The book industry had a banner year in 2021 thanks, in large part, to TikTok. In a niche corner of the app, #BookTok—a community of TikTokers who review books and give recommendations—has blown up since the start of the pandemic. While users are treated to a bountiful number of new reads, authors of those books have seen an increase in sales and appearances on the New York Times Best Seller list years after release. According to NPD Bookscan, the publishing industry sold approximat
The pandemic doled out hard lessons for the healthcare industry. Among the challenges that needed to be reckoned with was the extent to which primary care is undervalued, as well as the inaccessibility of both primary and specialty care outside of metropolitan areas. This year’s Fast Company list of the most innovative health companies is recognizing the organizations—from well-known multinationals to scrappy, inventive startups—that made real progress in keeping the country
After a year consumed by vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, innovation in the pharmaceutical industry was a little more mundane this year—in a good way. Diseases that have had burdensome treatments or worse, no treatment, finally got addressed. At the same time, companies are beginning to redefine what it means to be medicine. Software is starting to treat physical ailments just like pills do. And yes, companies continued to find ways to help prevent COVID-19. All of the pharmaceutical
This story is part of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2022. Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping their businesses, industries, and the broader culture. When Naomi Allen, CEO of Brightline, was leading growth at Livongo—a telehealth company focused on managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, as well as related depression and anxiety—her son started showing signs of autism. As she was scaling innovative mental health care for adu
This story is part of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2022. Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping their businesses, industries, and the broader culture. America’s hold on global pop culture is over. There’s no greater evidence than the K-pop juggernaut BTS, whose seven members descended on Los Angeles last November for the biggest live music event of the year: a series of sold-out, 50,000-person concerts at SoFi Stadium. The group is no stranger t
Today, just about every company uses data science to improve their businesses and products. But the most innovative ones are harnessing data to drive their industries forward—and develop solutions to some of the most pressing social, scientific, and technical problems. Unlocking the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, these businesses have found new applications for data and are making strides across industries. This year’s list of the most innovati
Innovation in space continues to soar as investment pours into the sector. In the decade leading into 2021, $178 billion in investment flowed into the space economy. Last year, that number hit $14.5 billion for space infrastructure companies. Beyond the flashy space tourism voyages sending billionaires and other rich people into space are advances in rockets and launch systems; Earth observation, which has a wide variety of applications for businesses and society; small satellites for next-gener
Our most innovative security companies of 2022 run the gamut from helping consumers control access to their data to protecting marketers from unintentionally paying to show ads to bots. What most have in common is using software, including artificial intelligence, to help humans make the most informed decisions possible about managing security risks. That’s because while some security breaches do arise from sophisticated hackers harnessing previously unknown flaws in software, many also i
Games have historically been an underrated corner of business and the culture—but no longer. People are flocking into game worlds for immersive entertainment and social connection, and celebrities and brands are following them. A concert in a video game such as Epic Games’ Fortnite or Roblox was a novelty two years ago; now virtual spaces within games are a tour stop for the biggest stars such as Ariana Grande and Lil Nas X. Non-fungible tokens were an obscure aspect of crypto cult
Technology continues to revolutionize sports, whether experienced on the field or viewed from the couch, and innovations from these ten companies are altering playing fields from little leagues to the majors. Fanatics entered the trading card business with a deal that for the first time offers a piece of the action to the leagues and to players’ unions. Surfline released a new wave forecasting engine that uses AI and machine learning to assess data from more than 800 HD cameras around the