Meet the shortlist: our top 50 startups in social impact in 2026
We asked for founders building solutions for mental, physical and financial wellbeing – the missions that touch every life. 380 startups from 38 countries answered the call. After weeks of review, we narrowed it down to 50 – the hardest shortlist we’ve ever had to make.
From accessibility tech to financial inclusion, from healthcare innovation to the future of work – they represent the best of what social impact entrepreneurship looks like today. From this shortlist, the joint selection panel will choose the 6 finalists who will take the stage at Hello Tomorrow in Amsterdam this June, competing for €200,000 in grants in the NN Social Innovation Startup Award.
Here is our top 50 startups in social impact:
Annie Advisor from Finland (Education & Learning)
Annie is a proactive student-support chatbot that prevents up to 25% of dropouts in secondary and higher education. Reaching out via WhatsApp or SMS with no installation needed, it directs at-risk students to the right service at the right moment – with a 65% response rate and proven impact in city-wide pilots.
“Annie is on a mission to prevent 100,000 school dropouts by 2030.”
GRANDMAMA from Greece (Health & Wellbeing)
GRANDMAMA is a full-stack AI-powered caretech solution supporting families, elders, and caregivers across their entire care journey – without the need for an agency. They’re building the infrastructure for a future where quality homecare is accessible, affordable, and human.
“We’re building the future of homecare and this program is a step toward scaling our impact globally.”
eFrontiers from Spain (Education & Learning)
eFrontiers offers a gamified microlearning platform that financial institutions white-label to deliver tailored financial education – free for users, who even earn rewards as they learn. Built to close the gap for the 67% of the global population that is financially illiterate, with an AI agent that turns existing materials into engaging microlearning at scale.
“Growing up in Guatemala, I saw firsthand what financial exclusion looks like. We’re taking what we’ve built to every corner of the world where those gaps still exist.”
WUK (Wonda) from Belgium (Accessibility Tech)
WUK is an AI-powered visitor engagement platform for museums and cultural venues. Through a mobile app and a venue-side CMS with built-in AI translation, language assistance, and adaptive formats, it lets cultural institutions deliver accessible, multilingual content to every visitor – regardless of age, language, or disability.
“We’re building a future where every visitor can experience culture in a way that fits their needs, language, and abilities.”
Hable from the Netherlands (Accessibility Tech)
Hable creates affordable, life-changing assistive technology for blind and visually impaired people. Their flagship product, the Hable One, is a pocket-sized Braille keyboard that lets users control their smartphone independently – messaging, browsing, and navigating apps without relying on touchscreens. Built to be paid for by users themselves, not just insurers, so the 90% of people with disabilities priced out of assistive tech can finally access it.
“We want to make assistive technology accessible to those that need it most.”
OneTutor from Germany (Education & Learning)
OneTutor is an AI-based tutor for higher education already used at 50+ universities by more than 33,000 students. Students chat with course content, complete instructor-reviewed quizzes, or use a Socratic mode for guided depth – while lecturers gain anonymised insight into knowledge gaps. A way to give every student the personal tutor that, until now, only those who could afford one had.
“We’re on a mission to accelerate the adoption of AI in education, and we hope to gain supporters and new learnings on this journey.”
YoungLink from Czech Republic (Education & Learning)
YoungLink helps schools understand and improve classroom relationships through data-driven insights into students’ social dynamics. Through interactive scenarios, it surfaces the invisible social patterns – isolation, exclusion, early bullying – that teachers struggle to detect, before they escalate into serious problems.
“We are building a system that helps schools understand people, not just performance – and we’re looking for partners to help us scale this impact globally.”
Lila (Tidalflow) from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
Lila is the leading mobile solution for perimenopause – a daily companion that combines symptom tracking, hyper-personalised actions, tailored nutrition and supplementation plans, and a community of women going through the same transition. Built for the billion women globally who experience perimenopause symptoms but rarely receive any treatment.
“A billion women go through perimenopause with almost no support. Lila is changing that – connecting daily self-care to clinical care, so no woman has to figure this out alone.”
Levelly.ai from Poland (Future of Work)
Levelly.ai empowers companies to create fairer workplaces by uncovering and closing pay gaps with real-time data. Their platform makes pay equity clear, measurable, and actionable – turning a complex compliance challenge into a transparent process.
“We believe fair pay should not be a privilege. We are building Levelly to make pay equity clear, measurable, and possible to act on.”
Ailin Health from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
Ailin is an end-to-end “diagnostics-as-a-service” platform that lets organisations run large-scale, decentralised screening programmes – from home sample collection to certified lab analysis to AI-based risk stratification and clinical follow-up. Built to catch the silent diseases (cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, autoimmune) that progress invisibly until they’re costly and dangerous.
