Malta is an island hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. The last ten years have cemented its place for tech-driven business: A strong iGaming sector, fintech ecosystem and growing AI and blockchain sector, it’s not wonder the sunny isles are seeing a number of rising stars in the entrepreneurial scene. 

Ahead of the EU-Startups Summit hosted in Valletta in April 2025, EU Startups listed some of the companies making waves. Who'sWho picked five startups worth keeping tabs on. 

1. Game development 

BigKarma

• Founded: 2020
• Funding raised: €52,000

Based in San Gwann, Big Karma creates intellectual properties for a diverse portfolio: Lifestyle brands, spanning games, entertainment, toys, apparel, and other innovative merchandise. It is behind Phenoms: Gotta Coach ‘Em All, the first video gam featuring action heroes who leverage their disabilities to win, championing representation in gaming for one billion people with disabilities worldwide. 

2. Betting 

GreenRun

• Founded 2020
• Funding: €4 million

Also located in San Gwann, GreenRun builds top-notch technology products, sports content, and develops real-world experiences in the sports and betting industry for better fan engagement.

3. AI

UMNAI

• Founded 2019
• Funding raised: over €3 million 

UMNAI is headquarters in Ta’ Xbiex, and works on the advancement of Artificial Intelligence with its Hybrid Intelligence (HI) Framework.  Designed to make AI more transparent, ethical, and accessible, the company combines human reasoning with machine learning to ensure explainability, auditability, and real-time oversight in AI-driven decision-making. The company works across industries such as finance, healthcare, and environmental management, providing solutions for fraud detection, risk assessment, compliance, and bias mitigation. UMNIA looks to set new standards for AI ethics. 

4. Compliance

BINDERR

• Founded in 2020
• Funding raised: €6 million 

Nearby in Sliema, Binderr provides compliance and client onboarding software for regulated companies. It streamlines compliance with global regulations with identity verification, AML screening, and risk assessments, covering in 180+ countries and AI-powered verification tools.

5. Payments

Paytently 

Founded: 2022 

Funding raised: €2 million

Also in Sliema, Paytently offers a payment orchestration platform to simplify and secure all digital transactions. Through a single API, the platform enables businesses to route payments to acquiring banks or over 200 alternative payment methods, supported by AI-powered fraud detection and intelligent routing to optimise success rates and reduce costs. It works across industries like  iGaming, Paytently’s solutions include card processing, recurring payments, and chargeback mitigation. 

Source: EU-Startups