By 2020, more than half of new business processes and systems will have an element related to the Internet of Things, predicts Gartner. And by 2022, Cisco predicts the IoT market to be worth $14.4 trillion.

The IoT is already driving a new era of innovation as data flows from sensors and devices located across the globe, creating an unprecedented influx of unstructured and structured data.

Getting the most pertinent data, however, can be tough for established companies. Startups—especially those led by women—are playing a crucial role in this regard. Getting the right data into the hands of those who can use it, female founders are leading the way – whether it is in healthcare, education, fashion, construction, car maintenance, or other sectors.

There is a growing amount of evidence pointing to women’s leadership role in the domain of IoT data. Successful startups have twice as many women in senior positions than unsuccessful companies, according to a Dow Jones VentureSource analysis of 3000 venture-backed IoT companies. The Dow Jones research also found that women-led startups use 40% less capital and are more likely to survive the transition from startup to an established company. A study titled “Breaking Through: Harnessing the Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs” found that women-led businesses grew four times faster than male-owned businesses over a five-year span.

To honor the achievements of women in the IoT field, I have pulled together a list showcasing the talents of 25 females. Now this was not an easy list to pull together. Since the Internet of Things involves working with hardware (sensors) and software (for data and analytics), it requires researching this entire spectrum of activity. I sent notes to dozens of influencers in Silicon Valley, New York City, Singapore, India, Israel, London, Germany, and beyond. I attended pitch competitions and IoT hackathons and was sometimes the only woman in a full room. (There’s not a lot of women in the halls of these startup activities – but that’s for another article.)

Three major insights from all these women:
1.Women must help women in order for us to move forward. This is not about competition but helping one another succeed. Alicia Asín
2.We must be radically generous with the next generation. They need us as role models. Anina Net
3.Peers can be amazing mentors. You don’t need a Unicorn CEO to teach you about your next level. Learn from everyone. Bryn Jones

In the end, these 25 women of IoT startups rose to the top. Let me know if I missed anyone! If you are a female founder, please take our survey:

By Name and Twitter ID:
Name                                                       Twitter                          Disruption                                     Company                  Location

1. Anina Net                                           @aninanet                       Fashion                                        360 Fashion                China

2. Bryn S. Jones                                    @catchcommander        Fishing                                         Propel IP                     US – NC

3. Ranjana Nair,
Aardra Ambili, and Sanchi Poo         @raybabyjournal            Baby Health                                RayIoT.org                 India

4. Ayah Bdeir                                        @ayahbdeir                       Education                                    Littlebits.com           US –NYC

5. Nora Levinson                                 @noralev                            Wearables                                    Caeden                       US –NYC

6. Jinger Zeng                                      @zengjinger                       Drones                                          Dronesmith              US –Nevada

7. Annielle Guedes                              @urban3d                           Construction                               Urban 3D                  Brazil

8. Alicia Asín                                       @aliciaasin                          Hardware Sensors                      Libelium                   Spain

9. Kelli Thomas-Drake                      @kthomasdrake                 Personal Healthcare tracking  MyPurpleFolder     US-Texas

10. Anne Lauvergeon                         @ lauvergeon                      Dev Platform for IoT                  SIGFOX                    France
Developers

11. Lisa Lang                                        @ lilaineurope                     Tech Jewelry                                ElectroCouture      Germany

12. Triinu Magi                                   @triinush                              Personalized, security IoT         Neura                       Israel & Silicone Valley

13. Limor Fried                                   @adafruit                             Open Source IoT Hardware      AUS-dafruit            USA-NYC

14. Aarthi Ramamurthy                    @aarthir                               Access to IoT Devices                 Lumoid                    US – San Francisco

15. Robin Chase                                  @rmchase                            Internet of Moving Things        Veniam                    US-San Francisco

16. Jessica Lora                                  @thecarforce                       Car Maintenance                         The CarForce         US – San Francisco

17. Catherine Liao                              @catliao                               Healthcare                                    BlueMio                  US – San Francisco

18. Nicki Page                                     @nickimoqdigital               IoT Platform                                MOQdigital            Australia

19. Katherine Maree Pace                @katherinemp                    Fitness                                           Lanation                 Australia

20. Dr. Noa Ruschin-Rimini           @grid4c                                Energy                                           Grid4C                    Israel

21. Monica Perkash                           @mperkash                          Health and Fitness                     LUMO                    US –San Francisco

22. Marija Butkovic                          @MarijaButkovic                 Umbrellas that sense weather Kisha Umbrella    Europe-Croatia-London

23. Áine Behan                                  @cortechs_ab                        Health – ADHD                          Cortechs                 Europe – Ireland

25. Ann Crady Weiss                        @anncradyweiss                    Health – Baby                           Hatch Baby            US –San Francisco