Stairwell Named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023

Stairwell, a continuous contextual threat analysis company, joins the ranks of OpenAI, Disney, Tiffany & Co., and more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 2, 2023 — Stairwell, a company that empowers security teams to outsmart any attacker, has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023.

This year’s list highlights the businesses at the forefront of their respective industries, paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow. These companies are setting the standard with some of the greatest accomplishments of the modern world. In addition to the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, 540 organizations are recognized across 54 sectors and regions.

“Today, organizations are facing increasing business risk from cyberattacks because attackers know their defense playbook,” said Mike Wiacek, CEO and Founder of Stairwell. “Stairwell is using a novel approach to cybersecurity to get ahead of these bad actors, and we’re thrilled Fast Company recognizes these results as one of their Most Innovative Companies.”

Stairwell’s appointment to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies comes on the heels of their recent $45 million Series B round, with participants including Section 32, Sequoia Capital, Accel and others.

Stairwell’s flagship product Inception, the world’s first continuous intelligence, detection, and response (CIDR) platform, eliminates blindspots in today’s security tooling by building research-grade detections and analyses on a new dataset — files. Stairwell’s unique ability to ingest, store, scan, and derive intelligence from all of an organization’s files in a dedicated cloud environment means attackers can’t use the same evasion techniques that they use with other security tooling.

With Inception, Stairwell’s research team became the first commercial organization to coordinate with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on an advisory against the Maui ransomware reportedly used by North Korean cyber actors. By openly advancing threat research, Stairwell can globally raise the security posture of every organization simultaneously.

Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the companies making the biggest strides around the globe. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides a firsthand look at the inspiring and innovative efforts of companies across all sectors of the economy.

“What a strange and thrilling year it has been to honor this year’s Most Innovative Companies. This year’s list compiles some of the most cutting-edge groundbreakers who are changing our world every single day, from legacy organizations like McDonald’s to upstarts like MrBeast and institutions such as NASA. Everyone on this list does something completely, uniquely different, yet, they all have one thing in common: innovation,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan.

Fast Company will host its third annual Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 19 and 20. The virtual summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an inside look at cutting-edge business trends and what it takes to innovate in 2023. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2023) is available online here, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 14. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About Stairwell 

Stairwell helps organizations take back the cybersecurity high ground with solutions that attackers can’t evade. Its Inception platform empowers security teams to outsmart any attacker by providing continuous contextual threat analysis, detection, and response. The Inception platform is used by a number of Fortune 500 companies. Stairwell is comprised of security industry leaders and engineers from Google and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Accel, and Gradient Ventures. For more information, visit www.stairwell.com or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.