Large businesses occupy an interesting space. They're typically not quite enterprise giants, but they have serious resources, established market positions, and enough scale to make real impact. The challenge? Actually deploying those advantages to innovate before someone else disrupts their market.
The 2026 winners of the Top 10 Innovator - Large Business category from the BIG Innovation Awards proved they understand this balancing act perfectly. These organizations combined the agility needed to move fast with the resources necessary to think big. The result? Innovation that's literally reshaping how we hear, how we design materials, how we secure infrastructure, and how we protect ourselves from scams.
I've spent years in large technology companies. I've actually seen how easy it is for organizations at this scale to get comfortable, to protect what's working, to avoid the risks that come with real innovation. These winners took a different path. They leaned into uncertainty and came out with solutions that matter.
About the BIG Innovation Awards Large Business Category
The Top 10 Innovator - Large Business category recognizes organizations with 500-999 employees that demonstrate exceptional innovation capabilities. These companies combine meaningful resources with organizational agility, enabling rapid innovation deployment. Winners are selected through Business Intelligence Group's transparent, crowd-sourced judging process involving industry peers and customers. The 2026 program received nominations spanning healthcare, chemicals, software, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and technology sectors.
Award Designation Context:
- Overall Winner - Individual: Highest scoring individual leadership nomination
- Overall Winner - Product: Highest scoring product innovation
- Top 10 Winner: Top 10 performers across product and organizational categories
- Winner Product: Specific product or solution innovation
- Winner Organization: Company-wide innovation or operational transformation
2026 Top 10 Innovator - Large Business Winners at a Glance
Measurable Innovation Impact
The 2026 large business winners delivered quantifiable results across healthcare, materials science, and technology:
- AI Acceleration: Indovinya/LSU AI framework screened 1,000+ molecules in 2025, saving 3,500 lab hours
- Customer Satisfaction: Automation Anywhere achieved NPS +56, CSAT 9.4, with 47% faster assisted resolutions
- Scam Protection: McAfee Scam Detector surpassed 1 million users within months, achieving 96% deepfake detection accuracy
- Support Efficiency: Automation Anywhere delivered 83% quicker autonomous resolutions, 69% fewer escalations
- Quantum Security: Lattice MachXO5-NX TDQ provides industry-first complete CSNA 2.0 compliance for post-quantum cryptography
- Hearing Technology: Omega AI integrates first deep neural network-powered directionality system in hearing aids
- Innovation Recognition: Brandon Sawalich called "Steve Jobs of hearing" by Shark Tank investor Daymond John
Visionary Leadership in Hearing Technology
Brandon Sawalich - Overall Winner (Individual)
Innovation: Hearing Technology Leadership at Starkey
Industry: Healthcare (Hearing Technology)
Key Leader: Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO
Impact: Setting industry innovation pace, driving AI integration in hearing aids
Brandon Sawalich is the President and CEO at Starkey, a leader in global hearing technology setting the speed of innovation in the industry. As a visionary, forward-thinking leader, Brandon has been called the Steve Jobs of hearing by Shark Tank investor Daymond John, because at Starkey, innovation never sleeps. His leadership drives both organizational excellence and product breakthroughs like Omega AI.
Learn more: Starkey
AI Transforming Materials Science
Indovinya and LSU AI-Driven Surfactant Design - Overall Winner (Product)
Innovation: AI-Driven Surfactant Design Framework
Industry: Chemical (Materials Science)
Key Leader: Emily Barker
Impact: 1,000+ molecules screened, 3,500 lab hours saved, trial-and-error to predictive design
Indovinya and LSU developed an AI-Driven Surfactant Design framework that combines Generative AI with molecular-dynamics simulations to accelerate surfactant discovery. In 2025 alone, four validated models screened more than 1,000 molecules, saving 3,500 lab hours and transforming surfactant design from trial-and-error to predictive, data-driven innovation. That's the kind of efficiency gain that actually changes how an entire industry operates.
