12 Publicly Traded Companies On Fast Company's 'Next Big Things In Tech' List

Real-world problem solvers are highlighted in the inaugural “Next Big Things In Tech” list by Fast Company. The list included 65 honorees from big companies to start-ups. The names on the list were picked by 14 editors and writers at the magazine.

“Technology is the backbone of every company today. For the first time, Fast Company is recognizing the tech breakthroughs that promise to define the future of industries, from healthcare to agriculture to artificial intelligence,” according to the magazine. 

Here are the publicly traded companies that made the list:

Mastercard: Financial services provider and credit card company Mastercard Inc MA made the list thanks to its “protecting payments from quantum computing attacks.” Mastercard’s enhanced contactless payments technology was highlighted in the feature, which said the company’s added layer of protection helps keep customers safe from attacks.

IBM: Technology giant International Business Machines IBM may not seem like it could be the next big thing in technology given its decades in the industry. Fast Company highlights how the company designed a 2-nanometer chip that can fit over 50 billion transistors in the space of a fingernail. The introduction could lead to longer battery life for smartphones and other features.

Li-Cycle: Battery recycler Li-Cycle Holdings Corp LICY went public via SPAC merger in 2021. The company was highlighted with the largest battery recycling facility in North America and a goal of keeping batteries out of landfills.

Desktop Metal: 3D printing company Desktop Metal Inc DM can help save trees with its wood printing technology, which earned it a spot on the list. Sawdust and wood scraps can be turned into new items like home goods and accent work.

General Motors: Automotive giant General Motors Co GM makes the list thanks to its focus on electric vehicles, specifically building a scalable battery. GM’s Ultium platform will allow for the same batteries to be used in various electric vehicle models, instead of creating a separate battery for each model.

Nuvve: Electric vehicle to grid technology company Nuvve Holding Corp NVVE could help turn school buses into batteries through its technology. School buses, which only use energy for a few hours a day, could provide additional energy to the grid and potentially provide a new revenue source for schools.

PepsiCo: Beverage giant PepsiCo PEP is highlighted for a partnership with Wint on water intelligence technology that could cut consumption of water at food and beverage plants. PepsiCo cut water consumption at one facility by 10% with the technology and is rolling it out to additional locations.

Related Link: Battery Recycler Li-Cycle Gets SPAC Merger Deal 

ADP: Payroll company Automatic Data Processing Inc ADP has new data that helps companies see how diverse they are based on information from a database of over 30 million workers. The DataCloud can help companies see the areas it needs to work on.

Microsoft: Making the list twice is Microsoft Corp MSFT thanks to several partnerships. The company partnered with InfernoRed on ElectionGuard to help create encrypted data on an open-source system for elections. The technology allows people to check if their ballot was cast while also keeping their results secret. ElectionGuard works with paper ballot scanners and electronic voting machines.

The company also makes the list thanks to a partnership with Adaptive Biotechnologies ADPT. The companies teamed up to create ImmuneCODE, which provides an open-source database of responses to COVID-19. The database could help provide data on how immune systems react to the virus after infections and vaccines.

Adobe: Technology company Adobe Inc ADBE uses machine learning to increase digital image resolution. This technology helps people and companies blow up photos by up to four times without lowering the quality.

Amazon: E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc AMZN makes the list thanks to its special effects. The company’s Nimble Studio, which is part of Amazon Web Services, eliminates the need to buy expensive hardware to create virtual effects for companies including movie production studios.