Cincinnati-based P&G Ventures has been named a top workplace for innovators, according to a new ranking released this week by Fast Company.
P&G Ventures, Procter & Gamble's internal startup studio, ranked No. 19 on the 2021 “Best Workplaces for Innovators” list. Overall, 100 companies were selected, including Siemens, IBM and Ally Financial.
P&G Ventures was the only local company to make the cut.
Founded in 2015, P&G Ventures is on the hunt for P&G’s next billion-dollar brand, with a focus on new, fast-moving consumer goods and businesses in categories where P&G doesn't currently compete. P&G Ventures partners with entrepreneurs, inventors and startups, providing funding as well as access to P&G's experts, resources and capabilities.
PG Ventures, to date, has launched four new brands: Zevo, a line of insect control products; Opte, a smart beauty device to treat facial hyperpigmentation; Bodewell, a line of plant-based products to treat chronic skin conditions; and Kindra, a product line to help women combat the symptoms of menopause.
"We are honored to be included alongside so many incredible organizations on this list," Guy B. Persaud, president of P&G's new business unit, said in a release. "Innovation and creativity are at the heart of our work…and I feel we are just getting started."
The ranking is a first for P&G Ventures, although P&G (NYSE: PG) itself was included in 2019, the first year Fast Company compiled the list. P&G is the creator and manufacturer of popular consumer brands like Always, Bounty, Charmin, Dawn, Febreze, Pampers and Tide.
For 2021, Moderna, the Cambridge, Mass.-based health and medical company, took the top spot, followed by manufacturer W.L. Gore & Associates and Brooklyn-based marketing firm Quirk Creative.
“Best Workplaces for Innovators,” developed in collaboration with Accenture, a Dublin-headquartered professional services company, ranked winners across a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity and engineering. Fast Company received nearly 1,500 applications. The selections were made by a panel of eight judges.
Blue Ash-based Ascendum Solutions, while not in the top 100, did get a small nod from Fast Company. It was included in a secondary list of five domestic firms that still impressed.
Ascendum, the region’s third-largest minority-owned business with 1,570 employees worldwide, is a digital, staffing and technology consulting firm.
