Toast (NYSE: TOST), the digital technology platform built for hospitality, is proud to have been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026. This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 720 honorees across 59 sectors and regions.

“Innovation at Toast has always been focused on making the lives of our customers easier. Being named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies validates our focus on building technology that helps simplify the complexities of running a restaurant,” said Aman Narang, CEO of Toast. “By turning billions of data points with the launch of Toast IQ into conversational, actionable insights, we are giving restaurateurs the tools they need to help streamline their operations and focus on what they do best—serving their guests and their communities.”

Over the past year, Toast has expanded its suite of restaurant tools through the launch and expansion of Toast IQ, a conversational AI assistant purpose-built for the hospitality industry. Toast IQ acts as an "intelligent right hand" for operators, moving beyond simple data reporting to provide proactive, actionable insights. Whether identifying top-performing menu items, flagging labor cost variances, or anticipating local market trends that could impact staffing, Toast IQ empowers restaurateurs to make smarter decisions at the speed of conversation.

Beyond surfacing insights with Toast IQ, Toast’s latest innovations focus on "human-boosting" technology and products that automate complex workflows. Operators can now execute critical tasks—such as 86ing menu items across all channels, adjusting employee shift clock-outs, or launching AI-driven marketing campaigns— with simple commands. This seamless integration of AI into daily workflows has seen rapid adoption, with over half of Toast’s locations collectively utilizing these intelligent tools within months of launch.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To determine honorees, Fast Company’s editors and writers review companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is about spotlighting organizations that don’t just adapt to change—they drive it,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The companies we honor this year are redefining what leadership looks like in 2026, pairing bold ideas with measurable impact and turning breakthrough innovation into real-world value. They are setting the pace for their industries and offering a blueprint for what sustained innovation can achieve.”

The full list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies honorees can now be found at fastcompany.com. It will also be available on newsstands beginning March 31, 2026.

About Toast

Toast [NYSE: TOST] is a cloud-based, all-in-one digital technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community. Toast provides a single platform of software as a service (SaaS) products and financial technology solutions that give restaurants everything they need to run their business across point of sale, operations, digital ordering and delivery, marketing and loyalty, and team management. By serving as the restaurant operating system across dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels, Toast helps restaurants streamline operations, increase revenue, and deliver amazing guest experiences. For more information, visit www.toasttab.com.

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 fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.

TOST-CORP

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324216373/en/