While the spotlight often shines on flashy consumer AI apps, many of the most impactful AI startups are solving unglamorous—but essential—challenges in offline industries. These ten companies are helping sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and construction run more efficiently through applied artificial intelligence.

1. Covariant (USA/Germany)
Covariant builds AI-powered robotic arms for warehouse automation. Its systems can adapt to thousands of different items without manual training, helping e-commerce and logistics providers handle high SKU complexity with fewer errors and lower labor costs.

2. Traive (Brazil/USA)
Traive provides AI-driven financial infrastructure for agribusinesses in Latin America. It assesses credit risk using satellite data, climate modeling, and historical yield data, enabling fairer and faster lending to small and medium-sized farmers.

3. Nybl (UAE/Global)
Nybl offers AI solutions for predictive maintenance and asset optimization in oil & gas, utilities, and energy sectors. Its no-code platform lets industrial teams deploy real-time AI models for performance monitoring and failure prevention.

4. Protex AI (Ireland)
Protex uses computer vision to improve workplace safety in manufacturing and logistics. Cameras powered by its AI detect unsafe behavior—like improper lifting or hazardous proximity—and trigger alerts to prevent accidents before they happen.

5. Carbon Re (UK)
Carbon Re applies deep reinforcement learning to industrial processes like cement and steel manufacturing. By optimizing furnace temperature and energy use, it helps reduce emissions and energy costs in hard-to-decarbonize sectors.

6. Clarifruit (Israel)
Clarifruit combines computer vision and AI to automate quality control in the fresh produce supply chain. Its platform helps growers, retailers, and exporters evaluate fruit ripeness, defects, and shelf-readiness more accurately and consistently.

7. Recycleye (UK)
Recycleye uses computer vision and robotics to automate sorting in recycling plants. Its technology identifies over 28 classes of waste materials, enabling higher purity rates in recyclables and reducing manual labor in waste processing.

8. Eigen Technologies (UK)
Eigen builds NLP tools that extract structured data from unstructured documents like contracts and invoices. Used in sectors like insurance and logistics, it speeds up compliance, audits, and operational reviews that rely on large document volumes.

9. Augmentir (USA)
Augmentir provides AI-driven guidance for frontline workers in manufacturing, maintenance, and service. Its platform offers personalized workflows, real-time support, and skill-based task routing—boosting efficiency and reducing training time.

10. Agtonomy (USA)
Agtonomy retrofits tractors and farm vehicles with AI to enable autonomous operations on small to mid-sized farms. It helps address labor shortages in agriculture by automating tasks like spraying, tilling, and harvesting.

Endnote
These startups demonstrate that the next wave of AI impact is happening far from the app store. By targeting deeply operational sectors—many of which have seen little software innovation—they’re making physical industries safer, cleaner, and more efficient with behind-the-scenes intelligence.

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