The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2015

Who doesn’t love a good list? Don’t miss Fast Company’s March cover story, The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, which ranks and profiles the “gutsiest, smartest, most interesting and forward-thinking businesses on the planet right now.” Spoiler alert: Apple comes in at No. 2, “for making magic with minutiae.” Taking the top spot is Warby Parker, so honored for the way the founders’ were able to transform a “niche Web shop” into “the hottest thing in offline retail.” So what if they only sell eyeglasses and sunglasses. Their secret weapon, writes Max Chafkin, is “fanatical focus on brand and execution.” Read his full writeup here.

The Fast Company article also recognizes the brilliance of Houzz, pointing out its three-pronged approach to monetizing its massive user base: by selling premium listing spots to design pros; accepting ads only from home and decor brands and taking a 15% commission from e-commerce. “Houzz is so strong because its revenue streams grew out of customer demand,” Danielle Sacks points out in her piece about this ‘one-stop design shop’. Other companies listed include HBO, Virgin America, Instagram (“For its beautiful relationship with the fashion industry”) Slack (“for slaying interoffice email”) and Google —for making the hit laptop nobody saw coming.

In a sporting sidebar, the magazine lets you test your knowledge of these innovators with two quizzes, 10 Companies Every Entrepreneur Should Know and, fittingly, 10 More Companies Every Entrepreneur Should Know. How well will you score?