Eleven companies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and the United States have won the WIPO Global Awards 2026.

The Awards reward SMEs and start-ups that demonstrate excellence in using IP. The winners were chose by a jury from a pool of 1,300 applications representing 126 countries.

Presenting the awards at a ceremony held during the WIPO Assemblies in Geneva, WIPO Director General Daren Tang said: “These Awards shine a spotlight on those exemplary SMEs that are not just registering and protecting their IP, but also using it strategically for business growth. We hope that they will inspire other entrepreneurs, and encourage policymakers to put in place programs and policies to help IP be part of every SMEs toolkit for success.”

The winners receive six months of 1:1 mentoring on IP strategy, market access and fundraising, and join the Global Awards Alumni Community, through which they connect with investors, accelerators, corporates and service providers.

The 2026 winners are:

• Agriculture & Food: SME: AgZen (United States) – AI-optimized crop spraying; Startup: Infira (Argentina) – Annual crops made perennials
• Environment: SME:  Botree (China) – Lithium battery recycling; Startup: FLOSFIA (Japan) – Energy-saving semiconductors for greener electronics
• Health: SME: ArteryFlow (China) – AI cardiovascular diagnostics platform; Startup: Regend Therapeutics (China) – Lung tissue regeneration
• Creative Industries: SME: Jade ND (Brazil) – Game-based learning platform for neurodivergent children; Startup: DABIDA (Republic of Korea) – Handwriting-based AI tutoring system
• ICT: SME: ICTK (Republic of Korea) – Keyless hardware security chips; Startup: Drovid (Chile) – Drones detecting human-caused forest fires early
• Sports: Special Award: Bearmind (Switzerland) – Helmet sensors tracking brain health in contact sports
• Special Mentions: Best Youth Entrepreneur 2026 – Vishnu Jayaprakash, CEO of AgZen (United States) (support for this recognition is provided by the ITC Ye! Community, a global platform powered by the International Trade Centre that connects young entrepreneurs with peers, mentors, and business opportunities) and Best Woman Entrepreneur 2026 – Renata Reinheimer, CEO of Infira (Argentina) (support for this recognition is provided by ITC SheTrades, an initiative of the International Trade Centre that works to create the conditions for women entrepreneurs to grow and trade internationally)

Photo: WIPO/Berrod from the WIPO LinkedIn page