In September 2024 , the " AI x Product" hypothesis was proposed based on research into global geopolitical risks , and one year later, many specialist organizations began to point to the resurgence of Hard Tech .
In fact, this year's startup trend is seeing an increase in companies entering Hard Tech , following AI .
To have a major impact on real life , some kind of device or hardware is essential, and the emergence of smartphones has had a major impact on mobile, leading to various innovations.
In the context of this report, it is believed that true innovation will begin when AI is incorporated into various hard technologies .
This is clear from the trends in VC investments, which have been going through the era of Atoms (things) up until the 1990s , the era of Bits (digital) for 25 years since the 2000s , and will be moving towards the era of Atoms from 2026 onwards. The era of "+ Bits " may be upon us.
The latest trends are reflected in the investment status of Y Combinator , which evaluates the business viability of startups, as the latest trends emerge in the early stages of the industry .
As of 2025 , there are 81 portfolio companies in the Hard Tech sector, of which 20 companies were selected as promising and nine more were investigated in depth.
As expected, industrial robots are the largest , but observation satellites are in second place , and when combined with space development, which is in fifth place, Space Tech takes first place .
This field has seen more startups enter the market than health tech or autonomous vehicles, and it is likely to grow into a leading field in Hard Tech in a few years.
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Original data: PowerPoint, 63 slides, A4 size