Who are the *real* tech startups of 2019?

In early 2018,  we set out to compile a list of promising companies, and predicted we’d spend our year writing about them.

Not to toot our own horn, but we got the 2018 realLIST right: Flashy acquisitions. Product launches. Pivots. Multi-million-dollar funding rounds. Awards. Deals.

Just like we did last time around, as we sit down to take stock of 2018 and forecast the companies that will make headlines in 2019, we want — nay, need — your input. Which company should have our attention next year? Which founder is onto a real winner, or assembled a team that can move mountains?

Many things can make a startup “real.” Maybe they have a proven team at the helm, or are chasing an idea that shows early traction. Perhaps its investors are big-time, or they’ve bootstrapped their way to early successes. To help us narrow down the field of successful companies, we do have a few guidelines:

• realLIST companies can’t be older than three years. That’s in keeping with sunset period for the term “startup” that cofounder Christopher Wink set in 2012.
• Agencies, studios or other firms are a no-go: Startups must make the majority of their revenue from selling a product.
• Companies that have exited or undergone similar episodes (majority investments, acquisitions, mergers and the like) are not eligible.

In need of inspiration? Here’s all of our 2018 coverage on startups.