Learn more: Indovinya
Industrial AI That Multiplies Human Capacity
IFS.ai - Winner
Innovation: Industrial AI Platform
Industry: Software (Enterprise)
Key Leader: Mark Moffat
Impact: Agentic digital workers that think, decide, and act across ERP, EAM, FSM systems
Mark Moffat and IFS.ai transform industrial operations through applied Industrial AI - from Digital Workers to ERP, EAM, and FSM solutions. Delivering contextual, embedded, industry-specific intelligence and agentic Digital Workers that think, decide, and act across systems, IFS.ai multiplies human capacity for the world's largest hardcore industrial companies across manufacturing, energy, aerospace, and utilities.
Learn more: IFS
Electric Vehicle Battery Revolution
VORATRON MA 8300 - Winner
Innovation: Thermally Conductive Adhesive
Industry: Chemical (Electric Vehicle)
Key Leader: Haiying Li
Impact: Revolutionizes EV battery safety, enables higher energy density, cuts weight dramatically
Haiying Li and the team behind VORATRON™ MA 8300 created a highly-advanced thermally conductive adhesive that revolutionizes electric vehicle battery safety, performance, and assembly through superior thermal management and robust structural bonding. It streamlined assembly processes, enables significantly higher energy density, cuts weight dramatically, and is implemented by leading battery manufacturers and automakers globally.
Learn more: Dow Mobility
Healthcare Documentation Gets Intelligent
ModMed AI Scribe - Winner
Innovation: Specialty-Specific AI Clinical Documentation
Industry: Healthcare (Health IT)
Key Leader: Daniel Cane
Impact: Captures natural conversations, suggests structured notes, automates downstream workflows
Daniel Cane and ModMed created ModMed Scribe, a specialty-specific, AI-powered clinical documentation solution that works alongside ModMed's EMA EHR to capture natural patient-provider conversations, suggest structured clinical notes and billing codes, and help automate downstream workflows such as prescriptions, lab orders, and patient education. This is actually AI solving a real physician burnout problem.
Learn more: ModMed
Scam Protection Before Harm Occurs
McAfee Scam Detector - Winner
Innovation: AI-Powered Scam Protection Platform
Industry: Cybersecurity
Key Leader: Steve Grobman
Impact: 1M+ users, 96% deepfake detection accuracy, protection across text, email, video
With 1 in 3 Americans scammed online, Steve Grobman and McAfee's Scam Detector - the first AI-powered, automated scam protection - detects scams across text, email, and video, blocks dangerous links, and identifies deepfakes with 96% accuracy. It safeguards privacy, works on any device, and surpassed one million users within months, redefining online safety before harm occurs.
Learn more: McAfee Scam Detector
Contract Intelligence at Enterprise Scale
Icertis - Winner
Innovation: AI-Powered Contract Intelligence Platform
Industry: Software (Enterprise)
Key Leader: Anand Subbaraman
Impact: Finds value in contracts, enables immediate ROI and long-term performance
Icertis delivers AI-powered insights and agentic automation to transform static contracts into strategic enterprise advantage. The Icertis Contract Intelligence platform revolutionizes how enterprises manage their customer, supplier, and partner relationships, enabling businesses to grow revenue, control costs, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance. Today, more than one third of the Fortune 100 trust Icertis to realize the full potential of millions of business relationships in more than 90 countries around the world.
Learn more: Icertis
Quantum-Resistant Infrastructure Security
Lattice MachXO5-NX TDQ FPGA - Winner
Innovation: Post-Quantum Cryptography FPGA
Industry: Technology (Semiconductors)
Key Leader: Lattice Semiconductor
Impact: Industry-first complete CSNA 2.0 compliance, future-proofs critical infrastructure
Lattice Semiconductor created the MachXO5™-NX TDQ FPGA, the industry's first post-quantum cryptography (PQC) enabled secure control FPGA device family with first and only complete CSNA 2.0 compliance. It future-proofs critical infrastructure against evolving quantum threats with its unique crypto-agility and hardware Root of Trust features with unmatched flexibility, reliability, and energy efficiency. When quantum computers break current encryption, this chip keeps infrastructure secure.
