Fast Company Announces 50 Most Innovative Companies

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company today announced its annual ranking of the world's 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2016, honoring leading enterprises and rising newcomers that exemplify the best in nimble business and impactful innovation. Earning the No. 1 spot on the list this year is the "envy of the media world," Buzzfeed. Recognized for a culture "that embraces constant change yet remains devoted to data-driven metrics," this is Buzzfeed's first time ranking on the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies list since 2013. Six companies have the distinction of being recognized on both the 2015 and 2016 lists —Warby Parker, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Slack, Netflix, and Facebook (Instagram).

Among the first-time honorees for 2016 are popular consumer brands Taco Bell and Hasbro; large corporations CVS Health and Bristol-Myers Squibb; rising newcomers Shyp and Robinhood; creative retail upstarts Everlane, Shopify, and Farfetch; global healthcare companies Novocure and Noora Health; entertainment leaders Sixteen String Jack Productions and Universal Studios; and mission-driven organizations Sama Group, Black Lives Matter, and Social Capital.

Returning honorees include Airbnb, Spotify, GE, Fitbit, Uber, and Huawei.

Most Innovative Companies is one of Fast Company's most significant and highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To produce the 2016 list, the magazine's editors spent a full year gathering and analyzing data on companies around the globe. For the first time, Fast Company enlisted machine intelligence to help inform the list: Quid, a San Francisco-based startup, used its software to create topographical maps of innovation across more than 40 sectors of the economy. "This year's package—which includes top ten lists in 27 sectors—emphasizes the breadth of companies with progressive, agile business models, cultures of creativity, and ability to adapt in today's fast-paced world," said Fast Company editor Robert Safian.

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March 2016) is now available online at http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies as well as in app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning February 23rd.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, one of the U.S.'s leading media companies.

SOURCE Fast Company