Fast Company has produced Most Innovative Companies since 2008. The program started with a single list of The World’s 50 Most Innovative companies; in 2009, Top 10 lists chronicling innovation in 12 specific industry sectors were added. Today, the program includes 54 categories, which encompass both industry sectors and geographic regions. Most Innovative Companies was early in honoring such disruptive companies as Hulu, Tencent, Shopify, Spotify, Alibaba, and many more.

Most Innovative Companies is judged by more than three dozen editors and writers, who leverage their expertise to assess the innovations—and the impact of those efforts—of thousands of companies. The process takes place virtually year-round, but the most active judging period lasts several months and includes evaluating applicants as well as performing independent reporting on businesses making an impact in their industry or region. Fast Company’s editorial team considers the financial results of innovative initiatives, the ripple effect of a given innovation across an industry or the broader culture, and its positive societal impact. (Editors also take into account the negative potential of an innovation on workers, the environment, or the broader fabric of society.) Innovations, or their impact, must take place in the year being judged.