This story is part of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators 2022. Explore the full list of companies that are leading incubators of internal innovation talent.
Whether through company-wide festivals or educational stipends, these companies invest in internal innovation while producing products and services that can power creativity across customer enterprises as well.
Winner:
Demandbase
San Francisco, California
The marketing software company invests about 20% of annual revenue back into research and development and has introduced a level of personalization to its core products that greatly enhance the ability of customers to improve collaboration among their own internal teams.
Finalists:
Arist
San Francisco, California
The education company creates bite-size career surveys, but encouragement of learning isn’t limited to its clientele: Employees are offered $50 a month to use on anything that may strengthen their own education journeys.
Ascendum Solutions
Cincinnati, Ohio
The IT firm’s “Freedom to Innovate” program resulted in the creation of PayTile, a simple way to conduct financial transactions that the company markets as “Airdrop for money.”
MainStreet
San Jose, California
A startup formed to assist small businesses, MainStreet’s once internal “MainStreet Procurement” tool is now offered publicly to help small businesses discover where they can cut back on wasteful spending.
Supply Wisdom
New York, New York
The risk intelligence agency joined with other sector leaders in founding the “Risk Board,” which has allowed for a cross-industry exchange of risk assessment information, benefiting multiple business spaces.
Workiva
Ames, Iowa
In 2021, the global software-as-a-service company expanded its annual company-wide innovation event from one week to two, collaborating on more than 50 new ideas.
