Fast Company Names Code and Theory One of the World’s Most Innovative Companies

Code and Theory, part of Stagwell, has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025, twice. The only technology and creative network with a balance of 50% creative and 50% engineers, Code and Theory partners with its clients to redefine what is possible to create lasting impact and drive long-term growth.

Code and Theory was honoured within both Fast Company’s Design and Teamwork categories. Fast Company created the special Teamwork list this year to honour the most innovative companies that demonstrated a high degree of collaboration in developing new products, ideas and strategies, either by bringing together internal teams or partnering with outside organisations to realise their innovations. Code and Theory was recognised for its partnership with The Minnesota Star Tribune for transforming the news experience.

This recognition places Code and Theory among industry giants like Waymo, Nvidia, Duolingo — companies that are driving innovation, redefining industry standards and reaching remarkable milestones.

Code and Theory is reshaping industries, including finance, publishing, sports and government, setting new standards for innovation. In 2024 alone, the network’s creative work drove bold, measurable results for its clients. For example, Code and Theory:

- Amid widespread misinformation, cyber threats and political polarization, Code and Theory rebuilt NBC's Big Board from the ground up, ensuring it delivered meticulously verified, real-time election data and transformed complex statistics into clear, engaging narratives. The Big Board (and on-air data analyst Steve Kornacki) propelled MSNBC to its most viewers in network history surpassing rival CNN. See the case study.

- Transformed the NFL app from a static tool into a dynamic, fan-first experience that reflects the league’s energy and boldness. The relaunched app drives over 5 million weekly users, and fans streamed more than 2.3 billion minutes worth of games last year (that's more than 10x the Netflix catalog). Explore the case study.

- In less than six months, Code and Theory delivered a comprehensive transformation for the Minnesota Star Tribune: a modern digital experience that's more accessible for younger readers, created new premium opportunities for advertisers, and leveraged best-in-class technology to build the system so it can all flex for the future. Less than 24 hours after launch, The Minnesota Star Tribune hit 32% of its monthly subscriber goal. Read all about it here.

- Built, designed and launched YETI's newest brand experience, Plan Your Wildest Year Yet. This interactive platform empowers adventure seekers everywhere to generate their very own custom calendar of global outdoor events to kick off 2025 right. The 28% "Add to Calendar" rate was 25% over the industry benchmark for campaign website engagement and made for hundreds of thousands of events added, proving YETI tapped into real outdoor demand. See the award-winning work.

Code and Theory continues to drive impact with the launch of its new Enterprise Experience Transformation (EXT) practice. Debuting at Adobe Summit today, this strategic initiative will solve a critically overlooked market challenge: the siloed consulting ecosystem, leaving businesses dangerously unprepared for AI disruption. Adriana Rubio, who built the world’s largest Adobe practice during her tenure at Accenture,joined Code and Theory as managing director of the EXT practice earlier this month.

Code and Theory co-founder and executive chairman Dan Gardner said, “Being recognized for our teamwork with the Minnesota Star Tribune is a particular honour. We’ve built Code and Theory around talent with different skill sets from Deloitte to Cosmopolitan to the White House. Our leaders thrive at bringing our clients' entire C-suite together. This is the secret to our innovative culture, which is obsessively focused on solving for tomorrow’s opportunities.”

Code and Theory was named Ad Age’s B2B Agency of the Yearlast week and has also been named Digiday’s Most Innovative Company among other honours.

Code and Theory CEO Michael Treff said, “Innovation isn’t just about the big ideas. It’s about executing them in ways that drive measurable impact. Our ability to merge design and technology has delivered tangible outcomes for our clients, helping them solve complex challenges and achieve long-term growth. By always focusing on the customer experience first, we can unlock innovation that drives business results.”

Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan said, “Our list of the Most Innovative Companies offers both a comprehensive look at innovation today and a playbook for the future. This year, we recognise 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.”