MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES 2020
Security
Social Media
- HackerOne
For pairing hackers
with banks, govern-
ments, and other
major companies to
test and fix security
- Immuta For put-
ting user data be-
hind privacy screens
- Jumbo Privacy
For adjusting inter-
net privacy settings
with one simple app
- Quantum
Xchange For ex-
tending the range of
its virtually uncrack-
able secure commu-
nication system
- BitSight
For developing tools
to help executives
evaluate the strength
of their digital secu-
rity compared with
their peers
6. Kount For using
AI to help merchants
detect fraudulent
purchases
7. Eclypsium For
fortifying firmware
8. ClearData
For helping health-
care organizations
locate and protect
their rec ords stored
in the cloud
9. Checkr
For making back-
ground checks for
clients like Uber
more sensitive to
new offenses—and
forgiving of old ones
10. BlackRidge
Technology
For figuring out
how to retrofit aging
equipment and
technology with
new security
- Cameo For creat-
ing the “famous
faces on demand”
platform, where fans
pay for personal vid-
eos from more than
30,000 celebrities
- Community
For giving notable
people like Kerry
Washington and
Jennifer Lopez the
ability to text their
fans—and receive
texts back
- Pinterest
For finding new
ways to convert
inspiration into
transactions
- Linktree
For making Insta-
gram’s “link in bio”
into a sleek menu for
sharing articles,
merch, or paid part-
nerships
- Loosid For con-
necting sober peo-
ple with each other
6. Flighthouse
For looping in
more than 2 billion
monthly views and
22 million fans to
its TikTok talk show
7. Holler
For powering
1 billion animated
conversation stickers
a day in iMessage,
Twitch, and more
8. MeWe
For building the
only social network
with no ads, no
targeting, and a pri-
vacy bill of rights
9. Revel For helping
women over 50
gather for friendship
10. JFK
Presidential
Library and
Museum For re-
creating the 50th
anniversary of the
Apollo 11 moon
landing on Twitch
Retail
Social Good
Robotics
- Shopify For em-
powering more than
1.4 million direct-to-
consumer brands—
and amplifying their
network effect
- CaaStle
For transforming
fashion labels
into rental services
- ThredUp
For amassing the
world’s largest
thrift store
- Warby Parker
For seeing beyond
frames and launch-
ing contact lenses
- GOAT For using
mobile to tap into
China’s burgeoning
sneakerhead culture
6. Etsy For offset-
ting 100% of carbon
emissions from prod-
uct shipping
7. T h e I n s i d e
For making custom-
ized furniture acces-
sible to all
8. Neighborhood
Goods For building
the department
store of the future
9. Faire
For connecting
craftspeople with
thousands of
Main Street shops
10. Food52
For creating a hit
cookware line by
codesigning with the
foodie community
- Zipline
For accelerating
the spread of
its medical delivery
drone network
- Vicarious
Surgical For giving
surgeons tiny
robotic assistants
- Sphero For join-
ing forces with little-
Bits to reimagine
STEAM education
- Simbe Robotics
For automating
the tedious—but
essential—task
of retail inventory
- Shield AI
For sending drones
into danger to keep
first responders safe
6. Roam Robotics
For building a
better knee
7. Mi c h i g a n
Engineering
Neurobionics Lab
For ushering in the
future of bionics with
its Open Source Leg
8. Intel For imbuing
mini bots with maxi-
mum brainpower
9. AMP Robotics
For teaching robots
to identify and sort
the recycling
10. Ubtech
Robotics For ad-
vancing the art of
the humanoid
service bot for retail
environments
- Omaze For incen-
tivizing giving
- WeTransfer
For liquidating
$30 million in medi-
cal debt
- Code for Amer-
ica For automating
marijuana posses-
sion expungement
paperwork
- Zero Mass Wa-
ter For pulling clean
water from the air
- Planned Par-
enthood For build-
ing a sex ed chatbot
- LunaPBC For
paying users for their
DNA in exchange for
conducting research
- DoNotPay For
beating $15 million in
parking ticket fines
- Nebia For going
with the (low) flow
- Sunday For
greening lawn care
- The Right to
Shower For funding
mobile wash stations
for the homeless
LUNAPBC
Instead of giving away your DNA, you can
have your DNA tested with LunaPBC, which
democratizes genetic testing and medical
research. If any of your data is to be used in a
commercial entity, you are granted shares in
the company.
ILLUSTRATION BY TOMASZ WOŹNIAKOWSKI MARCH/APRIL 2020
