Firstleaf Named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022

Firstleaf, America's most personalized wine company, joins the ranks of Canva, Microsoft, SpaceX, and more

NAPA VALLEY, Calif., March 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Firstleaf, the number one personalized wine company using over three million taste data points to produce and curate award-winning wine from around the world, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies in the data science category.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole—ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"Using deep learning, Firstleaf's AI platform leverages millions of calculations a day and provides our members with real-time personalization. Combined with our award-winning winemaking expertise, we're forever transforming the $70 billion wine market," said Philip James, co-founder & CEO of Firstleaf. "Being recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for our efforts is a true honor and we look forward to continuing our mission to change the way consumers engage with wine."

Firstleaf is a direct-to-consumer wine company that uses patented cutting-edge machine learning and vertically integrates the roles of winery, importer and retailer. The company's deep personalization assessment uses over three million taste data points per bottle of wine. Firstleaf then maps the data against a member's quiz and ongoing rating to produce and curate award-winning wine from around the world so that members can explore new bottles tailored to their taste.

With more than 150,000 active club members and more than 700,000 12-bottle cases sold last year, Firstleaf is the #1 trusted wine brand in consumer rankings. Its wines have won over 2,000 awards, including over 300 90+ point scores, and 92% of its wines are award-winning. In February 2022, Firstleaf was recognized as one of Wine Business Monthly's 50 Largest Wineries. This came on the heels of being named Wine Company of the Year in Winemaker Challenge International's 2021 wine competition, one of the only U.S. wine competitions judged exclusively by professional winemakers.

Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 26–27. The virtual, multiday summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About Firstleaf
America's most personalized wine company, Firstleaf uses millions of data points to produce and curate each shipment of award-winning wine from around the world so that members can explore new bottles and discover new favorites tailored to their taste. Founded by Philip James, a wine industry veteran and Oxford-educated chemist, the subscription service unites the art and science of wine. Firstleaf brings together proprietary technology, expert winemakers and a WSET-certified concierge team, to build a unique Wine Profile for each member and curate each shipment individually. With no preset packs or boxes, Firstleaf has over 82 million combinations of wines possible and 98% of its monthly boxes are unique. Named 2021 Wine Company of the Year in the Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition, Firstleaf's wines have won over 2,000 awards with more than 300 bottles scoring over 90 points. Its team of winemakers sample over 10,000 wines each year across 5 continents and 12 countries to select only the finest bottles. With a 96% approval rate of the world-class wines chosen for their 150,000 club members, Firstleaf's understanding of Old World practices and New World technology ensures the perfect selection for beginners to experts. For more information, please visit www.firstleaf.com.

About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

SOURCE Firstleaf