“We’re on a mission to make early diagnosis accessible at scale, transforming prevention into the default model of care.”
Dimpr (Ferdi) from the Netherlands (Data & AI Platforms)
Dimpr is a science-backed workplace wellbeing platform that replaces generic surveys with weekly one-minute reflections. It detects structural friction at team and individual level, then turns insights into targeted action – so organisations can finally close the gap between rising wellbeing budgets and rising burnout rates.
“We spent years studying why wellbeing programs fail. Now we’re building what actually works – to reach 1 million workers by 2033.”
IBIONS from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
IBIONS is a science-based spin-off from the University of Valencia that improves the quality of life and prognosis of people with cancer through evidence-based nutritional care. By combining clinical expertise, real-world patient data, and an AI-powered digital platform, they make personalised oncology nutrition accessible regardless of where patients live.
“We are working to make nutritional care a standard part of cancer treatment, not a privilege. Through this programme, we hope to grow, learn, and accelerate our ability to reach the patients who need it most.”
BUJI (The 100th Monkey group) from the Netherlands (Education & Learning)
BUJI is a digital educational wellbeing programme for primary schools that builds children’s mental resilience through playful, evidence-based exercises. Designed for the classroom rather than as a private add-on, it aims to make mental education as universal in Dutch schools as physical education – a foundational skill for every child.
“We’re on a mission to make mental education as standard a school subject as physical education – a mental foundation for every child.”
Senior Lingua from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
Senior Lingua is an intergenerational video-calling platform that connects language learners with native-speaking seniors. Students get authentic, empathetic language immersion; seniors get a renewed sense of purpose and meaningful social contact – turning the global loneliness epidemic into a learning opportunity for both sides.
“Our mission is to ensure no senior is left behind and no student learns alone. Senior Lingua turns conversation into a solution for loneliness.”
Monny from the Netherlands (Financial Inclusion & Wellbeing)
Monny is a conversational AI money coach that helps people improve their financial wellbeing through daily check-ins, personalised guidance, and behavioural support. Designed for the nearly half of Dutch households that are financially vulnerable – and for whom spreadsheets and traditional budgeting apps simply don’t work.
“Financial stress doesn’t discriminate, and neither should the solution. We’re here to scale access to financial wellbeing for all.”
Bit&R (JSLeague) from Romania (Education & Learning)
Bit&R is an educational game studio for children aged 10-14 – a STEM universe where kids learn how digital systems think, decide, and behave by actually building them. Its three interconnected worlds (coding, cybersecurity, AI) prepare children to use AI as a tool, not be replaced by it.
Changefied from the Netherlands (Accessibility Tech)
Changefied uses 6DoF VR training to help neurodivergent young people build the skills they need for independent life – starting with public transport. By simulating realistic, unpredictable travel scenarios with adjustable sensory inputs, students gain the confidence to navigate the world on their own. Already used to train 3,000+ special-needs students.
“At Changefied, we empower neurodivergent individuals to embrace life’s challenges with confidence – helping them navigate public transport, daily life, and emergencies on their own terms.”
Mentelem from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
Mentelem is a corporate mental-health system that combines psychological assessment, personalised care pathways, clinical intervention, and organisational reporting. Designed to bring structured mental-health support to employees in high-pressure, frontline jobs – the people most affected by the access gap, who would never find their way to private therapy on their own.
“Democratising access to mental health care.”
ObsessLess from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
ObsessLess makes evidence-based OCD care instantly accessible to people who currently wait 6-12 months in Europe to start treatment, or pay $100-$300 a session in the US. Built specifically for OCD rather than retrofitted from generic mental-health apps, it supports the daily exposure work that recovery actually depends on.
“We’re here to end the invisible OCD crisis.”
ZVÂC (Waiheke AI) from Romania (Education & Learning)
Waiheke’s ZVÂC is an AI career-intelligence platform that helps people figure out who they are professionally and what to do about it – across self-discovery, blockers, CVs and interviews, and long-term growth. Built for the millions of students worldwide who face counsellor-to-student ratios of 1:800 (or no career services at all).
“We’re on a mission to make career guidance as accessible as a Google search. 9,000 students in 7 countries bootstrapped is the start. One billion is the plan.”
FLTRD from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
FLTRD’s scanning app helps people avoid ultra-processed foods by instantly showing how processed a product is and offering personalised healthier alternatives. Their independent PureScore system makes it easy for shoppers to make better choices at the point of decision – and for the food system to start rewarding less-processed products.
