--- description: Presenting the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential new frontiers businesses of the year. title: The 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f60b83c5ad920ca/69e920ef49bc98a69f40d2c7/NewFrontiers.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [TIME100 Companies 2026](/tag/time100-companies-2026/) ## TIME100 Companies 2026 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies of 2026 by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2026 12:31 PM CUT  Illustrations by Zhenia Vasiliev by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2026 12:31 PM CUT This year, TIME editors launch the **TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders** lists, an expansion of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue that dives deeper into 20 sectors to look at the companies shaping their industries. These are the 10 most influential companies in new frontiers of 2026. ### Firefly Aerospace _First private moon landing_ It’s unlikely that any of the 1,300 employees at Texas-based Firefly Aerospace will ever visit Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crisis) on the lunar surface. But the Firefly team accomplished the next best thing last year when they landed a spacecraft there, becoming the first private company to pull off a fully successful lunar touchdown. Firefly has other, bigger plans, aiming for another mission in 2026 that will both orbit the moon and land on the lunar far side. Firefly is in the launch service business too, looking to serve the small- and medium-payload market in the civil, commercial, and national security sectors. The company boasts of the ability to launch a satellite to orbit on only 24 hours’ notice. Says Firefly CEO Jason Kim of his work force: “The thing that drives them is they want to do more, \[launching\] challenging missions every single time. They just have bold ideas.” —_Jeffrey Kluger_ ### IBM _Quantum-computing juggernaut_ Quantum computers—machines that use quantum mechanics to tackle problems beyond the reach of today's most powerful supercomputers—are edging toward practical use, and IBM now operates the [world's largest fleet of quantum systems](https://www.ibm.com/quantum "undefined"). More than 300 companies, universities, and research labs—including Boeing, Cleveland Clinic, and Japan's Riken—access them through the cloud as IBM tests applications from drug discovery to logistics. In March, researchers from IBM and several universities used one such machine to help synthesize a never-before-seen[ carbon-based molecule](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-03-05-ibm-and-university-researchers-create-a-never-before-seen-molecule-and-prove-its-exotic-nature-with-quantum-computing "undefined"), offering a glimpse of how quantum computing could radically accelerate materials science and medicine. Its open-source platform [Qiskit](https://www.ibm.com/quantum/qiskit "undefined") has become the field's most widely used programming framework, and IBM researchers helped develop three of the four post-quantum cryptography standards the National Institute of Standards and Technology selected as next-generation encryption standards—giving the company a hand in securing the systems quantum computers may one day threaten. IBM says it expects users to demonstrate quantum advantage—the point at which a quantum computer can solve a useful problem better than a conventional machine—by the end of 2026\. By 2029, IBM plans to launch Starling, a system some 20,000 times more capable than today’s quantum machines. "It's been a while since we've really taken a fundamental technology to market," says Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research. "We intend to do that." —_Alex Stone_ ### Q-Ctrl _Navigating without satellites_ Every day, more than 1,000 commercial flights are [disrupted](https://nairametrics.com/2025/02/26/aircraft-navigation-system-disruptions-surge-by-175-in-2024-iata/ "undefined") by GPS jamming or spoofing—interference that scrambles navigation systems, forces costly reroutes, and puts lives at risk. Q-Ctrl, an Australian quantum-technology company, wants to stop this. Its [Ironstone Opal](https://q-ctrl.com/ironstone-opal "undefined") system uses quantum sensors roughly the size of a pointer finger to detect tiny variations in Earth's magnetic field, matching them against geological maps to determine position without any satellite signal. Ironstone Opal has proven roughly [100 times more accurate](https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/q-ctrl-overcomes-gps-denial-with-quantum-sensing-reports-quantum-advantage/ "undefined") than the best existing alternatives to GPS, with GPS-like accuracy in flight tests, and it requires none of the elaborate calibration maneuvers that hampered earlier magnetic-navigation prototypes. "You just turn it on and you go," says founder and CEO Michael Biercuk. The company aims to bring the technology to commercial aviation within two and a half years through a partnership with Airbus; it also has contracts with Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon. Beyond navigation, Q-Ctrl’s quantum computing training platform [Black Opal](https://q-ctrl.com/black-opal "undefined") has been adopted by major banks, defense organizations, and government workforce programs worldwide. _—Alex Stone_ _Disclosure: Investors in Q-Ctrl include Salesforce, where TIME co-chair and owner Marc Benioff is CEO._ ### SpaceX _The rocket factory_ It’s hard to keep up with just how many rockets [SpaceX](https://time.com/article/2026/03/26/gwynne-shotwell-profile/ "undefined")—the aerospace phenom helmed by founder and CEO Elon Musk—is hurling to space at any one time, but for those who are keeping track, the company logged a record-breaking 165 launches of its Falcon 9 rocket last year alone. And that’s not all that makes SpaceX a pacesetter. Its Starlink constellation—now