Forbes has released its 50 Over 50: Innovation 2026 list, which includes 50 women over 50 who continue to make a significant impact in science, medicine, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, space exploration, industry and technology business. The rating was published on August 11, 2026 and is part of the broader Forbes 50 Over 50 project, which includes a total of 200 women in four categories — Innovation, Impact, Investment and Lifestyle.
At the same time, an important clarification: Forbes does not assign all 50 participants places from 1 to 50. On the main page of Innovation, surnames are arranged alphabetically. The exception was in fact the founder of the transport startup Zum Ritu Narayan, whom the company and entrepreneur itself calls the "#1 honoree" of the Innovation category and the face of the issue's cover. However, Forbes did not publish the full numbering of the remaining 49 positions.
Narayan, who grew up in India and built a career in Silicon Valley, founded Zum, a technology platform that is modernizing the US school bus system using artificial intelligence, GPS and electric transportation. Forbes values the startup at approximately $1.7 billion, and its revenue for 2025 will be $333 million. The 50 laureates also include Stanford professor Zhenan Bao, who works on electronic skin and wearable electronics; 2025 Nobel Prize laureate Mary Brankou; head of NASA science programs Nicola Fox; Dean of the MIT School of Engineering Paula Hammond; MIT professor and developer of wireless medical technologies Dina Katabi; the head of Takeda Julie Kim; astrophysicist and dean of the MIT School of Science Nergis Mavalvala; former head of Yahoo and founder of Dazzle AI Marissa Mayer; Head of HubSpot Yamini Rangan; Cummins CEO Jennifer Rumsey and many others.
Analysis Experts.News shows an interesting geography of the list. Forbes itself does not publish separate statistics by nationality, so it is more correct to talk about the countries of birth and origin of the participants. The USA definitely dominates this indicator: most of the Innovation-50 women were born and built their careers precisely in the American scientific and entrepreneurial environment.
Among the participants who were born outside the USA, several countries are most prominently represented at once. Serbia is represented by two natives - Vunyak-Novaković and Matarić. India - Ritu Narayan and Yamini Rangan. China — Zhenan Bao and Michelle Zhou. Morocco — Bahija Jallal and Vafaa Mamilli. Thus, Serbia is among the small group of countries that produced two Innovation-50 participants at once. Zhou's Chinese origin is confirmed by the Association for Computing Machinery, and Mamilli herself lists Casablanca as her birthplace; Roche notes that she has the citizenship of France, Morocco and the USA.
Pakistan, Syria, South Korea, Thailand, France, Great Britain and Israel, among others, have one participant each. For example, Nergis Mawalwala was born in Lahore in Pakistan, Dina Katabi in Damascus, Julie Kim in Seoul, Thai Lee in Thailand, Aude Oliva in France, Nicola Fox in Hitchin, England, Daphne Zohar in Israel.
At the same time, the main geographical conclusion of the list concerns not so much passports as the concentration of talent in the American innovation ecosystem. Even the majority of women who were born in Serbia, India, China, Pakistan, Syria, South Korea or France, today work in American universities and companies - MIT, Stanford, Columbia, USC, Berkeley, HubSpot, Cummins and other organizations. Four members of the list are associated only with MIT - Paula Hammond, Dina Katabi, Nergis Mavalvala and Aude Oliva.
It is noteworthy for the Ukrainian audience that there are no natives of Ukraine in the Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation 2026 category. However, the very structure of the list shows a model that is also relevant for Ukraine: a significant part of the most successful scientists and technological entrepreneurs are migrants or immigrants from other countries who implemented their developments after integration into large international universities, research centers and venture ecosystems. In this regard, the example of two natives of Belgrade is particularly indicative for the countries of Eastern Europe.
The full Innovation-50 includes Maya Ajmera, Lauren Antonoff, Katrina Armstrong, Zhenan Bao, Wendy Barnes, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Karen Blanks Ellis, Marsha Anderson Bomar, Christine Brown, Mary Brunkow, Jennifer Tour Chayes, Karen S. Carter, Margaret Dawson, Cindy Eckert, Karen Eng, Katie Farmer, Nicola Fox, Paula T. Hammond, Lisa Harris, Lisa Gelobter, Jacqueline Hinman, Colette D. Honorable, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Bahija Jallal, Sabrina Martucci Johnson, Dina Katabi, Julie Kim, Debra Laskin, Tessa Lau, Thai Lee, Emily Liman, Wafaa Mamilli, Christina Maslach, Maja Matarić, Nergis Mavalvala, Marissa Mayer, Vivienne Ming, Aude Oliva, Ritu Narayan, Yamini Rangan, Shubhi Rao, Jennifer Rumsey, Heather Shoemaker, Ellen Stofan, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Susie Wee, Beth Wozniak, Laura Yecies, Michelle Zhou and Daphne Zohar.
Thus, the Forbes 2026 list demonstrates two trends at once. The first is that innovative careers after the age of 50 increasingly last for decades and can lead to the greatest scientific and entrepreneurial achievements already after the traditional career peak. The second is that the United States remains the main center of attraction for such specialists, while using the talents of scientists and entrepreneurs born in dozens of other countries.
Primary source: Forbes — 2026 50 Over 50: Innovation
