Award Recognition

San Francisco – October 29, 2026 -- Doppel, a social engineering defense (SED) platform vendor, has been named to the 2026-2027 Fortune Cyber 60 list for the second consecutive year, as it passes 300 employees and expands into Japan and Toronto.

Fortune list selects 60 venture-backed cybersecurity startups across three stages

The Cyber 60 is produced with Fortune editors, Lightspeed Venture Partners and AWS. It covers venture-backed startups that have not yet gone through an IPO, acquisition or other significant exit. Selection rests on financial performance, growth, business operations and cybersecurity market research, and Fortune reviews and validates the final list.

Companies are split into three groups of 20: Early Stage, Early Growth Stage and Growth Stage. Each group is listed alphabetically, so the list does not rank them.

LITTLE ROCK – October 29, 2026 -- A Cambodian agricultural cooperative led by Set Hach has grown its capital from about US$2,275 to more than US$130,000, a track record behind her place on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's list of 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems for Rural Development, Heifer International said.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu presented the award in Rome on October 15

Hach chairs the Strey Phokphal Meanchey Agricultural Cooperative in Siem Reap Province. She received the award from FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu at FAO headquarters during the World Food Forum. The recognition was established in the spirit of the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Cooperative membership rose from 82 to 540 across 30 villages

The cooperative was established in 2016 with 82 members, including 79 women. By 2025 it counted 540 members, including 451 women, across 30 villages. Member shares total 3,014.

South Jordan, Utah – October 29, 2026 -- Searchbloom won the 2026 Search Engine Land Award for "Best Commerce Search Marketing Initiative - SEO" with a project that lifted MJ Arsenal's organic revenue 69.3% and returned 679% ROI. The competition drew nearly 200 submissions from digital agencies, in-house marketers and individuals worldwide.

MJ Arsenal collection-page rebuild drives 74% non-brand click share

The winning entry, titled "74% of New Clicks Non-Brand, Organic Revenue Up 69.3%: How Searchbloom Rebuilt MJ Arsenal's Collection Pages at 679% ROI," centered on restructuring the retailer's collection pages. Searchbloom CEO and Founder Cody C. Jensen said the old pages worked like a catalog. The agency rebuilt them around actual shopper search queries, and 74% of new clicks then came from non-branded searches.

PORTLAND, Maine – October 28, 2026 -- mainelove's Perfectly Still Water has won Double Gold in the Non-Carbonated Water category at the inaugural 2026 Water Choice Awards, presented by The Daily Pour, as the Maine-sourced brand expands into Florida and adds hotel placements.

Blind tasting of 49 entries produces five Double Gold winners in still water

The competition evaluated 49 entries across seven categories. Judges tasted the waters blind from coded glasses without visible branding. mainelove was one of five Double Gold recipients in the Non-Carbonated Water category, and the brand says it is among the few U.S. water brands to earn the distinction.

Judges described the water as smooth and crisp, with a subtle sweetness and no bitter notes. One called the taste "so smooth," while others cited a refreshing, cooling quality and a creamy texture.

Dusseldorf – October 28, 2026 -- Deutsche Glasfaser scored 963 of 1,000 possible points in the 2026 fixed-network test by telecom magazine connect, the highest total of any national or regional provider tested in Germany.

Fourth regional title since 2022 for Deutsche Glasfaser

The result is the company's fourth regional win in the connect test, after 2022, 2024 and 2025. Deutsche Glasfaser says its rating improved on the prior year based on the base points awarded.

The network scored strongly in coverage and upload data rate. Reliability received the top grade of "outstanding" ("überragend"), the third time the company has earned that rating.

Bremen – October 28, 2026 -- Christa Fuchs, who built a five-employee hydraulics repair shop into a space group with about EUR 1.2 billion in FY2025 revenue, received a special award for lifetime entrepreneurial achievement at the Deutscher Gründerpreis.

The jury cited her contribution to building one of Europe's leading space companies and her influence on the German and European space industry.

Fuchs took over Otto Hydraulik Bremen in 1981 with five staff

Fuchs, born in 1938, acquired the family-run firm at Hemelinger Hafendamm in 1981. It mainly repaired hydraulic ship systems for the German armed forces (Bundeswehr).

Her husband Manfred Fuchs joined in 1985 and steered the company toward space. He set the technology vision, while she managed the finances.

MCLEAN, Va. – October 28, 2026 -- Hilton (NYSE: HLT) took the No. 1 spot on Great Place to Work's inaugural U.S. Best Workplaces in Hotels & Resorts list, with 95% of its team members calling it a great place to work. The ranking is based on feedback from Hilton team members across the U.S.

Survey scores reach 95% to 97% on three measures

According to Great Place to Work, 97% of Hilton team members say they are made to feel welcome. A further 96% say they feel pride in the company's accomplishments.

Laura Fuentes, Hilton's chief human resources officer and head of Hilton Supply Management, said Hilton's greatest strength remains "the people who create the human connections at the heart of hospitality." Kim Peters, EVP of Global Brand Insights and Growth at Great Place To Work, said the new list lets the organization build on its existing hospitality expertise.

Berlin/Florence – October 27, 2026 -- PLAN-B NET ZERO AG, a German energy provider with about 115,000 customers and users and more than EUR 60 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), has won "World's Best Challenger Brand" at the CHARGE Awards Europe 2026.

CHARGE presented the award on October 19, 2026, at its Energy Brand Conference in Florence. The jury recognized PLAN-B's Neo Energy concept, which turns electricity from an interchangeable commodity into a digital energy system.

PLAN-B reports 115,000 users and EUR 60 million ARR since its 2023 founding

Bradley Mundt founded the company in April 2023. As of June 30, 2026, it had around 115,000 customers and users. By its own assessment, this makes PLAN-B one of the fastest-growing energy platforms in the DACH region.

Reston – October 24, 2026 -- Fast Company has named Seekr's SeekrFlow platform to its 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list in the Established Excellence category, citing its ability to make AI explainable and defensible for enterprises and government agencies.

SeekrFlow targets the gap between AI outputs and regulatory defense

Organizations are moving AI into loan approvals, supply chains, critical infrastructure and national security, according to Seekr. Most still cannot show which data drove an output or defend it to a regulator, auditor or oversight body.

AI-Ready Data Engine and verification tools anchor the platform

The SeekrFlow AI-Ready Data Engine converts raw enterprise data into high-quality datasets. Its verification tools trace data influence, score accuracy and let teams contest and correct errors.

Marina, California – October 22, 2026 -- The Brass Tap's Marina, California, location posted the highest sales volume in the franchise's system during its first full year of operation, earning owner Karl Waller the Highest Sales Volume Award at the 2026 FSC Franchise Conference.

The honor follows Waller's 2025 Franchisee of the Year title. The upscale American tavern brand operates more than 50 locations across 16 states and has offered franchise opportunities for more than 10 years.

Food became an equal traffic driver alongside craft beer in Marina

Waller initially expected craft beer to drive most of the restaurant's traffic. Food quickly became an equally important part of the business, drawing families as well as guests seeking drinks and entertainment. He and his family have continued to adjust the operation to local demand, including building out the food and events side.