Article
The AI 1000
The AI 1000 cuts through the hype to spotlight the engineers, scientists, and architects quietly shaping the future with code, not content.
The SMB 1000 · 2026 Edition
1,000 small companies that got a lot bigger, a lot faster
Meet the small and mid-sized businesses — all under 200 people — that grew the most this year. This is what their growth actually looks like, explained simply.
Same 1,000 companies, one year apart — the second row is a lot more crowded.
Think of it like a class photo taken every year. Most classes look about the same size, year after year. But once in a while, a class doubles in size almost overnight.
The SMB 1000 is that second photo. It's a list of 1,000 small and mid-sized businesses — every one of them under 200 employees — that grew the fastest in 2026. Not the biggest companies. Not the oldest. The ones adding people, opening doors, and spending real money to grow, right now.
Every company on this list is still small enough to call an "SMB" — but each one is scaling with the speed and confidence usually reserved for much bigger players.
Here's what's driving that growth, and what it looks like when you break it down.
Where the growth is coming from
Five industries show up again and again on this year's list. Here's each one, in plain language.
Tech & AI tools
Software teams building the AI copilots, automation, and fintech apps that other businesses now run on day to day.
Health & wellness
Telehealth visits, mental health apps, and wearable-connected coaching — care that fits into a phone, not just a clinic.
E-commerce & DTC brands
Online-first brands shipping directly to customers, spending on personalization instead of a big retail footprint.
Green energy
Solar installers, EV-charging companies, and sustainable-materials makers riding a real shift in demand.
Education & e-learning
AI-assisted tutoring and upskilling platforms scaling to meet a workforce that keeps needing new skills.
Three ways you can measure "growing fast"
Every company on the SMB 1000 shows growth in three places: how many people they hire, how many places they operate, and how much they spend to get noticed.
HEADCOUNT
~2×
the average company on the list roughly doubled its headcount this year.
LOCATIONS
New doors
most companies opened new locations this year, at home and abroad — the solid pins are new.
ADVERTISING SPEND
Climbing
these companies are spending more to get in front of customers, not just hiring quietly.
What the data is actually good for
A list like this isn't just a trophy shelf. Behind the 1,000 names is a real, detailed dataset — headcount, locations, and ad spend for every company — and that's where the useful part starts.
Spotting a trend early
See which industries are heating up before it's obvious to everyone else.
Finding who to invest in or partner with
Real growth signals point to companies worth a second look, not just a bigger logo.
A benchmark for other SMBs
A smaller business can compare its own growth against the pace this list sets.
A read on the wider economy
A thousand small companies growing at once says something about where the market is headed.
As these companies keep expanding and innovating, they're doing more than growing their own headcount — they're creating jobs and setting the pace for what "fast-growing" looks like in 2026.
Want to see the full list in action?
Get in touch and we'll set you up with a live demo — so you can explore the SMB 1000 data yourself, not just read about it.
No spam — just a quick, real look at the data.
