Joining other honorees such as Anthropic, Chipotle, American Express, and many others
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fast Company today announced its eighth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, recognizing businesses that are creating cultures where innovation can thrive at every level. Marketri earned a spot as a finalist in the Small and Mighty Companies: Fewer Than 50 Employees category for building an internal AI system that lets its team of fewer than 50 employees operate with the output and client capacity of a much larger company.
The 2026 Best Workplaces for Innovators list recognizes 100 companies across industries such as entertainment, biotech, consumer packaged goods, marketing, education, and healthcare. To be considered, applicants detailed their investment in innovation, internal programs, and company culture. Fast Company's editors evaluated each application and conducted extensive research to develop a score for each company. A distinguished panel of judges then reviewed the top-rated companies to determine the final honorees.
"AI is advancing at a pace that makes it impossible to treat as a side feature," said Debra Andrews, founder and CEO of Marketri. "We didn't want it to just make our team faster at the same tasks. We wanted it to change what the work actually was, so our people could spend their time on strategy and client relationships. That's the shift this recognition is about."
The honor caps a year of evolution for the firm. At its core, Marketri rebuilt itself as a technology-enabled B2B growth firm, building an internal AI system that changes how the marketing team works while keeping the people behind that work in place. A master AI orchestrator assigns tasks to specialized agents handling content, research, data analysis and campaign execution, then hands the output back to the team at built-in checkpoints. Those checkpoints are where the human judgment lives, catching quality issues and adding the strategic thinking AI can't do. The system was built to find that balance, letting AI handle the work it's best at while keeping people in charge of the work that needs their input.
The results have been measurable: compressed campaign timelines and a jump in client capacity per employee from about three to a four- or five-to-one ratio, without burning out the team.
"The most innovative workplaces don't simply ask their employees to come up with great ideas; they create the conditions that make great ideas possible," says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "This year's honorees understand that innovation is ultimately a cultural commitment that requires empowering people to think differently, take risks, and turn ideas into actions. We're proud to recognize the companies and executives who are leading by example."
The full list of honorees is available at https://www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/list.
The Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (Fall 2026) is available online now and will hit newsstands on September 22.
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.
About Marketri
Founded in 2004, Marketri is a technology-enabled B2B growth firm that helps mid-market companies build marketing and business development functions that rival their largest competitors. Through B2B marketing consulting, fractional marketing teams, and AI consulting — with generative AI woven into every engagement — Marketri has spent 22 years evolving its tools while keeping one thing constant: proactive, responsive professionals who understand their clients' businesses and deliver. Learn more at marketri.com.
Media Contact
Pilar Lewis, Marketri, 1 4044019755, [email protected], https://marketri.com/
SOURCE Marketri
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