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With companies like Sprinklr and CEO Ragy Thomas (far right) graduating off the Cloud 100 list for … [+]
RACHEL CARLSON, HOWIE LIU AND BEN CHESTNUT BY JAMEL TOPPIN; MELANIE PERKINS BY DEAN MACKENZIE; MELANIE PERKINS BY JAMEL TOPPIN (2); RAGY THOMAS BY DAVID YELLEN
With cloud computing businesses more important than ever, a new company is set to rein atop the Forbes Cloud 100 list in 2021.
Produced in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures, the Cloud 100 list recognizes the best and brightest among private cloud companies, from high-flying startups to near-public emerging giants. And with last year’s No. 1 Snowflake going public last September and No. 3 UiPath following suit in April, it’s open season for a breakout cloud company to take on 2020’s second-ranked company, Stripe, for the top slot.
Submissions are now open through May at thecloud100.com.
Now in its sixth year, the Cloud 100 list combines quantitative and qualitative criteria. Nominated companies submit data (within given ranges) to generate a financial score factoring in their valuation, revenue and growth rate. That financial score is then factored in alongside a people and culture score using third-party data providers, and a market leadership score determined by several dozen of the list nominees’ public CEO peers, who are no longer eligible for the list themselves.
Each year, Forbes and its partners also seek out and recognize 20 startups that have raised less than $25 million in total funding but look poised to break out as future cloud leaders: the Cloud 100 Rising Stars. Nominations for that list are also open through the same submission process.
Standouts on last year’s Cloud 100 list include No. 5 Databricks, now valued at $28 billion for its AI-supporting cloud tools; No. 7 Canva, the Australia-based design software company led by Melanie Perkins and now valued at $15 billion; and Checkout.com, a payments software business that burst onto the list from London at No. 15. On the Rising Stars list, companies making waves include Roam Research, Substack, and AgentSync, recently valued at $220 million.
Each year, Forbes publishes the list alongside in-depth original reporting, features and analysis in Forbes magazine and online. You can see last year’s package here. The Cloud 100 Summit will be taking place virtually again in 2021, with special programming for list-makers and publicly available panels and interviews.
With a number of companies having graduated off the 2020 list through acquisition and IPO — not just Snowflake and UiPath up top, but also No. 14 JFrog, No. 17 Asana, No. 19 Auth0 and others — plenty of spaces are up for grabs on what should prove another competitive Cloud 100 list. Throw your company’s name in the ring today.