
Goodr
What Goodr is: A sustainable food waste management and hunger solutions company that leverages technology and logistics to fight food waste and hunger
Their belief: Hunger isn’t a scarcity issue. It’s a matter of logistics. Goodr was founded on the simple yet powerful idea that we need to feed more and waste less. Read more from their story here.
Their website: www.goodr.co
Funding: Series A
Magic School
What Magic School is: An AI platform for schools
Their belief: Educators are the magic, not AI. Dig deeper into why they built Magic School here.
Their website: www.magicschool.ai
Funding: Series B
Oboe
What Oboe is: An educational platform
Their mission: To make humanity smarter. Read their full mission statement here.
Their website: www.oboe.fyi
Funding: Seed
Papaya Pay
What Papaya Pay is: Mobile app simplifying bill payments
Their mission: To alleviate the stress and anxiety Americans face in paying bills. Learn the origin story here.
Their website: www.papayapay.com
Funding: Series B
Plural Policy
What Plural Policy is: Specialized AI for public policy and regulatory work
Their purpose: To make policy creation more transparent, responsive, and inclusive. Read up on their mission.
Their website: www.pluralpolicy.com
Funding: Series A
Prepared 911
What Prepared 911 is: Assistive AI for every phase of emergency response
Their mission: To help ensure every emergency gets a perfect response. Discover their impact.
Their website: www.prepared911.com
Funding: Series B
Category
Healthcare & wellness
These startups have identified gaps in existing healthcare solutions and are using technology to improve access, care, and outcomes. Many of these companies are transforming manual, in-person work into digital, AI-powered solutions—offering faster, personalized care to more people.
Affect Therapeutics
What Affect Therapeutics is: A digital addiction treatment program app
Their mission: To change the way the world treats addiction. Learn how they’re doing it.
Their website: www.affecttherapeutics.com
Funding: Series A
Anterior
What Anterior is: An AI platform for healthcare operations
Their mission: To help healthcare administration catch up with healthcare delivery. Read the full mission statement.
Their website: www.anterior.com
Funding: Series A
Betterleave
What Betterleave is: Family caregiver support platform
Their vision: To create a better family care experience for everyone. Learn about their vision for bereavement care.
Their website: www.betterleave.com
Funding: Seed
Camber Health
What Camber Health is: Financial software for healthcare
Their mission: To make healthcare more available and accessible. Learn more about their mission.
Their website: www.camber.health
Funding: Series B
Foundation Health
What Foundation Health is: AI-powered infrastructure for digital healthcare
Their mission: To redefine the consumer healthcare experience. Meet the people behind the product.
Their website: www.foundationhealth.com
Funding: Seed
Greenspace Health
What Greenspace Health is: Measurement-based care technology
Their mission: To transform the way mental healthcare is accessed, measured, and delivered. Find out the origin story.
Their website: www.greenspacehealth.com
Funding: Series B
Kintsugi Health
What Kintsugi Health is: Voice biomarker software
Their mission: To scale access to mental healthcare for all. Learn why they chose the name Kintsugi.
Their website: www.kintsugihealth.com
Funding: Series A
Ignota Labs
What Ignota Labs is: AI technology for solving drug safety issues
From their mission statement: Our mission is to bring more treatments to patients, faster. Thousands of life-changing drugs fall at the last hurdle and never reach patients. We’re here to change that. Read more here.
Their website: www.ignotalabs.ai
Funding: Seed
Slingshot AI
What Slingshot AI is: Generative AI model for psychology
Their mission: To use AI to make mental healthcare more accessible and to help people change their lives in the ways they want. Uncover their manifesto.
Their website: www.slingshot.xyz
Funding: Series A
Systole Health
What Systole Health is: Virtual group care for women
Their vision: To revolutionize care for women’s heart health by providing timely, life-changing support. Read more about their approach.
Their website: www.systolehealth.com
Funding: Pre-seed
Category
Future of technology
These startups are driving innovation in AI and digital solutions, with a strong focus on responsibility, safety, and ensuring greater access. Their missions aim to prepare people and businesses for the future, while maintaining ethical practices and enhancing opportunities for everyone.
Adalo
What Adalo is: No-code app builder
Their purpose: To empower makers to bring their ideas to life. Read more about their purpose.
Their website: www.adalo.com
Funding: Series A
Created by Humans
What Created by Humans is: AI Rights licensing platform for books
Their mission: To preserve human creativity and make it thrive in the AI era. Dive into their manifesto.
Their website: www.createdbyhumans.ai
Funding: Seed
Doppel
What Doppel is: An AI-powered social engineering defense platform
Their vision: To defend what’s real; disrupt what’s not. Learn about their vision.
Their website: www.doppel.com
Funding: Series A
Fern AI
What Fern AI is: AI agent platform
Their vision: We are building towards a world where anyone can build things and solve problems by having a conversation. See their progress so far.
Their website: www.fern-labs.ai
Funding: Pre-seed
Hoop
What Hoop is: AI task management app
Their mission: To bring creativity and focus back into work. Discover their vision here.
Their website: www.hoop.app
Funding: Seed
Oumi
What Oumi is: Open source AI platform
Their mission: To make frontier AI more open, collaborative, and accessible. Learn more about it here.
Their website: www.oumi.ai
Funding: Seed
Plain
What Plain is: B2B support platform
Their belief: We don't see support tooling as just an app, but as infrastructure to be built on. And with Plain, we're building the infrastructure for every customer interaction. Read more from their manifesto.
Their website: www.plain.com
Funding: Series A
Protect AI
What Protect AI is: Cybersecurity for AI & ML systems
Their mission: To lead the transition to MLSecOps to build a safer AI-powered world. Learn why they started Protect AI.
Their website: www.protectai.com
Funding: Series B
ToumAI
What ToumAI is: Voice intelligence solution
Their mission: To bridge linguistic and cultural divides with AI-driven voice analytics—because every voice deserves to be heard. Dig deeper into their mission and vision.
Their website: www.toum.ai
Funding: Pre-seed
Trustible
What Trustible is: Technology provider of responsible AI governance
Their mission: To enable trustworthy and responsible AI. Learn more about their mission.
Their website: www.trustible.ai
Funding: Pre-seed
Thank you for rising up!
Congratulations to the Rise 50 companies—we’re excited to watch you grow and see the impact you make on the world.
Talk brand with the Bonfire team
With the right strategy, you can turn your purpose-led brand into a growth lever. Let us show you how.