Artificial intelligence (AI) has quietly become the backbone of many businesses that investors rarely talk about. Most headlines focus on the obvious winners like chipmakers and the developers of large language models that form the backbone of this latest AI revolution, but some of the most interesting opportunities are showing up in companies using AI to solve very specific, real-world problems.
I've been digging into a few smaller companies that are doing exactly that. They're not building chatbots or competing with the big tech platforms. Instead, they're applying AI to areas like lending, healthcare administration, and physical security.
Here are three under-the-radar AI-driven companies that I think deserve a closer look.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Weave Communications
Weave Communications (WEAV 3.65%) sells software to dentists, optometrists, and specialty medical practices. Weave is the kind of small healthcare business that still manages scheduling by hand and answers phones with a front desk receptionist. Its platform handles calls, texts, email, scheduling, insurance verification, and payments from a single interface.
In 2025, revenue hit $239 million (up 17%), with $12.9 million in free cash flow. Weave serves over 39,000 healthcare locations and recently expanded its addressable market by $7 billion to $22 billion through new product launches.
NYSE: WEAV
Key Data Points
The catalyst for me is AI. Weave acquired TrueLark and is launching an omnichannel AI receptionist. This product answers patient calls, books appointments, and handles routine questions without human intervention.
Nothing frustrates me more than calling an office and being greeted by a robotic AI voice. It usually feels clunky and impersonal. But at the same time, it's hard to ignore how quickly AI is improving in customer service. The technology is getting smarter, more responsive, and far better at creating smooth user experiences.
Companies like Weave are right in the middle of that shift.
2. Evolv Technologies
Evolv Technologies (EVLV 3.36%) develops AI-powered weapons-detection systems. Walk through an Evolv Express sensor at a stadium or school, and it screens you in seconds -- no emptying pockets, no removing shoes. Machine learning differentiates a phone from a firearm, a belt buckle from a knife.
NASDAQ: EVLV
Key Data Points
In Q3 2025, revenue surged 57% to $42.9 million. The company raised its 2025 revenue guidance to $142 million to $145 million. With over 1,000 clients and 3 billion visitors processed, the AI keeps learning from every scan, building a data advantage no new entrant can replicate fast.
Physical security rarely makes tech investor watch lists. That's exactly why Evolv deserves to be on yours.
3. Pagaya Technologies
Pagaya (PGY 6.00%) doesn't originate loans or hold deposits. It sits between lending partners (think banks, auto dealers, and point-of-sale platforms) and institutional investors, using proprietary AI to underwrite consumers that traditional credit scoring rejects.
The company processes roughly $1 trillion in loan applications annually from more than 30 partners. That data feeds a flywheel: More applications improve the AI models, which produce better credit outcomes, which attract more lenders and capital.
NASDAQ: PGY
Key Data Points
In 2025, Pagaya posted $1.3 billion in revenue (up 26%) and $371 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA (up 76%), and it swung to $80 million in GAAP net income. For 2026, management guided for GAAP net income of $100 million to $150 million, roughly 50% growth at the midpoint.
The market still treats Pagaya like a subprime lender. I think it's a data infrastructure company in disguise.