“We’re on a mission to make the healthy choice the easy choice – for everyone.”
Digital Pandus from Poland (Accessibility Tech)
Digital Pandus delivers web accessibility through automated crawling combined with manual testing performed by professionals who are themselves blind, low-vision, or have movement impairments. A double impact: equal digital access for all users, and meaningful, professional employment for testers with disabilities.
“We’re on a mission to build accessibility – led by professionals with disabilities themselves.”
Mila Health from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
Mila Health is a Dutch digital-first healthcare company operating two direct-to-consumer brands – Goodweigh for weight management and Fellos for men’s health. By connecting patients with licensed physicians and handling everything from assessment to discreet medication delivery, Mila is dismantling the stigma and friction that keep people from seeking care.
“We’re on a mission to make healthcare proactive, accessible, and personal at scale.”
Maurice & Nora from Belgium (Digital Platforms & Marketplaces)
Maurice & Nora is the “Uber for non-medical care” – a Belgian platform that connects vetted students with seniors and families for companionship, transport, errands, childcare, and gardening. AI-powered matching pairs each request with the right student in minutes, helping ease Europe’s growing care crisis without the months-long waitlists of traditional providers.
“We’re on a mission to make non-medical care as easy to book as an Uber – so no senior is left waiting and no family has to choose between work and caring for loved ones.”
Unpluq from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
Unpluq is a phone-habit tool – a small physical Tag plus app – that helps people reclaim an average of 1h 20m a day from mindless scrolling, without deleting their apps. With offerings for individuals and families, it’s built to push back on the screen-time crisis driving rising anxiety and depression, especially among young people.
“Off your screen, into your life.”
Stix from the United Kingdom (Health & Wellbeing)
Stix is a screen-free handheld device that guides children aged 5-12 through audio, light, and motion-based mindfulness activities. Built as a practical at-home tool for the one in six UK children with a probable mental-health condition – many of whom face 12+ month CAMHS waitlists – it puts evidence-based support directly into children’s hands.
“We’re on a mission to make mental wellbeing accessible for all families, giving children the support they need whenever they need it.”
Lola (HuskyAI) from the Netherlands (Future of Work)
Lola is a vertical AI co-pilot built for the reintegration and outplacement market – replacing tedious questionnaires with an empathetic conversational interface that profiles candidates and matches them to live vacancies. Built for the bottleneck behind the Netherlands’ record 93,000+ disability benefit applications, where bureaucracy is keeping people stuck.
“With more people getting sick and the labour market changing rapidly, people need career guidance. We’re on a mission to help professionals find a sustainable job match by leveraging AI.”
Hydra (TietAI) from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
Hydra is a multi-agent AI platform that makes healthcare data interoperable instantly – speaking HL7, FHIR, DICOM, X12, and CDA, and connecting any system across Europe’s 27 fragmented health systems. With 78 specialised clinical agents on top, Hydra turns interoperability from an IT problem into a patient-safety solution.
“Every day, a clinician somewhere in Europe makes a decision with incomplete information – not because the data doesn’t exist, but because no one built the infrastructure to connect it. That’s what we’re fixing.”
Hospi Housing from the Netherlands (Digital Platforms & Marketplaces)
Hospi Housing connects people with spare rooms to those who can’t find a home – matching not just on price and availability, but on personality and lifestyle to build cross-generational and cross-cultural trust. Tenants pay on average €300 less per month than market rate, and 90% of matches involve recognised priority groups (students, starters, and other “aandachtsgroepen”).
“We started Hospi Housing because we believed sharing a home could solve two problems at once: loneliness and the housing crisis. Four years and thousands of matches later, we know it can.”
mobiX (Paterson Group) from Slovakia (Health & Wellbeing)
mobiX is an integrated digital platform and central dispatch for assisted, door-to-door transport – connecting seniors and people with disabilities to specialised drivers, adapted vehicles, and cashless travel. A registered social enterprise built to replace the gap left by overburdened ambulance services and rejecting taxi apps.
“Mobility isn’t a luxury, it’s a fundamental right to a dignified life. We’re building the digital infrastructure that leaves no one in isolation.”
dembrane from the Netherlands (Data & AI Platforms)
dembrane is a Dutch tech-for-good platform that uses AI to capture, structure, and synthesise face-to-face dialogue – turning the messy reality of town halls, breakouts, and public consultations into clear themes that participants can verify. Built so that when organisations invite people into the room, what they actually said becomes part of what happens next.
“We exist for the future that becomes possible when we truly hear each other.”