with nearly 9,500 satellites with plans to grow to 20,000—has brought internet to conflict zones in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. In February, SpaceX announced it was merging with xAI, the Musk-founded artificial intelligence company, and the company has sought FCC permission to launch a [1-million-strong constellation](https://spacenews.com/spacex-files-plans-for-million-satellite-orbital-data-center-constellation/ "undefined") of AI satellites that would deliver data powered by the sun and cooled by space. And the company’s Starship rocket, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, is set for its twelfth test flight [this spring.](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/03/ship-39-preflight-test-objectives/ "undefined") Since the founding of SpaceX in 2002, Musk has been talking about colonizing Mars—and, more recently, the moon. The company’s workforce believes in that vision. “If Starship can take 50 to 100 \[people\] at a time to the moon,” says SpaceX president and COO [Gwynne Shotwell](https://time.com/article/2026/03/26/spacex-gwynne-shotwell-full-interview/ "undefined"), “if we can’t do it in 10 years, that would be a shame.” —_Jeffrey Kluger_ _Disclosure: Investors in SpaceX include TIME co-chair and owner Marc Benioff._ ### Helion _Chasing fusion power_ By 2028, Washington-based Helion Energy plans to bring its 50-megawatt Orion power plant online and begin supplying electricity to Microsoft under a [landmark power purchase agreement](https://www.helionenergy.com/articles/helion-announces-worlds-first-fusion-ppa-with-microsoft/ "undefined") inked in 2023\. If it succeeds, Orion will be the first commercial fusion power plant, harnessing the same physics that powers the sun to produce clean, virtually limitless energy. In [October](https://www.helionenergy.com/articles/helion-receives-approvals-for-next-phase-of-construction-of-worlds-first-commercial-fusion-power-plant/ "undefined"), the company secured local permitting approvals, but the bigger news came in February, when Helion's seventh-generation prototype, Polaris, reached [150 million degrees Celsius](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260213457749/en/Helion-Achieves-New-Industry-First-Fusion-Energy-Milestones-Accelerating-Path-to-Commercial-Fusion "undefined")—a new commercial temperature record—and became the first privately developed fusion machine to achieve measurable fusion with deuterium-tritium fuel. "As you go up in that temperature, your fusion process gets more efficient and you can recover more of the fusion energy," says CEO and co-founder David Kirtley. “It also starts to unlock even more advanced fuels that make more electricity." Helion is pressing ahead: the company recently opened a new manufacturing facility to increase production of electronics for its fusion machines by a factor of 60 with an eye toward building commercial plants. —_Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Axiom Space _Building the next space station_ Like any aging house, the International Space Station (ISS), which has been continuously occupied by rotating crews of astronauts since 2000, is starting to show wear. By 2030, NASA and its international partners plan to abandon and deorbit it. But that doesn’t mean humanity will lose its research foothold in low Earth orbit—thanks to Houston-based [Axiom Space](https://www.axiomspace.com/ "undefined"). By 2028, Axiom plans to launch a new module to dock with the ISS, providing additional power and payload space. At a time yet to be determined—but before the ISS is deorbited—the Axiom module will separate and be joined in space by a second module, forming the [first privately built and funded station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxN%5Fvwl4J34 "undefined"). Over the course of the following three years, three more modules will go aloft and dock with the ones already there, creating a station big enough to accommodate eight-person crews. Since 2022, Axiom has launched [four private crews](https://www.axiomspace.com/missions "undefined") to the ISS and plans for a fifth early next year—training up an astronaut corps that will be essential for the space economy of the future. “It is critical to maintain a human presence in space,” says astronaut Peggy Whitson, a veteran of both NASA and Axiom missions, “and Axiom Space is helping us achieve this.” —_Jeffrey Kluger_ ### Vantor _Intelligence from orbit_ Vantor—formerly Maxar Intelligence, one of the biggest names in satellite imagery—operates 10 of the most advanced commercial imaging satellites in orbit, collecting an area the size of Australia in images of Earth every day. That data feeds everything from Google Maps to disaster responses to hedge funds. But defense is Vantor's core business. With Europe rearming, more than a dozen European customers signed deals in 2025, including a partnership with Swedish aerospace and defense giant Saab to integrate [Raptor](https://vantor.com/product/mission-solutions/raptor/ "undefined"), a system that enables drones to navigate autonomously by terrain when GPS fails. As AI-powered autonomous weapons become a flashpoint in both geopolitics and the tech industry, CEO Dan Smoot is candid about the tension. "Autonomous capabilities are rapidly evolving," he says, speaking from Tromsø, Norway, 200 miles from the Russian border and near several of Vantor's ground stations. "The government contracts we have have been pretty traditional U.S. government collection, foundational mapping capabilities. We are watching very carefully,” Smoot says of Anthropic’s [conflict](https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/anthropic-claude-disruptive-company-pentagon/ "undefined") with the Pentagon after the AI company refused to remove autonomous weapons safeguards. “We were having that debate at the dinner table ... I think all CEOs have to think about the moral capabilities and the