AI use cases for R&D, strategy & innovation | ITONICS Prism

Scout and rank startups in a specific industry

Written by Rossouw Nel | Oct 16, 2026, 7:56:28 AM

1. Describe the task

Startup scouting usually means searching news, LinkedIn, and funding trackers by hand, then tracking the shortlist in a spreadsheet. That list goes stale fast, since funding rounds close and companies change status in the meantime.

Hand the search and the first-pass rating to Prism. Name the topic, and it searches the signals pool and the web for startups working in that space, creates a company element for each, and rates them against the criteria configured on your company element type.

2. Give context

Required inputs

  • An element type with a Strategic Fit rating criterion configured.

3. What ITONICS AI creates

Top pick: ZeroAvia, hydrogen-electric propulsion mapped directly to the group's green hydrogen strategy.
Lowest fit: TCab Tech, limited by China-centric market access and geopolitical constraints on partnership.