Date:

November 19, 2021

Next Big Things in Tech 2021

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.

Some of the world’s most intriguing innovations are so new that their full impact is yet to be felt. This is what we’re highlighting in the inaugural edition of Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech. The 65 honorees on our list, which includes global giants as well as intrepid startups, often harness research that’s fresh from the labs, applying cutting-edge tech to solve real-world problems in unexpected ways.

Our winners, which were selected by a team of 14 Fast Company writers and editors, cover a lot of ground, from financial tech to robotics to sustainability. There’s an affordable tractor that drives itself and uses sensors to improve crop yields. The first at-home COVID-19 test that uses CRISPR technology to deliver results that are both rapid and reliable. A dashboard that helps companies gain new insights into their diversity, equity, and inclusion progress based on hard data. A technology for keeping payments safe from quantum computing attacks that could instantly crack current encryption standards. And a streaming platform that turned a billion people watching a live BTS concert into a community. Other honorees take on equally ambitious challenges—and are poised to improve our lives at home, at work, and beyond.

These products, services, and technological breakthroughs may not all be on the market yet, but they’re real, and they’re reaching important milestones along the way toward availability. Their potential for the future is what excited us the most as we assessed candidates for this list.

MONEY

Anchorage Digital

FOR SOLVING CRYPTO'S CUSTODY PROBLEM

Grabango

FOR LETTING ESTABLISHED STORES DITCH CHECKOUT LINES

Mastercard

FOR PROTECTING PAYMENTS FROM QUANTUM COMPUTING ATTACKS

Orum

FOR MOVING MONEY INSTANTLY

Zest AI

FOR MAKING CONSUMER LENDING LESS RACIST

SMART MACHINES

Azumo

FOR BUILDING SCREENS THAT STAND UP TO SUNLIGHT

Diamond Foundry

FOR CREATING A MATERIAL THAT CAN OUTPERFORM SILICON

GelSight

FOR HELPING ROBOTS DEVELOP A NEW SENSE

IBM

FOR GIVING MOORE’S LAW NEW LIFE

Lightmatter

FOR MAKING AI FASTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE

Monarch

FOR AUTOMATING FARMS WHILE PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

MTEK

FOR BRINGING NEW EFFICIENCY TO FACTORY FLOORS

Rapid Robotics

FOR TEACHING ROBOTS TO DO EVERYDAY WORK

Relativity Space

FOR 3D PRINTING ROCKETS IN MERE DAYS

SambaNova

FOR LETTING COMPANIES TRAIN AI MODELS IN THE CLOUD

Skylo

FOR SENDING THE INTERNET OF THINGS TO SPACE

Tactile Mobility

FOR ALLOWING VEHICLES TO FEEL THE ROAD BENEATH THEM

SUSTAINABILITY

Anuvia

FOR PRODUCING FERTILIZER FROM FOOD WASTE

Automotus

FOR HELPING CITIES UNDERSTAND—AND MONETIZE—VEHICLE TRAFFIC

Bowery Farming

FOR DESIGNING AN OPERATING SYSTEM FOR CROPS

Desktop Metal

FOR SAVING TREES THROUGH 3D PRINTING

Farther Farms

FOR FIGHTING FOOD WASTE WITH CO2

Form Energy

FOR CREATING THE BATTERY OF TOMORROW

GAF

FOR CLEANING UP OUR ROOFS

FOR CREATING A PRACTICAL—AND SCALABLE—ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY

Li-Cycle

FOR KEEPING BATTERIES OUT OF LANDFILLS

MagniX

FOR ELECTRIFYING SHORT FLIGHTS

MycoWorks

FOR REPLACING LEATHER WITH MUSHROOMS

Nuvve

FOR TURNING SCHOOL BUSES INTO BATTERIES

PepsiCo and Wint

FOR GETTING SMART ABOUT WATER CONSUMPTION

Sama and Orbisk

FOR USING AI TO REDUCE RESTAURANT FOOD WASTE

Turntide

FOR REDESIGNING MOTORS TO RUN MORE CLEANLY

Upside Foods

FOR MAKING CELL-GROWN MEAT A REALITY

AI & DATA

ADP

FOR TURNING DATA INTO NEW DEI INSIGHTS

Arkose Labs

FOR FOILING BOTH HUMAN FRAUDSTERS AND BOTS

Beyond Identity

FOR FINDING A WAY AROUND PESKY PASSWORDS

Keyavi

FOR GIVING DATA A MIND OF ITS OWN

Microsoft and InfernoRed

FOR SECURING THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

NeuTigers

FOR CUTTING AI DOWN TO SIZE

PwC

FOR NIPPING AI BIAS IN THE BUD

Spherex

FOR MAKING TV AND MOVIES MORE CULTURE-AWARE

HEALTH

Biospectal

FOR MEASURING BLOOD PRESSURE THROUGH SMARTPHONES

Brightseed

FOR MAPPING PLANTS’ CHEMICAL DIVERSITY AND USING IT FOR MEDICINE

Caption Health

FOR ADDING INTELLIGENCE TO ULTRASOUNDS

ClosedLoop AI

FOR GIVING DOCTORS NEW INSIGHT INTO HEALTH OUTCOMES

Microsoft and Adaptive Biotech

FOR USING DATA TO CREATE A TEST FOR PAST COVID-19 INFECTION

Outset Medical

FOR MAKING DIALYSIS LESS OF A BURDEN

Sherlock Biosciences

FOR APPLYING CRISPR'S POWER TO COVID-19 TESTING

Synchron

FOR GETTING PEOPLE WITH PARALYSIS ONLINE

Tivic Health

FOR REDUCING SINUS PAIN THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

TruTag

FOR PREVENTING PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY-CHAIN FRAUD