morality of what they're providing." _—Nikita Ostrovsky_ ### Synchron _Restoring brainpower_ Brain-computer interfaces (BCI)—computer chips embedded in the brain—have dazzled in demos, but Synchron is trying to make them practical enough for hospitals. Its [Stentrode](https://synchron.com/technology "undefined") BCI is delivered through a blood vessel via the jugular vein, with stent-like electrodes positioned near the brain’s motor cortex, avoiding open brain surgery. Once implanted, it translates the user’s thoughts into digital commands—allowing people with severe paralysis to control devices hands-free. In August, a patient with ALS used the Stentrode to navigate an iPad, open apps, and compose texts using only his thoughts, making it the first BCI to control an Apple device natively. The company has reported encouraging results from early clinical studies in Australia and the U.S., and is preparing for a larger trial needed to seek commercial approval. Backed by a[ $200 million Series D](https://insights.citeline.com/medtech-insight/business/financing/synchron-secures-200m-series-d-plans-new-brain-interface-with-potentially-more-applications-U6MRTIDOVRHXXGDHGHUD35SA5Q/ "undefined") raised in late 2025, the company has opened an engineering hub in San Diego and built a patient registry aimed at supporting future studies. CEO and founder Tom Oxley says the company is pursuing regulatory approval in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. "We've got our clinical engine ready. We've got our community ready,” he says. “The product has hit maturity." —_Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Life Biosciences _Reversing aging at the cellular level_ Aging is a one-way street: You will always get older, never younger. Or maybe not. Boston-based Life Biosciences is working on a way to reverse the age-related degenerative processes that lead to many of the diseases and disorders that afflict us later in life. The key is to manipulate the body’s epigenome—a sort of cellular keyboard that determines which underlying genetic notes get played and which don’t. The older we get, the more that instrument breaks down. Life Biosciences says it has discovered, however, that by introducing three transcription factors—proteins that regulate gene expression—into cells, they can effectively rejuvenate them, returning them to their younger and healthier state. The company recently received FDA approval to conduct its first clinical trial in human subjects, using the technique to treat a form of glaucoma and a condition that causes blood loss in the back of the eye that can lead to blindness. “There’s no practical limit to what we can do,” says CEO Jerry McLaughlin. “It’s a matter of effectively, efficiently, and safely delivering our proteins to cells and tissues of interest.” —_Jeffrey Kluger_ ### TerraPower _Atomic comeback_ Bill Gates-founded TerraPower is building a next-generation nuclear reactor near the site of a retiring coal plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming—the first commercial reactor [approved for construction by federal regulators](https://www.terrapower.com/NRC-Approves-Natrium-Reactor-Construction-Permit "undefined") in nearly a decade. If successful, the company could give the U.S. something the nuclear industry has struggled to deliver: a new reactor design that is cheaper, more flexible, and easier to build. Unlike conventional plants, TerraPower's Natrium reactor uses liquid sodium instead of water as a coolant, allowing it to operate at low pressure and utilize far less concrete and steel. "Usually cost and safety are a trade-off. We arrived at a design that’s cheaper but also about a thousand times safer,” says CEO Chris Levesque, adding that the reactor’s low-pressure design and passive cooling system make it much less likely for an equipment failure to cause a severe accident. The plant also includes molten-salt energy storage, a built-in thermal battery that can ramp output when demand spikes—increasingly valuable as AI increases electricity demand. In January, [Meta](https://about.fb.com/news/2026/01/meta-nuclear-energy-projects-power-american-ai-leadership/ "undefined") signed on to support the development of two new Natrium units, with rights to energy from as many as six more. TerraPower has also entered the U.K. regulatory process and says it aims to deliver 10 or more Natrium reactors by the mid-2030s, an ambitious vision in an industry with a long history of overpromising. Levesque has a message for skeptics: “Just watch us.” _—Alex Stone_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/time100-companies-new-frontiers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/time100-companies-new-frontiers/"},"headline":"The 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies of 2026","datePublished":"2026-04-27T12:31:38.437Z","dateModified":"2026-05-12T07:05:40.644Z","description":"The TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential new frontiers businesses of the year","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/time100-companies-new-frontiers/","keywords":["TIME100 Companies 2026","Companies","TIME100 Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f60b83c5ad920ca/69e920ef49bc98a69f40d2c7/NewFrontiers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Contributors","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/time-contributors/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f60b83c5ad920ca/69e920ef49bc98a69f40d2c7/NewFrontiers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NewFrontiers.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Illustrations by Zhenia Vasiliev","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time100-companies-2026/","name":"TIME100 Companies 2026"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/time100-companies-new-frontiers/","name":"The 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies of 2026"}}]}] ```