Sanas Named No. 1 AI Company in America on the 2026 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Number. One!
That's where Sanas landed among AI companies on Inc.'s annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Of every AI & Data company on the 2026 Inc. 5000, we're the fastest-growing in the country.
And the honors kept coming: out of all companies across industries, coast to coast, Sanas ranked No. 8 overall, and No. 1 among California-based companies.
We're over the moon about this one. And honestly, still a little stunned.
What This Means to Us
The Inc. 5000 is one of the most respected rankings in American business. Companies are ranked by revenue growth over three years, and past honorees include Microsoft, Meta, Chobani, Oracle, and Patagonia, which are all companies that started small and changed their industries. To see Sanas on that list, at No. 8, means more to us than we can easily put into words.
But we’ll give it a go, starting with Sharath, our CEO:
"Being named No. 8 on the Inc. 5000 and earning the No. 1 ranking in both AI & Data and California is an incredible honor for the entire Sanas team and a powerful validation of our mission to remove communication barriers and help people connect without limits," said Sharath Keshava Narayana, Co-Founder and CEO of Sanas. "This milestone reflects the rapid adoption of our technology, the dedication of our team, and the value we're delivering to organizations. Seeing that collective effort recognized on a national stage is incredibly meaningful, and it motivates us to keep pushing toward a future where everyone can communicate and be understood without barriers."
Co-founder and CTO Shawn Zhang was there from the beginning, and for him, this honor traces straight back to why Sanas exists at all:
"When we founded Sanas at Stanford University after a close friend's livelihood was affected by accent bias, we set out to solve a deeply human challenge and help people connect without barriers," stated Shawn Zhang, CTO and Co-Founder of Sanas. "Communication is fundamental to every customer interaction, workplace conversation, and AI experience. This achievement reflects the growing demand for technology that helps people understand and connect with one another more clearly, regardless of language, accent, or environment."
"Being named No. 8 on the Inc. 5000 and earning the No. 1 ranking in both AI & Data and California is an incredible honor for the entire Sanas team and a powerful validation of our mission to remove communication barriers and help people connect without limits."Sharath Keshava Narayana | Co-Founder and CEO, Sanas
Heartfelt Thanks
The Inc. 5000 measures growth. And ours can be traced back to the customers who chose us. Our deepest thanks to the 200 enterprises across healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, travel, and retail who trust Sanas to power millions of live voice conversations every day. Companies like UnitedHealth Group, Comcast, Cigna, Vanguard, American Express, Wells Fargo, Wyndham, and Robinhood, along with BPO partners including Teleperformance, Alorica, Concentrix, Foundever, iBex, iQor, and TaskUs. You took a chance on a new technology. You drove us to make it better. This ranking reflects your belief in what we're building together. Thank you!
And of course, huge thanks to our team. Real-time speech translation that preserves a person's voice did not exist before Sanas invented it. The problems of accent bias, communication barriers, and misunderstandings existed, but the solution did not. We now have the best people in the world - many of whom know firsthand what it feels like to be judged by how they sound rather than what they say - solving those problems. Every person at Sanas had a hand in this. Thank you!
Time To Celebrate
A team that refuses to quit and customers who push us to be better: as it turns out, that's exactly what Inc. says this list celebrates:
"Every company on the Inc. 5000 has a story of perseverance, smart decision making, and a refusal to sit still," said Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. "Their growth reflects more than strong financial performance — it reflects creativity, resilience, and the customer focus required to build companies that make a lasting impact. We congratulate all honorees on this significant achievement."
We'll celebrate this milestone with our fellow honorees at the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Dallas this October. And we’ll continue doing the work, because millions of conversations are happening right now, and there are still barriers to break.
To everyone who's been part of this: thank you. This belongs to all of us.
Explore the full 2026 Inc. 5000 list at inc.com/inc5000
