An expert named six stocks you shouldn't overlook—despite Anthropic's IPO

Investors are focusing on Anthropic’s anticipated IPO—the company could be valued at approximately $1.5 trillion. But there are six publicly traded companies that shouldn’t be overlooked, wrote investor and entrepreneur Rick Orford in an article for The Motley Fool. All of these companies have a chance to double their market capitalization by early 2028, with two of them having the highest potential, he believes.

Redwire, a developer of space and defense technologies, is one of two companies that, according to Orford, have a chance to double their market capitalization by 2028. It currently stands at $2.14 billion, and to reach the $4.3 billion mark, the company will need to convert its $542.1 million order backlog into steady revenue growth, the author writes. At the end of the second quarter, this figure for Redwire increased by 89.6% to a record $117.1 million. Orford also notes that, according to second-quarter data, the spacecraft manufacturer has approximately $557 million in cash and cash equivalents, which provides it with a cash reserve of more than eight years at the current rate of cash burn. At the same time, he highlights the risks associated with fulfilling existing contracts and the further dilution of current shareholders’ stakes as operating activities are financed.

SoundHound AI, a developer of AI-powered voice assistants with a market capitalization of $2 billion, is the second contender to double in value, according to Orford. To achieve this, the company needs to attract more corporate clients, he notes. In the second quarter, SoundHound AI’s revenue grew by 45% to a record $61.9 million, driven by major deals in the corporate AI sector involving its OASYS platform. Orford advises investors to monitor how quickly the signed contracts translate into revenue and points out: although the company’s $202.8 million in cash should last for more than 1.5 years, financing its operations still carries a significant risk of diluting shareholders’ equity.

Shares of the quantum computing company D-Wave, with a market capitalization of $4.6 billion, are among the riskiest investments, as the adoption of quantum computing is still in its early stages, according to a Motley Fool author. For D-Wave’s market capitalization to double, the technology must become commercially viable, and that may take longer than the 14 months remaining until 2028, Orford writes.

He believes that revenue from recurring cloud access payments is an important metric for D-Wave: at the end of the second quarter, it rose by 50% to $1.9 million. In addition, $40.7 million in contracted revenue has not yet been recognized, he notes. As of June 30, 2026, D-Wave had $546.2 million in cash and liquid securities—enough to last nearly four years—but there is still a risk of dilution of shareholders’ equity, the article states.

IonQ shares, with a market capitalization of $13 billion, are among the riskiest investments—just like D-Wave shares—for the same reason: the early stage of quantum computing’s development, according to an article by The Motley Fool. For the company’s value to double, investors will need confidence in the commercial viability of its technology, Orford notes. He therefore advises investors to monitor how the company converts its $485 million in contract obligations into revenue. At the end of the second quarter, this figure rose 287% to a record $80.1 million. In addition, IonQ has about $2.1 billion in cash and short-term investments—enough to last roughly four years, the investor writes. However, he warns of the risk of capital dilution: the company has announced plans to raise $2 billion through the issuance of shares and warrants.

Archer, with a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, is developing a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxi. Its path to doubling its value depends on obtaining type certificates for its electric aircraft, launching production, and commercially launching the business, writes the author of The Motley Fool. The company itself plans to begin flights in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and, to that end, has secured a master lease agreement for Hawthorne Airport, located near the city.

Among the risks, Orford cites the risk of capital erosion and a slower-than-expected adoption of machines in commercial practice.

For the telecommunications company AST SpaceMobile, with a market capitalization of $15.9 billion, to double its value, it needs to achieve two goals: deploy a satellite network and generate revenue from agreements with telecom operators. The risks that it will fail to do so by 2028 are significant, the investor writes. As of the end of June, the company had $2.3 billion in cash and cash equivalents, but that will last for about a year—a smaller cushion than that of the other five companies on the list, Orford calculated. And since building a satellite network requires significant funding, the risk of dilution of shareholders’ stakes is a serious concern, he believes.