2022 Inc. 5000: Ridge Companies Make Their Presence Known

Asimily, Zipline, Sama, and Upwave ran the Inc. 5K this year

Inc. 5000 season is upon us.

The 2022 list, which honors some of the most successful and forward-thinking businesses in the US, features four Ridge companies: Asimily, Zipline, Sama, and Upwave. For some, it was their first time; for others, another trip around the block.

We’re no stranger to seeing our portcos run the Inc. 5K. Bolt, last year, climbed all the way to #64. But it never gets old watching our hard-working founders and their teams win — and gracing the Inc. 5000 is no small feat.

Here is a closer look at the Inc. 5000 world-movers that represented The Ridge Familia this year.

Asimily enters the security upper crust

We led Asimily’s $10 million funding round last November. Less than a year later, the IoMT risk remediation platform bursts onto the Inc. 5000 like a trojan horse rigged with dynamite — all the way to #170!

Asimily also clocks in as the third fastest-growing security company on the 2022 Inc. 5000. It’s easy to see why. Asimily, which prides itself on “healing the devices that heal,” protects the mission-critical healthcare devices that keep us alive. Detecting and fixing vulnerabilities is tough for a healthcare industry that, for the most part, still manually tracks devices in spreadsheets and access databases. Asimily’s actionable intelligence automates the entire process.

As healthcare continues to digitally transform, bringing with it hundreds of thousands of devices for bad actors to pounce on, Asimily plays a key role in neutralizing ransomware and other cyberattacks.

Zipline goes back-to-back, Sama goes back-to-back-to-back

Zipline, an all-in-one retail operations platform, nabbed an Inc. 5000 spot for the second straight year. The honor coincides with a three-year revenue growth rate of 477%, and follows Zipline’s inclusion on CB Insights’ Retail Tech 100 list.

L.L. Bean, Sephora, BevMo!, and HyVee are merely a taste of the notable retailers that rely on Zipline to help create a seamless in-store experience. From planning and internal communications to conducting surveys and coaching store associates, Zipline’s tools streamline tasks that were further complicated by the pandemic.

Speaking of consecutive Inc. 5000 appearances, Sama achieved three-peat status this year. Sama — also an AI 100 listee — is unlocking “The next era of AI development” by delivering high-quality training data to the likes of Google, Microsoft, NASA, and many other leading companies.

Sama CEO Wendy Gonzalez, who recently earned a Responsible AI Leader of the Year award, has done a remarkable job of carrying on the ethical AI vision of late founder Leila Janah.

Upwave surfs to its first Inc. 5000 appearance

Rounding out the 2022 class of Ridge 5K-ers is Upwave: a powerhouse marketing analytics platform. Formerly known as Survata, we’re proud to have backed Upwave’s Series A in 2015.

Upwave boasts an impressive catalog of logos. Duracell, Exxon, Verizon, and Under Armour all leverage Upwave’s unified, cross-media solution to measure long-term marketing campaigns in real-time. With Upwave, companies can see if their marketing campaigns are reaching the right people, view optimization opportunities, and demonstrate brand-building value.

Look out for more fireworks from Upwave before the end of the year, and, who knows, a repeat appearance on the 2023 Inc. 5000? We wouldn’t be surprised.

Congrats to all of the Ridge companies that appeared on this year’s Inc. 5000 list. Keep the celebratory champagne/La Croix/kombucha flowing. You earned it!