Learn more: Lattice Semiconductor
Process Automation Excellence
Automation Anywhere - Winner
Innovation: Agentic Process Automation Platform
Industry: Technology (Enterprise Software)
Key Leader: Automation Anywhere Global Support Team
Impact: NPS +56, CSAT 9.4, 47% faster resolutions, 69% fewer escalations
Automation Anywhere's Global Support Team harnessed advances in Agentic Process Automation platform, Autonomous, and Assisted support to deliver record outcomes - NPS +56 and CSAT 9.4, exceeding benchmarks. Innovation fueled a 3.5% CES lift, 47% faster assisted resolutions, 69% fewer escalations, and 83% quicker autonomous resolutions, securing TSIA's prestigious 'Optimized' ranking.
Learn more: Automation Anywhere
Neural Networks Meet Hearing Technology
Omega AI - Winner
Innovation: Deep Neural Network Hearing Technology
Industry: Manufacturing (Healthcare Devices)
Key Leader: Brandon Sawalich
Impact: First deep neural network directionality, gen-AI patient support, measurable improvements
Brandon Sawalich and Starkey's Omega AI sets a new benchmark for intelligent hearing technology. As the first to integrate a deep neural network-powered directionality system and generative AI for real-time patient support, it delivers measurable improvements in speech clarity, resilience, and health insights - redefining hearing care through transformative innovation that enhances both hearing and human wellbeing.
Learn more: Starkey
What These Large Business Innovators Share
Looking across these large business innovation winners, several themes emerge. First, they're actually solving problems that matter - from scam protection to quantum-resistant security to physician documentation burden. Second, they're leveraging AI strategically, not just slapping it on existing products. Third, they're measuring impact rigorously with metrics like NPS scores, accuracy rates, and time savings.
Having worked in companies at this scale, I know the temptation to play it safe. These winners resisted that temptation. They invested in breakthrough innovation even when incremental improvement would have been easier. The result? Market leadership and recognition for excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a "Large Business" in the BIG Innovation Awards?
The Large Business category recognizes organizations with approximately 500-999 employees. These companies have meaningful resources and market presence while maintaining organizational agility that enables rapid innovation deployment.
Who won Overall Winner designations in the 2026 Large Business category?
Brandon Sawalich won Overall Winner - Individual for his visionary leadership at Starkey in hearing technology. Indovinya and LSU's AI-Driven Surfactant Design won Overall Winner - Product for transforming surfactant discovery from trial-and-error to predictive, data-driven innovation.
How does post-quantum cryptography protect against quantum threats?
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) uses algorithms designed to resist attacks from quantum computers. The Lattice MachXO5-NX TDQ FPGA implements PQC to future-proof critical infrastructure, as quantum computers are expected to break current encryption methods within the next decade.
What makes ModMed AI Scribe specialty-specific?
Unlike generic medical transcription AI, ModMed AI Scribe is trained on specialty-specific medical terminology, workflows, and documentation requirements. It works alongside ModMed's specialty-focused EHR systems to capture conversations and suggest structured notes appropriate for specific medical specialties.
How accurate is McAfee's Scam Detector at identifying deepfakes?
McAfee's Scam Detector achieves 96% accuracy in deepfake detection across text, email, and video content. The AI-powered system blocks dangerous links and identifies manipulated media before users can be scammed.
What is agentic AI and how does it differ from traditional automation?
Agentic AI, as implemented in IFS.ai and Automation Anywhere, refers to AI systems that can think, decide, and act autonomously across multiple systems. Unlike traditional automation that follows preset rules, agentic AI makes contextual decisions and adapts to changing conditions.
Related Topics and Technologies
This article covers large business innovation across multiple domains: hearing technology and neural networks, materials science and generative AI, industrial automation, electric vehicle battery technology, healthcare IT and clinical documentation, cybersecurity and scam protection, contract intelligence, post-quantum cryptography, and process automation.
Key technologies discussed include: artificial intelligence, deep neural networks, generative AI, molecular-dynamics simulations, agentic AI, digital workers, thermal management materials, natural language processing, deepfake detection, quantum-resistant cryptography, FPGAs, and robotic process automation.
These large business innovators prove that you don't need to be the biggest company in the room to drive breakthrough innovation. You just need the right combination of resources, vision, and willingness to take smart risks.