MOST
INNOVATIVE
COMPANIES
Innovation
All- stars
Busboy Productions Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s production house had another banner year.
These companies, featured on
our 2008 and 2009 honor rolls,
fought a dour economy with
renewed creativity and bold initiatives. (Alas, not all fared well.)
Affymetrix
The life-science tech firm endured
brutal Wall Street beatings despite
healthy revenue. Its latest machine
processes more than 750 genetic
samples a week and mimics digital-media programs like i Tunes, letting
researchers create custom “
playlists” of genetic markers for testing.
AKQA
How could the digital-marketing
firm diversify its clientele—
including Kraft, Gap, Fiat, and Unilever—
even more? By adding the U.S. Postal
Service and the New York City Ballet.
And give AKQA credit for coming up
with one of the few augmented-reality apps that has actually
proved useful: the USPS’s Virtual Box
Simulator, which helps customers
figure which size box is best.
several projects in China, including
its Olympic work (the Water Cube
aquatics center, the Bird’s Nest
stadium) and the China Central TV
headquarters. Last summer, Arup
also joined Bill Clinton’s climate
initiative and set up free workshops
to help cities develop custom
carbon-reduction programs. But
the recession hit the firm hard,
forcing it to lay off more than
300 workers in Britain.
Anomaly
In 2009, the meta ad firm beat
incumbent Fallon Worldwide in a
head-to-head pitch for Sony
Europe’s $80 million advertising
account and launched an IP venture
for You Tube’s Lauren Luke.
AirAsia
The Sepang,
Malaysia–based
airline now flies
to 19 countries on
three continents.
AirAsia
The low-cost Malaysian carrier’s
long-haul unit, AirAsia X, began
flying to Europe (London Stansted)
and the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) in
2009. It signaled plans to add U.S.
service with its surprising sponsor-ship of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
Aravind Eye Care System
India’s revolutionary network of
not-for-profit hospitals and vision
centers introduced a laser for
treating diabetic retinopathy that
costs half the price of existing
models. It also handled more than
2. 7 million outpatient visits and
performed 300,000-plus surgeries.
Arup
First, the good news: Over the past
year, the storied engineering outfit
shared in the awards earned by
Ausra
The company abruptly abandoned
plans to build solar-thermal power
plants. Its new idea: to sell its
solar steam-boiler technology to
other energy companies. Within a
few months, Ausra 2.0 had already
struck deals with buyers in Jordan,
Australia, and the United States.
Autodesk
The design-software company’s
profits fell sharply in 2009, prompting it to shave 10% of its workforce.
But it still managed to roll out new
products, including a prototyping
program that speeds up the design
process for mechanical engineers.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images (Stewart); Kevin Maskell/Alamy (AirAsia);
courtesy of Herman Miller (chair)
