
Action Against Hunger Honored by Fast Company as One of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2025
Action Against Hunger, a nonprofit leader creating a future where every life is well nourished, today was named to Fast Company's prestigious list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2025, honored alongside corporate leaders such as Waymo and Nvidia. The list celebrates organizations that are driving innovations that are setting new standards in their sectors. Action Against Hunger was recognized as one of the top ten most innovative nonprofits globally.
'We are honored that Action Against Hunger is being recognized by Fast Company for our 45 year track record of innovation, and the game-changing work we are doing today, from predicting hunger hotspots to creating more efficient and effective approaches to screening children for malnutrition,' said Dr. Charles E. Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger. 'The world produces enough food for everyone, so chronic hunger isn't just an issue of food. If we invest in improving the way global systems work, we can deliver on the promise of zero hunger for all.'
Fast Company recognized Action Against Hunger's pioneering approaches to:
In a typical year, Action Against Hunger conducts more than 30 research initiatives across more than 25 countries. While many of these efforts are at risk due to U.S. government cuts to its budget for international aid, the nonprofit is actively exploring ways to sustain both its lifesaving work — every 15 seconds, a child dies because of hunger's effects, because there isn't enough funding for treatment — as well as its award-winning innovation efforts.
Action Against Hunger invented the first formula to treat malnourished children, screens thousands of children for malnutrition every day, and delivers life-saving treatment that is 90% effective. It also conducts groundbreaking research to promote even greater impact and efficiency, and scales what works globally. The organization harnesses data to predict potential hunger emergencies and prevents hunger by helping farmers grow more resilient crops, providing access to clean water, and engaging local communities to co-create programs that improve livelihoods, successfully advocate for new policies, and strengthen health systems.
'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. 'At a time when the world is rapidly shifting, these companies are charting the way forward.'
The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's hallmark and one of its most anticipated annual editorial efforts. To determine honorees, Fast Company's editors and writers review organizations 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 NGOs to some of the most valuable companies in the world.
'By honoring Action Against Hunger alongside other leaders, Fast Company also is spotlighting hunger as one of the most pressing issues of our time—and an area where innovation can make a meaningful difference,' Dr. Owubah said. 'We are inspired by the people we serve and have seen them overcome unthinkable challenges – with the right support. But conflict, climate change and budget cuts mean that hunger is once again on the rise. Today, nearly one in three people worry about where their next meal is coming from. Hunger is a crisis. Yet, by investing in innovation, it is a crisis we can solve.'
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 25.
Fast Company will host the Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala for honorees on June 5. The summit features a day of inspiring content, followed by a creative black-tie gala including networking, a seated dinner, and an honoree presentation.
# # #
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.
The organization innovates to prevent malnutrition and respond to hunger hotspots, working in 59 countries and reaching more than 21 million people each year. Together, Action Against Hunger promotes resilience and working to end hunger for everyone, for good.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Waymo vehicles set on fire in downtown L.A, as protesters, police clash
As Los Angeles police struggled with another day of unrest in downtown L.A., several Waymo autonomous taxis were set on fire, sending black smoke billowing into the air. The dramatic images were captured during an afternoon of clashes between large groups who were protesting immigration raids by the Trump administration and L.A. police who were trying to maintain order. For some time, protesters blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway before California Highway Patrol officers slowly pushed them back. Police advised residents to avoid the the 101 Freeway through downtown L.A. Images of the Waymo cars on fire on Los Angeles Street were broadcast nationally as Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the immigration debate. Tires were slashed, windows smashed, and anti-ICE messages spray-painted over the cars, which were parked in a row. Protesters swarmed around the vehicles, tearing the doors off and stomping on the windshields. One man with a mask over his face smashed car windows with a skateboard. Another appeared to use a makeshift flamethrower to set the interior of a car ablaze. Around 5:30 p.m., some people were seen throwing Lime electric scooters into the burning cars, while others stood back. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the vehicle blazes while the Los Angeles Police Department warned people to stay away from the area. "Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," said the LAPD in a statement. Waymo's fleet of electric, self-driving taxis has become a familiar sight on L.A. roads. A spokesperson for Waymo told The Times the company was in touch with law enforcement regarding the incident. After launching in San Francisco and Phoenix, Waymo began serving Los Angeles in November. It attracted an initial wait list of around 300,000 people before becoming available to anyone who downloaded the service's app, a company spokesperson said in January. As of January, Waymo had already driven 1.9 million miles in Los Angeles. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


CNBC
14 hours ago
- CNBC
Pixar exec who worked for Steve Jobs: Apple co-founder had one skill that made him great—and one habit to avoid
Steve Jobs knew he wasn't an expert in filmmaking — even after funding a spinout of animation studio Pixar, which was originally division of production company Lucasfilm, in 1986. Jobs was "pretty amazing at saying, 'this is not my business,'" chief creative officer at Pixar, Pete Docter, said at Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Gala and Summit on Thursday. Jobs' attitude was "I'm not going to come in here and direct this movie or tell you what to do," Docter said. As a 35-year employee of the company, Docter got to witness the Apple co-founder operate up close. Here's one leadership strength Docter noticed in Jobs — and one habit he hopes never to adopt himself. One skill Jobs had was being able to distill a conversation down to its essence and deliver the core idea succinctly. "He could walk into rooms where he knew nothing about what was going on," Docter said, "sit for about five minutes and analyze what the conversation was really about." And that made it easier for Jobs to help employees solve problems. "I think that came from years of practicing," said Docter. "That it's not something anyone's really born with." It's a skill he's tried to improve himself. One thing Jobs wasn't great at, said Docter, was respecting people's personal time. "He would call — especially the producers — at any time, day or night, 3 in the morning, you're on vacation, doesn't matter," Docter said. "He wants to talk to you about it, you're on." Docter assumes this habit came from Jobs' passion for what he was doing. Still, it's not a practice he wants to employ. In his capacity as a leader at Pixar, he's trying not to call people at all hours of the night but "I still email people" outside of business hours, he said. "I guess that's what my wife's trying to get me to stop doing," he said.


Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Tested: Tesla Model Y Juniper As Robotaxi
Here's some breaking news: the 2026 Tesla Model Y 'Juniper' with Full Self Driving is a robotaxi. Maybe Tesla can't call it that but that's what it is. And Waymo may have met its match. I had the 2026 Model Y for the 48-hour test drive (which Tesla just began offering) this past week in Los Angeles. The new Model Y, which hit Tesla stores in February, comes with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version 13.2.9. But the fact that it's supervised didn't stop me from using it, in practice, unsupervised as a robotaxi, i.e., going door to door without intervention. As background, I've tested the Juniper Model Y FSD now three times: two test drives when it arrived at Tesla stores in March-April and now a 48-hour test drive. On most excursions it has gotten me door to door without intervention (see video below). That is, I just punch in the destination address and let the Model Y drive. I'm a passenger – not unlike Waymo, which I've also used many times in the Beverly Hills-West Hollywood area (more on Waymo comparison in video). Here's the short version. The new Model Y Juniper with version 13 of FSD is pretty damn close to a Tesla robotaxi and Waymo. Yes, I had to occasionally intervene but many trips in the vehicle are intervention-free = robotaxi. And, yes, it makes mistakes but so does Waymo. No FSD errors on the Model Y Juniper with v13.2.9 I've experienced have been dangerous or egregious. Mostly things like driving too slowly or taking a convoluted route to my destination (the latter is a mistake Waymo also makes). The Model Y with FSD version 13 is a vast improvement over the Model 3 I tested about a year ago. As just two examples, the Model Y took me from my home to a Supercharger location about 10 miles away intervention-free. I did nothing but sit there and witness the drive. At the end of the return trip, it took a route that I would not have chosen to take. But human taxi drivers do that too. It also took me to a Starbucks about 8 miles away intervention-free. That trip too was very similar, if not exactly the same as, what I've experienced in a Waymo Jaguar I-PACE in downtown Los Angeles. The only thing that I've found annoying is occasional speed limitations. On some short stretches of road near my home it slows to 25 mph and won't go faster unless I intervene. Tesla FSD is often compared unfavorably to Google's Waymo. That may have been true in the past. But not anymore. I use Waymo a lot in Los Angeles, as I said above. Though Waymo is amazing, it also makes mistakes. But its biggest shortcoming is its range limitations, i.e., geofencing (see this map). Los Angeles is a very big place and most of LA county is off limits to Waymo. Tesla's FSD doesn't have that problem. That is both a boon and a bane for Tesla – the latter because it's a huge challenge. But I see Tesla meeting the challenge in most cases. I will give Waymo this. In the geofenced area I use (Century City / Beverly Hills / West Hollywood) it is more refined and more confident than Tesla FSD. In some cases, more adept at avoiding and getting around obstacles. But Tesla is almost there. And, again, Tesla FSD has a huge advantage in that it is not limited to small restricted areas. I've spent a lot of time testing General Motors Super Cruise. As well as Ford's Bluecruise and Rivian's Highway Assist. Super Cruise does what it says it does. It very competently takes over the driving duties on the highway. But it ain't Tesla FSD. It won't do local roads. It's not a robotaxi. And that's the bottom line. FSD is not foolproof or flawless. And a Bloomberg story this week makes that clear. In that case, an older version of FSD was blinded by the sun, resulting in fatalities. And I've been in a Tesla when FSD missed seeing a community gate, which, without intervention, would have resulted in an accident. That was in a previous version of FSD. But it doesn't mean it can't happen again. That said, GM's SuperCruise, based on my experience, also makes the rare risky mistake. As do other ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) from other EV manufacturers that I've tested. Over the past year, I've tested ADAS on EVs from General Motors (Super Cruise), Rivian (Highway Assist), Ford (Bluecruise), and Tesla. My take is that the benefits of an ADAS outweigh the risks. In 2024, there were 39,345 US traffic fatalities. Needless to say, practically all involved human drivers. And that increasingly means distracted drivers using their smart device. Unlike humans, an ADAS does not get distracted. The larger picture is that, on balance, a Tesla with FSD – and any reputable ADAS for that matter – makes the roads safer. As long as the driver is paying attention and can take over when the ADAS fails. The latter unfortunately is a big if because some drivers see it as an invitation to text or nap. So, what about a robotaxi where there is no driver to intervene? As stated above, of course there's risk. But there is a much bigger risk with the average car driven by the average distracted human. With the explosion of personal devices, more and more people are distracted while they drive as they engage in things like texting – and even web browsing – while driving. I see people staring down at their devices while driving every day in Los Angeles. Those people are much more dangerous than any ADAS-controlled car. And those people would benefit greatly from an ADAS. The upshot is, an ADAS, such as Tesla FSD and robotaxi, does not get distracted and is laser-focused on the road. Humans often are not.