Most Innovative Companies

Stéphane Bancel has been CEO of Moderna since 2011, but it’s almost as if he's led three different companies in the past five years.

First came the pandemic sprint: A biotech with no commercial products became a household name, manufacturing a billion vaccine doses in 2021 and generating roughly $18 billion in annual sales. Then, the descent. As demand for COVID shots collapsed, revenue fell roughly 90%, its stock price plunged, and Bancel had to cut thousands of jobs.

Now comes another turn. Positive results from a melanoma trial with Merck have sent Moderna's stock sharply higher over the past couple of months—and offered compelling evidence for the idea Bancel was pursuing before anyone had heard of COVID-19.

Moderna wasn’t built to make one vaccine. It was built around a platform: messenger RNA technology that could be adapted to fight cancer, infectious diseases, and potentially much more. The pandemic made that technology famous. An individualized cancer vaccine could reveal how much further it can go.

In this conversation, Bancel explains what it takes to lead through that whiplash, what he learned from the company’s COVID detour, and what still stands between a promising clinical result and a treatment available to patients.

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On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company senior editor Max Ufberg about how Ukraine became a hub for military AI development.

Then, Yaz talks to author, founder, and finance expert Vivian Tu, or Your Rich BFF, about her new finance app, “Ask Dolly.”

To read Max’s deep dive, go to fastcompany.com/91611099/inside-ukraines-secretive-tech-world-building-the-future-of-war

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news

These days, it seems like there’s an at-home test for every medical issue under the sun. Fast Company Senior Writer Ainsley Harris went on a healthmaxxing journey, trying a bunch of them to see if they could cure her dermatitis.

Then, Yaz Gagne interviews Gabe Bullard about his new book "Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease"

Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, and design.

Follow us on:
https://www.facebook.com/FastCompany/
https://twitter.com/FastCompany
https://www.instagram.com/fastcompany/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fast-company/

On today’s episode, cohosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen talk to Fast Company staff writer Grace Snelling about what it means to have a personal brand today and why it matters.

She talks with the founder and CEO of Vuori, Joe Kudla, about the brand’s fabric-first approach, the new direction of the brand, and partnerships with names like Jack Draper and Tom Holland.

To check out Grace’s reporting, go to: fastcompany.com/91582246/personal-brand-special-report-207-insights-ideas-grow-brand-career#Choose-your-AI-comfort-level

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news

On today’s episode, Yaz talks with Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff on stage at the Fast Company Innovation Festival about how to lead a company into its new act.

Then, Josh Christensen has a conversation with 800 Pound Gorilla founders Ian Adkins, Ryan Bitzer, and Damion Greiman about building a comedy powerhouse and creating their own streaming service.

For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to fastcompany.com/news