Interbrand’s “Breakthrough Brands” include….

A digital commerce disruptor, a streetwear brand and Asia's largest metaverse platform are among 12 emerging brands disrupting the global marketplace.

That’s according to design consultancy Interbrand’s annual “Breakthrough Brands” report, which named 12 companies it described as being on track to become the next generation of legacy brands.  

 “This year's analysis of brands represents what's happening in society and culture today,” said Daniel Binns, global chief growth officer and CEO, Interbrand New York. “Most industries are becoming crowded with a multitude of brands providing similar things. Brands making bold moves to stand out have the best chance of being successful."

Here are Interbrand’s top 12 “Breakthrough Brands.” 

•Betterhalf: The world’s fastest-growing matrimony app, Betterhalf was founded in India in 2019. It allows urban professionals in India to find their perfect partner (as opposed to being matched up by their parents.)

Betterhalf connects users through advanced AI algorithms and uses extensive verification, including corporate emails. In addition to matchmaking, the app offers wedding and event planning services.

•BILT: Founded in 2020, BILT is the first credit card that helps its holders earn points on rent.  It operates as both a loyalty program and co-branded credit card (with Wells Fargo) and enables tenants to earn points through roughly 2 million rental properties within the Bilt Rewards Alliance.

•Cake: The Swedish company makes street-legal and off-road electric bikes for adults and kids (the kids’ model goes no faster than 25 mph).  The bikes feature   keyless, app-enabled controls and colorful designs.

Cake, which has opened stores across Europe, debuted its first U.S. store in 2022, in Los Angeles. It recently opened a location in New York City, in the Seaport district of Manhattan. Cake stores function both as showrooms and test centers, and also as full-service centers and event spaces. 

•Eight Sleep: The San Francisco-based mattress brand, which went to market in 2018, offers a luxury, high-tech “sleep pod” that promises to give the user the temperature-regulated, noise-free, blackout sleep of their life. 

•Fishwife: Founded in 2020, the LA-based brand sells canned fish— a developing trend —  in chic packaging, with offerings that include smoked trout, salmon, and anchovies sourced from responsibly managed farms and fisheries. The female-led company has brought a pantry staple to life “with a bold visual expression that sets it apart,” noted Interbrand.

•KidSuper: Founded in 2018, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based creative studio is known for its unconventional approach to both design and marketing.  It recently launched a collaboration with Louis Vuitton.  According to Vogue Business, the business is building a 10,000-sq.-ft. retail space and “creative center” in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood

Interbrand views KidSuper’s style — described as a “manic collision of influences” — as the design language of digital natives and a source of inspiration for brands targeting Gen Z.

•HIPIHI: One of the top-selling premium electric vehicle brand in China, it has perks that include voice-activated at home charging, customizable LED messages on the side paneling and sleek, touch-free doors. The parent company, Human Horizons, plans to launch the brand in Europe later this year.

•Obsess: The virtual reality platform, which is helping to build the shopping metaverse, powers the virtual storefronts of over 200 brands, ranging from Prada and  Ralph Lauren to Johnson & Johnson, enabling highly interactive customer worlds. 

Obsess was founded in 2016 by Neha Singh, who previously led engineering teams at Google and Vogue

•Neko Health: The Swedish clinic, brainchild of Spotify founders,  is looking to lead the future of preventative care.  Its AI-powered body scanner promises to evaluate a patient’s cardiovascular and skin health — finding issues invisible to the naked eye — in 15 minutes.  . Full-body scans with blood tests retail for just under $200. 

•Open AI: Founded in 2016 in San Francisco, the research group launched ChatGPT in late 2022, which has become a brand in its own right, according to Interbrand. The chat box which is sold as an API to business, has “forever changed how people learn and search for information.”

•Sila: The battery materials company, went to market in 2021, has started large-scale production of its proprietary nano-composite silicon anode — a powder that makes lithium-ion batteries more energy-dense.  The result is better range in electric vehicles, better battery life in cell phones and more effective uses of energy as decarbonization gains traction, explained Interbrand. 

•Zepeto: Founded in 2018 in South Korea, the avatar-based social network has grown into Asia’s largest metaverse platform. Users can explore infinite virtual worlds, many of which are branded. An internal arm, Zepeto Studio, works with brands such as L’Oréal, Nike, and Bulgari to offer digital items users can buy and trade. 
The full report can be downloaded here  https://interbrand.com/new-york/breakthrough-brands/.