EXPERIENCES

Adobe

FOR PERFORMING MAGIC WITH MEGAPIXELS

Amazon

FOR DEMOCRATIZING SPECIAL EFFECTS

Arcturus

FOR RAISING THE VOLUME ON VOLUMETRIC VIDEOS

Around

FOR MAKING TRULY HYBRID MEETINGS POSSIBLE

Audio Design Desk

FOR SIMPLIFYING SOUND DESIGN

DressX

FOR OUTFITTING INFLUENCERS WITHOUT THE WASTE

Envisics

FOR STREAMLINING DISTRACTING CAR DISPLAYS

Hour One

FOR PUTTING VIRTUAL PEOPLE TO WORK

Kiswe

FOR CONNECTING FANS TO LIVE EVENTS

Leica Geosystems

FOR MINIATURIZING THE LASER SCANNER

Neurable

FOR KEEPING TABS ON OUR BRAINS' NEEDS

Pathway

FOR BRINGING WHITEBOARDS INTO THE VIRTUAL ERA

Taqtile

FOR USING AR TO MANAGE INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

Tilt Five

FOR GIVING TABLE GAMES A NEW AR TWIST

Related Insights

Spherex Classification Tool Now Approved for Home Entertainment Content in Australia

Spherex

Regulation

Classification

The Albanese Government has updated the Spherex Classification Tool approval to include ratings for theatrical releases, home entertainment, and streaming content in Australia. Spherex was previously approved to classify online films.

The update underscores the Australian Classification Board’s confidence in Spherex as a tool to help Australian viewers make informed choices about the content they consume. This means Australians can now access a range of new films sooner than they might across all formats and windows.

Spherex has a longstanding relationship with the Australian Classification Board. Since 2020, Spherex has collaborated closely with the Australian Government to ensure its technology reliably generates classification decisions that meet Australian standards and viewers' expectations.

As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

Discover how Spherex's cutting-edge AI-based platform can streamline your content classification process and enhance your market reach while reducing costs.

Visit spherex.com today and see how we can support your content distribution needs.

Read Now

nScreenNoise - Interview Spherex: Avoiding the cultural dead zone

Spherex

Culture

One of the conundrums of streaming is that although a service can deliver content globally, it is not guaranteed to be acceptable in a particular local market. Netflix found this out when it announced global availability in 2016 at CES and was quickly banned in markets like Indonesia, where some of the content was deemed too violent or sexual. In 2016, without boots on the ground in a local market, it wasn’t easy to assess whether a show or movie would be culturally acceptable.

Today, global media companies are acutely aware of the importance of their content’s cultural fit. Moreover, they have a company like Spherex to help them prepare their content to ensure it fits with any country of interest. I interviewed Teresa Phillips, the Co-Founder and CEO of Spherex, at the recent OTT.X Summit in Los Angeles. She explained how the company is leveraging AI and its massive cultural profiling database to help companies prepare content for target markets. She also explained how, in the near future, AI would aid the company in measuring a movie or show’s cultural distance from a regional market and help it avoid falling into the failure zone between cultural fit and novelty interest.

Listen to the full interview here.

Read Now

Spherex Featured in the DPP's IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report

Spherex

Industry

Spherex was featured in the DPP’s IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report, a comprehensive look at how the M&E industry is meeting key customer demands. The report focuses on the topics of empowering creators, understanding audiences, engaging users, and innovating the newsroom. It also highlights many of the technical innovations seen at the recent IBC Show.

An article by Spherex’s CEO Teresa Phillips titled "Navigating Cultural Resonance in Global Media: The Art and Science of Culture Mixing" was featured in the report, exploring how Spherex is pioneering the future of culturally informed content.

Teresa shares how cultural mixing has become a critical strategy for creating content that appeals to diverse audiences in today's global media landscape. This phenomenon involves blending elements from different cultures to craft films and television shows that resonate globally while adhering to local regulations.

However, the process of culture mixing is fraught with risks. Superficial or stereotypical representations can lead to accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity, alienating audiences and damaging a company's reputation. For example, imposing Western concepts on Eastern content without proper context can feel inauthentic and jarring to local viewers. These missteps highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of cultural elements to ensure that content is respectful and engaging.

To address these challenges, M&E companies are increasingly turning to data-driven solutions. Platforms like SpherexAI utilize artificial intelligence to analyze visual, audio, and textual elements, providing insights into how well content aligns with cultural and regulatory standards across over 200 countries and territories. This approach helps media companies understand the "cultural distance" between a title's origin and its target market, enabling them to make informed decisions about global distribution.

By leveraging these advanced tools, M&E companies can go beyond traditional content localization. They can create media that actively engages and resonates with diverse audiences. As the industry continues to evolve, those companies that embrace culturally informed, data-driven approaches will be better positioned to succeed, fostering cross-cultural understanding and trust while delivering globally appealing content.

Download the report here.

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