Eldie from Romania (Health & Wellbeing)
Eldie is an AI ecosystem to detect and slow cognitive decline in seniors. Through daily interactions with “Eldie the Squirrel” – brain games, conversations, and cognitive exercises – the platform analyses micro-behavioural signals to generate a Brain Score and flag changes early enough to act on. Built to extend healthy years and give caretakers visibility from a distance.
“We’re on a mission to detect and slow down cognitive deterioration of elderly people – keeping them living healthier, for longer.”
TeachBuddy from the Netherlands (Education & Learning)
TeachBuddy is a peer-tutoring platform that lets secondary schools systematically close learning gaps using their own pupil community during gap hours and other lost school time. By matching students to trained peer tutors and tracking progress, it makes personalised tutoring – today a privilege – part of the school day for every child.
“We’re on a mission to radically change our education system, and we hope to gain your support.”
NaviWay (Gallium) from Poland (Accessibility Tech)
NaviWay is an indoor navigation system designed for blind and visually impaired users, enabling independent movement through complex spaces like shopping centres, hospitals, museums, and public buildings. Patented graphic markers scanned via smartphone camera give precise, reliable positioning where outdoor GPS-based tools simply can’t reach.
“We’re on a mission to make indoor spaces accessible and navigable for everyone – starting with people who need it most.”
Floow.ai from the Netherlands (Future of Work)
Floow.ai is an AI-powered learning and certification platform that helps care workers earn formal qualifications directly on the job – mobile-first, with content adapted to prior skills. By turning the daily workplace into an accredited classroom, Floow improves retention and helps tackle Europe’s healthcare workforce crisis without forcing essential workers out of paid work.
“We’re on a mission to make people’s potential visible, so great professionals can grow and help tackle critical workforce challenges.”
Eterny from Czech Republic (Financial Inclusion & Wellbeing)
Eterny is an asset management platform for financial wellbeing – helping individuals and families organise, risk-manage, and securely transfer wealth to the next generation. They tackle the systemic issue of financial fragmentation that leads to real economic loss when critical information is scattered or inaccessible.
“I believe no business or family should suffer financial loss simply because information is missing or inaccessible, and we’re here to change that.”
HackShield from the Netherlands (Education & Learning)
HackShield is a gamified platform that teaches children aged 7-12 how to navigate the digital world safely – cybersecurity, online behaviour, and digital awareness. Players become “Junior Cyber Agents” who protect themselves and coach their parents and grandparents along the way. Goal: 10 million and one children, parents, and grandparents reached by 2030.
“We’re on a mission to teach all children how to be safe online – and our goal is to reach 10 million and one children by 2030.”
SAY IT Labs from Belgium (Education & Learning)
SAY IT Labs builds speech-recognition-controlled video games that turn intensive speech, reading, and math practice into something children actually want to do. Their AI-powered platform combines voice-controlled games like Stutter Stars and Spoken Tower with an analytics dashboard for therapists – expanding access to evidence-based therapy far beyond the traditional once-a-week session.
“On the other side of fear is everything you want.”
Glimp from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
Glimp’s handheld breathing coach, Pebbles, guides users through bio-feedback breathing exercises via gentle vibrations – inhale on the left, exhale on the right – with a built-in sensor that tracks mental wellbeing. After one month, users report 19% less stress; built to address the €3.1 billion in annual Dutch absenteeism caused by work-related stress.
“We’re on a mission to help people breathe better.”
OpenCyberAI from the United Kingdom (Education & Learning)
OpenCyberAI is a gamified cybersecurity education platform for high-school students, using 2D/3D serious games and AI-assisted instruction to teach networks, cryptography, and cyber threats through immersive simulations. Aligned with national curricula and award-winning in France, with active programmes promoting inclusion of underserved populations and women in cyber.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
PAVA from the Netherlands (Health & Wellbeing)
PAVA uses WiFi sensors as a plug-and-play monitoring system in elderly care – detecting movement and presence by analysing WiFi signal disruption, with no cameras and no wearables. Real-time, privacy-preserving insights that let care professionals support seniors living at home for longer, in a Netherlands facing a 25% rise in over-65s and a 420% staff shortage in home care by 2035.
“Plug-and-play, non-invasive, and affordable – PAVA gives the network around older people the right insight at the right moment, so they can keep living independently and on their own terms.”
Citizen Token System from Ukraine (Financial Inclusion & Wellbeing)
Citizen Token System turns Ukraine’s wartime reality into a live laboratory for community-led finance. Through governance tokens earned by contribution, residents in underserved and conflict-affected communities move from being passive aid recipients to deciding how local capital is allocated – building self-sustaining resilience instead of dependency.
