Nissan, Burberry & Univision among the companies honored in the March 2011 issue and at FastCompany.com.
New York, February 16, 2011 — Fast Company‘s annual Most Innovative Companies issue honors major brands including Facebook, PepsiCo, and ESPN, along with such rising newcomers as DonorsChoose.org, Groupon, and SynCardia. Apple leads the annual ranking of the top 50 for dominating the business landscape in 101 ways.
Overall, Fast Company recognizes 350-plus companies, including more than 75 non-U.S. businesses. From Russia’s Yandex (No. 26) to Brazil’s Azul (No. 47) to South Korea’s Samsung (No. 43) to China’s Huawei (No. 18), Fast Company‘s Most Innovative Companies spans the globe.
In addition to the top 50, Fast Company presents updates on past honorees, including Disney, Hulu, and RealD. Fast Company also ranks the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 26 categories. The top 10 in fashion, biotech, music, design, and advertising are featured in the print edition; other categories will be rolled out on FastCompany.com over the coming weeks.
“Innovation has never been more important to our economy and our future,” said Fast Company editor Robert Safian. “These companies embody what unleashing human potential can accomplish.”
- Why Apple Is No. 1, page 69
It’s not just the iPad – it’s the platform for innovation that Apple has enabled. The proof: our selection of 100 Apple-affiliated achievers changing our life, our work, and our world. - Zynga: Activate the Dog, page 84, by Ellen McGirt
The only-in-Silicon-Valley tale of a CEO who grew up by playing games. - Photo Essay: Sweet Madécasse, page 118, photographs by Livia Corona
Building a bean-to-bar chocolate company in impoverished Madagascar. - Most Innovative Companies Alumni, page 18
Whose efforts at reinvention are paying off—and whose aren’t. - Top 10 By Industry, page 126
We rank the best and brightest across 26 categories, from energy to finance to media to sports
The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2011
| #1 Apple For dominating the business landscape, in 101 ways |
#26 Yandex For its prowess in search |
| #2 Twitter For five years of explosive growth that has redefined communication |
#27 Amazon For writing new plot twists for e-readers and beyond |
| #3 Facebook For 600 million users, despite Hollywood |
#28 Opening Ceremony For building a global brand that still feels exclusive |
| #4 Nissan For creating the Leaf, the first mass-market all-electric car |
#29 IBM For its computer that outsmarts quiz-show kings |
| #5 Groupon For reinvigorating retail – and turning down $6 billion |
#30 Amyris For using its biofuel expertise to save malaria victims |
| #6 Google For instantly upgrading the search experience |
#31 Double Negative For blowing our minds with Oscar-worthy visual effects |
| #7 Dawning Information Industry For building the world’s fastest supercomputer |
#32 Kaspersky Lab For turning hackers into an army of virus fighters |
| #8 Netflix For streaming itself into a $9 billion powerhouse (and crushing Blockbuster) |
#33 PepsiCo For its ambitious nutrition R&D |
| #9 Zynga For being the $500 million alpha dog of social gaming |
#34 Univision For pleasing its Latino base-and threatening the TV establishment |
| #10 Epocrates For giving doctors and nurses instant drug reference |
#35 SnØhetta For design that’s both social and beautiful |
| #11 Trader Joe’s For vaulting past Whole Foods to become America’s favorite speciality grocer |
#36 Marks & Spencer For aggressively pursuing a green supply chain |
| #12 ARM For efficiently powering the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, and nearly every other mobile device |
#37 Microsoft For turning the human body into a game controller |
| #13 Burberry For breathing new life into a luxury stronghold |
#38 SolarCity For being the nation’s leading installer of rooftop solar panels |
| #14 Kosaka Smelting and Refining For turning old cell phones into gold mines |
#39 Shaadi.com For proving that marriage, Indian-style, works online as well as off |
| #15 Foursquare For creating a new way to reward customer loyalty |
#40 Voxiva For encouraging good health via mobile apps |
| #16 ESPN For integrating new tech like a startup |
#41 Cisco For big thinking on big new markets |
| #17 Turner Sports For growing like a new tech startup |
#42 Enerkem For finding the hidden power of trash |
| #18 Huawei For building the future of telecoms |
#43 Samsung For transforming itself into a steady source of cutting-edge electronics |
| #19 Intel For its big bet on domestic manufacturing |
#44 Pandora For taking personalized music on the road |
| #20 SynCardia For giving artificial-heart recipients room to roam |
#45 GE For its green dreams for trains, planes, and automation |
| #21 DonorsChoose.org For connecting kids who need supplies to donors who want to help |
#46 Changchun Dacheng Industrial Group For turning corn husks into chemical building blocks |
| #22 eBay For transforming the mobile marketplace |
#47 Azul For converting bus riders into frequent fliers |
| #23 Nike For its mix of sports, style, and, yes, plastic bottles |
#48 Stamen Design For finding both art and science in data (and on Twitter) |
| #24 LinkedIn For turning 90 million members into the world’s most useful career database |
#49 FX Networks For a great run of high-quality, low-cost laffers |
| #25 Wieden+Kennedy For dominating the airwaves and the Internet with its Old Spice campaign |
#50 Madécasse For building a bean-to-bar chocolate company in one of the poorest countries in the world |
Fast Company‘s Most Innovative Companies March 2011 issue is on newsstands beginning February 22nd and available online at www.fastcompany.com/MIC.
Media Contact:
Jocelyn Hawkes
media@fastcompany.com
212-389-5420