CB Insights has recognized OPAQUE Systems in its ninth annual AI 100 list, which showcases the 100 most promising private artificial intelligence companies globally. According to Manlio Carrelli, CEO at CB Insights, the AI 100 winners are poised to significantly impact the future of AI, driving AI applications from emerging stages to widespread adoption across various sectors, including AI agents, security, and robotics. These companies are also focusing on innovative technologies such as multi-agent systems, advanced computing, data curation, and physical AI.

Aaron Fulkerson, CEO of OPAQUE Systems, emphasized the importance of data privacy and security, noting that while data is a company's most valuable asset, it is increasingly vulnerable to attacks. He stated that OPAQUE provides confidential AI solutions that integrate privacy and security, enabling enterprises to innovate with AI without compromising data sovereignty, particularly when scaling agentic workflows.

The AI 100 list includes early- and mid-stage startups that are leading the way in applying AI across various industries and architectures. CB Insights' research team selected the winners based on datasets that included deal activity, industry partnerships, team and investor strength, employee headcount, and proprietary Commercial Maturity and Mosaic scores. Analyst briefings submitted by the startups were also considered.

OPAQUE Systems is recognized as the industry's first Confidential AI platform, uniquely addressing enterprises' data privacy and security needs throughout all critical phases of data usage—before, during, and after execution. Leveraging confidential computing, OPAQUE enables enterprises to process sensitive data securely, especially when using AI workflows.

The 2025 AI 100 list includes 21 startups in AI agent platforms and infrastructure, 12 in AI observability and governance, and 12 in physical AI technology and building blocks. The cohort is deploying AI across horizontal applications like customer service and process automation, infrastructure (AI observability, AI agent building), and verticals such as healthcare and life sciences, industrials, and financial services. Collectively, these companies have raised $11.4 billion in equity funding, including over $2.3 billion in 2025. Approximately 75% are early-stage companies (Series A or earlier), and 27 are based outside the United States, spanning 13 countries, including France and South Korea. Since 2023, the cohort has formed over 315 business relationships with industry leaders like NVIDIA, Google, and Uber.

CB Insights is described as an AI super analyst for market intelligence, providing insights to help users identify promising markets, track competitors, and source companies. OPAQUE Systems, originating from UC Berkeley's RISELab, offers a Confidential AI platform that transforms how enterprises manage, analyze, and share sensitive data. By combining a trusted execution environment, cryptographic verification, and high-performance analytics/ML and AI, OPAQUE enables organizations to run cloud-scale AI workloads with confidence in data privacy and IP protection.