EVERFI, Inc., the leading social impact education innovator, today announced that it has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2020.
The list honors businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today’s fast-changing world. This year’s Most Innovative Companies list features businesses from 39 countries.
“It is an honor to be recognized by Fast Company for EVERFI’s commitment to developing the most innovative critical skills education required to be successful and empowered in the 21st century,” said Tom Davidson, Founder and CEO, EVERFI. “Preparing learners to navigate the opportunities and challenges of today’s ever-changing society requires a new kind of curriculum – one that is digital-first, learner-centered, culturally appropriate, and truly holistic. This recognition is a testament to our community engagement technology platform and the team we have built, all dedicated to taking on some of our most pressing challenges to build a better society for all.”
Founded in 2008, EVERFI’s mission is to leverage technology in building scalable and innovative educational solutions that empower people and transform communities. EVERFI works with Fortune 1000 companies, professional sports leagues, K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and communities worldwide to deploy educational programs that create sustained social impact for learners every day. The company’s courses tackle a wide variety of popular and relevant societal topics including social-emotional learning, mental wellness, prescription drug addiction, financial literacy, workplace conduct, STEM, and career readiness, among many other topics. All of EVERFI’s programs are tied to measurable learning outcomes and knowledge gains.
With a deep focus on providing students – especially those from low- to moderate-income areas – with an education beyond the traditional curriculum, EVERFI launched two new courses for the 2018-19 academic year focused on social-emotional learning. The Compassion Project, for students in grades two to four, and Mental Wellness Basics, for students in grades eight to 10.
Developed in cooperation with LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner’s non-profit, The Compassion Project is dedicated to providing compassion education to elementary school students across the U.S. through a curriculum focused on fundamental social-emotional learning skills building. Lessons are uniquely designed to provide students with a foundational understanding of concepts such as empathy and compassion, identifying emotions, performing acts of kindness, and practicing mindfulness and growth mindset. The standards-based curriculum was informed by the latest research on social-emotional learning and input from dozens of prominent subject-matter experts.
With one in six U.S. youth (aged six to 17) experiencing a mental health disorder each year, Mental Wellness Basics aims to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to build, maintain, and promote positive mental health. The curriculum was informed by leading experts and researchers on youth mental health. Mental Wellness Basics provides students with the opportunity to explore their own mental health, identify challenges that they may face, and develop concrete strategies for managing those challenges while increasing their awareness of resources and empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and language necessary to identify and support a peer who may be struggling.
The launch of courses in these topic areas is significant because, with so much emphasis placed on traditional academic areas, skills like compassion and empathy often receive minimal or no formal classroom time. Yet, when it comes to the skills that really matter in the workplace, employers are more likely to point to these “soft skills” as the ones they look for when hiring.
The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.
Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses on the planet and across a myriad of industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.
“At a time of increasing global volatility, this year’s list showcases the resilience and optimism of businesses across the world. These companies are applying creativity to solve challenges within their industries and far beyond,” said Fast Company senior editor Amy Farley, who oversaw the issue with deputy editor David Lidsky.
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2020) is now available online at fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 17, 2020. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.
EVERFI is an international technology company driving social change through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to prescription drug safety to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) community engagement platform and has reached more than 30 million learners globally. EVERFI powers community engagement in a sustained manner to empower individuals and organizations to make an impact within their communities. The Company also convenes Networks to bring together financial institutions, colleges and universities, and some of the largest corporations to leverage insights and connections to drive impact. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Advance Publications, Rethink Education and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.
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. Since 2011, Fast Company has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for “Magazine of the Year,” Adweek’s Hot List for “Hottest Business Publication,” and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.