2009-09-17 00:08:01 -
Twenty companies have been recognized by Forbes in its inaugural ranking of “America’s Most Promising Companies,” available online at www.forbes.com/promising : 
and in the October 5 issue of Forbes magazine. HP is the preferred technology partner and sponsor of the America’s Most Promising Companies ranking.
Topping the list is VEXTEC Corp., founded in 2000, a managed services company that provides manufacturing, aerospace and electronics companies with accurate information about the behavior and life expectancy of their components, systems, and product lots or fleets.
Eight of the 20 companies on the list are based in California, two are in Florida, and the rest are spread from Rhode Island to Oregon. They represent diverse industries, from bedding, footwear, food and video
games, to cloud computing, corporate fraud, and medical imaging, among others.
Rounding out the top five companies on the list are: Kerosene And A Match (makes software that mines the Web for as yet unsearchable files); iKnowWare (its Web-based software accesses data anytime, from anywhere, even via smart phones); Ferrate Treatment Technologies, LLC (makes a portable machine that can disinfect up to 20 million gallons a day) and Weather Trends International (forecasts weather and advises companies on weather-related purchases) The complete list and methodology is available at.
www.forbes.com/promising :
"Other lists of rising young companies tend to be based on one metric.
annual revenue," said Brett Nelson, Forbes Entrepreneurs Editor. "But a glance at the top line is not how professional investors do their evaluations. Our approach was much more realistic and meaningful."
The search for America’s Most Promising Companies kicked off in May 2009 with the launch of a new editorial section in Forbes.com’s Entrepreneurs channel. To sharpen the search, Forbes teamed with The Venture Alliance (TVA), an advisory to early-stage entrepreneurs, which has devised a rating system for young companies. Prospects were scored on a host of characteristics, among them the size of the markets they serve, the strength of their intellectual property, the extent to which founders put their own capital at risk, the experience of their management teams, and their record in hitting product-development benchmarks promised to equity investors. Forbes collected the data via a detailed survey that takes roughly two hours to complete. TVA also brought in software experts and engineers to evaluate product plans, and Forbes reporters interviewed all the finalists. The highest scorers appear to have a better shot at raising capital--and thus are considered more promising--than their peers.
As part of the initiative, Forbes introduced its Celebrity Mentor video series of one-on-one consultations with the best in the business; roundtable videos with VIP entrepreneurs; and weekly profiles of candidates that were considered for the ranking.
Forbes Media
Forbes Media encompasses Forbes and Forbes.com, the #1 business site on the Web that reaches more than 18 million people monthly. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia, which together reach a worldwide audience of more than 5.5 million readers. It also publishes ForbesLife and ForbesWoman magazines, in addition to local-language licensee editions in China, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Other Forbes Media Web sites are: ForbesTraveler.com; Investopedia.com; RealClearPolitics.com; RealClearMarkets.com; RealClearSports.com; and the Forbes.com Business and Finance Blog Network. Together with Forbes.com, these sites reach nearly 40 million business decision makers each month.
ForbesDebbie Weathers, 212-366-8848
dweathers@forbes.net : mailto:dweathers@forbes.net
