Candidly Named a 2025 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum

The company’s selection for its AI-driven financial technology places it among the top 100 pioneering startups addressing the world’s most urgent challenges

Candidly, the market’s only AI-driven student debt and savings optimization platform, today announced it has been selected as a World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 Technology Pioneer, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Candidly will now join this prestigious community of companies from around the world that are shaping the future through breakthrough technologies and innovations.

Candidly addresses the profound global challenge of student loan debt and workforce financial wellness. In the United States alone, there are 43 million people whose economic mobility is constrained by the financial burden created by student loans. With its innovative AI-powered platform, Candidly reimagines how borrowers manage and overcome educational loans. Deployed primarily as an employee benefit, the company has generated over $2 billion in total student debt impact on behalf of the American workforce.

"We are honored to be recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, an acknowledgment that reinforces our conviction that AI will fundamentally transform how we solve humanity's most pressing financial challenges," said Laurel Taylor, Founder and CEO of Candidly. "I'm energized to collaborate with this prestigious community of mission-driven innovators who share our vision: that breakthrough technology, deployed with purpose and urgency, can liberate people worldwide from financial barriers that constrain potential and economic mobility as we've already demonstrated with over $2 billion in student debt impact. This impact has a positive ripple effect not only on the individual but society as a whole.”

The World Economic Forum hosts the annual Davos Forum, where business leaders, politicians, and journalists gather to discuss critical global issues. Each year, the WEF selects 100 leading startups from around the world as Technology Pioneers. In addition to financial wellness and workforce education, this year’s startups address issues ranging from climate resilience and ethical AI to equitable access to healthcare and sustainable supply chains. Many of the companies this year are using AI to reach great scale.

More information on this year’s Technology Pioneers can be found here.

This latest recognition follows Candidly's recent win of the FinTech Breakthrough Awards for “Best Student Loan Management Platform.”

About Candidly

Candidly is an AI-driven student debt and savings optimization platform that addresses the full lifecycle of education expenses and empowers people to make simultaneous progress on paying down student debt and building wealth. Candidly partners with leading employers, financial institutions, and retirement services providers to embed its experience anywhere a user works, banks, or experiences financial services. Candidly is backed by leading venture capital and strategic investors including Aflac Ventures, Altos Ventures, Breton Capital, Cercano Management, Fiserv, Impact Engine, Rethink Impact, Salesforce Ventures, UBS, and Unum. For more information, visit www.getcandidly.com.

About the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).

About WEF Technology Pioneers

Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneers community marks its 25th anniversary in 2025 as a leading platform for early-stage companies from around the world that are shaping the future through breakthrough technologies and innovations. These companies are selected for their potential to have a significant impact on business and society and are invited to engage with public and private sector leaders through the World Economic Forum’s global platform.

The Technology Pioneers community is part of the Innovator Communities within the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Innovator Communities convene the world's leading global start-ups across different growth stages from early-stage Technology Pioneers to growth-stage Global Innovators and unicorn companies valued at more than $1 billion.

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"...breakthrough technology, deployed with purpose and urgency, can liberate people worldwide from financial barriers that constrain potential and economic mobility..."