Two firms with strong ties to the 401(k) market have been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025, released this week.
New York City-based Capitalize, which bills itself as the industry’s first platform for digital retirement account transfers, and Human Interest, a San Francisco-based firm focused on the underserved small- to medium-sized business segment, were among 2025 list of Most Innovative Companies, which Fast Company says includes 609 organizations across 58 categories that are reshaping industries and culture.
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 offers both a comprehensive look at innovation today and a playbook for the future,” said Fast Company Editor-in-Chief Brendan Vaughan. “This year, we recognize companies that are harnessing AI in deep and meaningful ways, brands that are turning customers into superfans by overdelivering for them, and challengers that are introducing bold ideas and vital competition to their industries. At a time when the world is rapidly shifting, these companies are charting the way forward.”
The wider classifications are in addition to Fast Company’s overall Top 50 list, made up of companies “making what once seemed impossible a reality.” The No. 1 company on the exclusive Top 50 list for 2025 is Waymo, which has taken robotaxis out of the realm of science fiction and put them to work on city streets. Robinhood was the only U.S.-based finance company to make the Top 50 at No. 16 “for helping Sherwood Forest help itself,” Fast Company writes.
Capitalize No. 3 in North America
Capitalize earned the third spot on the “North America” list of most innovative companies “For helping Americans prepare for retirement by making it easy to consolidate their old savings accounts,” Fast Company writes.
Here’s an excerpt from the article (hyperlink added):
Changing jobs is a part of life. So is retirement. But while making a life switch, millions of Americans have left behind trillions of dollars in their 401(k)s. Launched in 2020, Capitalize is a first-of-its-kind platform to help Americans digitally find and consolidate their old retirement accounts across different workplaces. The company estimates that Americans have forgotten about or left behind nearly $1.65 trillion in assets between 29.2 million 401(k) accounts. Individual savers may be missing out on several hundred thousand dollars as they leave behind these 401(k)s.
The article goes on to note that the process for rolling over 401(k)s used to be paper-based—out of touch with modern consumers who hope to perform financial-based tasks online. Capitalize created a platform that helps link separate 401(k) accounts and makes it easier to digitally roll them over, rather than rely on the antiquated paper-based process.
“We’re humbled to be on this list alongside some amazing innovators,” said Gaurav Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Capitalize, in a March 18 press release. “The words ‘retirement savings’ and ‘innovation’ don’t always go together, but we’re energized by the opportunity to help more Americans take control of their retirement assets through our platform.”
Capitalize is the first platform to help consumers and financial institutions digitally locate and transfer retirement assets. Capitalize’s technology is used by leading financial institutions to power rollovers natively for their users and is also available to consumers directly. Capitalize’s rollover technology powers billions of dollars in retirement account transfers and has helped well over a hundred thousand Americans better save for retirement by ensuring they can easily find, transfer, and keep track of their retirement assets.
In 2024, Fast Company writes that Capitalize “supercharged its growth” by launching its Embedded Rollover API, which allows financial institutions to seamlessly integrate its software into their own. Capitalize’s financial partners, meanwhile, are able to grow their assets. In 2024 Capitalize signed big partnerships with industry giants including Robinhood, Betterment, and Schwab.
Human Interest No. 4 in Finance, Personal Finance
“For small businesses, Human Interest radically simplifies the process of offering retirement benefits to employees,” Fast Company writes in naming the company No. 4 on its 2025 list of the 15 most innovative companies in finance and personal finance.
Key accomplishments at Human Interest that earned this distinction include surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue thanks to 70% YoY revenue growth and being the fastest-growing 401(k) provider in the U.S., winning 25% of all new 401(k)s (an assertion the company makes, based on its internal analysis of the growing adoption of 401(k) plans particularly among small businesses and its integration with more than 500 payroll providers).
“Our inclusion on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list is recognition of the success and impact we are having in helping over a million workers retire,” said Rakesh Mahajan, Chief Revenue Officer at Human Interest. “This recognition is a testament to the numerous innovations we continue to deliver to our customers including being the only 401(k) to offer a cashback program to help employees save and our Customer Experience Guarantee that promises a fantastic experience for our customer base of well over 30,000 customers.”
Here’s an excerpt from Fast Company’s profile of Human Interest (hyperlink added):
Employees of large organizations have long expected to be granted retirement benefits like a 401(k) or 403(b). But employees of small- and medium-size businesses have had no such guarantee. Enter Human Interest, a San Francisco-based startup founded in 2015 that is focused on this underserved segment of the market. The company took a huge leap in 2024 with the introduction of Fast Track, a fully digitally experience that makes it possible for SMB owners to sign up for a retirement plan package in as little as five minutes. The startup makes that speed possible through the integrations it built with more than 500 payroll providers, automating one of the most tedious aspects of 401(k) setup.
The Fast Company profile notes that more than 5,000 companies with under $5 million in revenue have already established retirement benefits for their employees with Fast Track, including fellow startups, franchises, nonprofits, and restaurants.
On March 1, Human Interest launched the aforementioned “first-ever 401(k) Customer Experience Guarantee” for plan sponsors and plan participants, with a number of ambitious commitments.
SEE ALSO:
• Capitalize and Public to Offer 401(k) Rollover Solution
• First-Ever ‘401(k) Customer Experience Guarantee’ Starts March 1 from Human Interest
Veteran financial services industry journalist Brian Anderson joined 401(k) Specialist as Managing Editor in January 2019. He has led editorial content for a variety of well-known properties including Insurance Forums, Life Insurance Selling, National Underwriter Life & Health, and Senior Market Advisor. He has always maintained a focus on providing readers with timely, useful information intended to help them build their business.
