Xona Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026

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BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 24, 2026--

Xona is proud to have been named to Fast Company ’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026, shining a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. As an honoree, Xona joins the ranks of Google, Nvidia, Adidas, Walmart and more.

“When we first started Xona, we were told a new approach to global navigation was impossible,” said Brian Manning, Co-founder and CEO of Xona. “With innovation in Low Earth Orbit, we knew there was a better way to build on the foundation GPS created. The question was never whether it could be done, but how to do it right.”

Over the past 9 months, Xona has advanced to on-orbit validation and through to commercial readiness, marking a major inflection point in the future of satellite navigation. Xona's navigation service, Pulsar, broadcasts directly to existing devices from Low Earth Orbit, delivering a signal over 100x stronger than GPS, centimeter-level precision, and military-grade protection against spoofing and jamming.

As reliance on GPS has grown, so too has the risk: a GPS outage could have an economic impact of over $1 billion per day. Xona addresses this threat by pairing breakthrough performance with ease of adoption. Pulsar broadcasts alongside the GPS signals of today, providing an upgrade path for more than 7 billion existing GPS-enabled devices with a software update, rather than costly hardware upgrades. Pulsar also became the first fully range-authenticated navigation signal, raising the bar for trust and resilience at a time when interference is more commonplace.

With multiple commercial agreements from agriculture equipment providers, timing appliances powering critical utilities, and over $50M in contracts from national security partners across the United States and Canada, Xona is ushering in a new class of navigation infrastructure built for the demands of modern, mission-critical systems.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is about spotlighting organizations that don’t just adapt to change—they drive it,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The companies we honor this year are redefining what leadership looks like in 2026, pairing bold ideas with measurable impact and turning breakthrough innovation into real-world value. They are setting the pace for their industries and offering a blueprint for what sustained innovation can achieve.”

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 31, 2026.

ABOUT XONA

Xona is the navigational infrastructure company bringing centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar, the most advanced positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) constellation in Low Earth Orbit, Xona will enable absolute precision, built-in protection against jamming and spoofing, and superior power to the billions of devices that rely on GPS today. Learn more at www.xonaspace.com or connect with us via LinkedIn, or X @XonaSpace.

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.

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PUB: 03/24/2026 07:00 AM/DISC: 03/24/2026 07:01 AM

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