“We’re on a mission to transform how communities access and govern capital – from dependency on external aid to self-sustaining, contribution-based systems.”
Heuristik from Spain (Health & Wellbeing)
Heuristik is an AI-driven biometric identity platform built to prevent patient misidentification in healthcare – a problem that affects 1 in 10 patients and causes life-threatening errors. Hardware-agnostic deep learning identifies fingerprints in under three seconds, even when standard scanners fail (wet, dirty, bloodstained), protecting the most vulnerable patients first.
“We make sure the right treatment reaches the right patient, every single time – turning identity into an invisible, infallible safeguard for every life.”
Kudosky from Slovakia (HR & Hiring Systems)
Kudosky is an AI-powered peer recognition and engagement platform that replaces annual surveys with real-time micro-feedback, kudos, and automated rewards – integrated natively into Slack and Teams. Designed to surface engagement issues while leaders can still act, rather than after employees have already burned out or left.
“Most companies measure employee happiness once a year – by then, it’s too late. Kudosky exists to make every employee feel heard every day.”
Jobful from Romania (Digital Platforms & Marketplaces)
Jobful is an AI-powered talent platform built to dismantle the barriers that keep refugees, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups out of the workforce. Gamified skill assessments and AI-driven matching look beyond the CV to surface real potential – with proven results that triple employment rates for the most vulnerable.
“Technology should be a bridge to dignity, not a barrier to entry. We’re scaling ‘Impact-as-a-Service’ across Europe so meaningful work is a reality for everyone.”
WeavAir from Poland (Data & AI Platforms)
WeavAir is a contact-free, AI-powered health monitoring system for seniors and people with chronic conditions – medical-grade intelligence without wearables or cameras. By detecting risks before they escalate (falls, heart events, environmental triggers), WeavAir replaces today’s reactive, post-crisis care model with continuous, dignified prevention.
“We’re on a mission to safeguard the physical and financial wellbeing of at-risk individuals – catching what matters before it becomes a crisis.”
Enliven Empathy from the Netherlands (Education & Learning)
Enliven uses proprietary VR plus a structured, facilitator-led group format to put professionals inside the lived reality of the people they serve. In a single session, more than 85% of participants report higher readiness to intervene when they witness exclusion or unsafe behaviour – a methodology born from a Dutch Ministry of Justice commission and a decade of field practice.
“Enliven was born to prevent children from being hurt where they should feel safest. It has evolved into a mission to create safer workplaces, homes, and communities globally.”
Access4you from Hungary (Accessibility Tech)
Access4you provides detailed, reliable certification and information about the accessibility of buildings and public spaces for people with disabilities. Covering all 8 segments of disability, they help individuals navigate their environments independently – from post offices and hospitals to restaurants and cultural venues.
“At Access4you, we improve accessibility for the 15% of the global population with disabilities by providing certified data that supports ESG reporting. Our data is freely available for users, funded by facility owners, ensuring individuals with disabilities can fully engage in society.”
Storyhouse from Czech Republic (Health & Wellbeing)
Storyhouse is a tech-enabled burnout prevention system. It combines a diagnostic across mental, physical, and behavioural factors with pattern detection that surfaces root causes – not just symptoms – then delivers personalised interventions before burnout takes hold. A B2B platform built to move organisations from reactive crisis-management to genuine prevention.
“No one should burn out to realise something needs to change. Storyhouse is the system that prevents it.”
Uma Health from Belgium (Health & Wellbeing)
Uma Health is a digital platform for women in (peri)menopause – combining evidence-based content, vetted specialists, and integrated care pathways in one place. By bringing together knowledge, consultation, and follow-up, Uma is closing one of the most overlooked gaps in healthcare: midlife women’s health.
“We’re on a mission to fix one of healthcare’s most overlooked gaps: women’s midlife health. This programme helps us scale that impact faster and further.”
Háblalo (ASTECH) from Argentina (Accessibility Tech)
Háblalo is a free mobile app that removes communication barriers for people with hearing, speech, and other communication disabilities. Fully accessible, offline, and available in any language, it’s used by millions worldwide to do the things many take for granted – ordering food, asking for help, accessing public services.
“My mission is to harness technology to dismantle barriers and help shape a world where inclusion is not a differentiator, but the standard.”
What comes next
From these 50 startups, we will select the finalists who will pitch at Hello Tomorrow in Amsterdam this June. A panel of judges will then choose the winners of the NN Social Innovation Award 2026, sharing €200,000 in grants to accelerate their impact.
Follow along with #HelloTomorrow2026 to see who makes it to the stage.
