Akamai Technologies (AKAM)

Rank: 1
Employees: 1,058
Headquarters: Cambridge, MA
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: How big is online video and music? Big enough to catapult Akamai t
o the top spot. Internet traffic is surging, and companies like Apple and MTV Ne
tworks rely on the content delivery company's technology to get the digital good
s to their customers.
iMergent (IIG)
Rank: 2
Employees: 303
Headquarters: Orem, UT
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: Mom-and-pop businesses are increasingly moving online, and iMergen
t's training programs help them set up shop on the Web. Taking its workshops abr
oad has helped drive new growth. Financial restatements have added to revenue ga
ins.
Palomar Medical Technologies (PMTI)
Rank: 3 (Previous rank: 6)
Employees: 225
Headquarters: Burlington, MA
Sector(s): Medical
Why it's hot: These days even 20-somethings are opting for a nip and a tuck. Tha
t's spiked demand for Palomar's six-figure gear, which uses lasers and light pul
ses to tighten skin, vaporize blemishes, and remove unsightly body hair.
InterDigital Communications (IDCC)
Rank: 4
Employees: 340
Headquarters: King of Prussia, PA
Sector(s): Software
Why it's hot: Mobile devices are hot, but InterDigital's wireless software paten
ts are hotter. More than half of the company's 2006 revenue came from an intelle
ctual property settlement with Nokia. Now it has Samsung in the crosshairs.
CyberSource (CYBS)
Rank: 5
Employees: 247
Headquarters: Mountain View, CA
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: Online fraud has become a growth industry, to the tune of $3 billi
on a year. That's meant big bucks for CyberSource, with companies like Google an
d Yahoo using its secure payment services to protect themselves and their custom
ers.
Perficient (PRFT)
Rank: 6
Employees: 774
Headquarters: Austin, TX
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: CTOs are opening up their wallets again -- and hiring IT consultan
cies to tell them what to buy. This one went on a spending spree itself, snappin
g up independent consulting firms like iPath and Vivare to fuel its growth in 20
06.
Lam Research (LRCX)
Rank: 7 (Previous rank: 21)
Employees: 2,616
Headquarters: Fremont, CA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Tiny circuits are big business. Consumer electronics giants Toshib
a and Samsung are buying Lam's machines, which can etch circuits as fine as 45 n
anometers across for flash memory chips used in mobile phones, iPods, and other
gadgets.
Ceradyne (CRDN)
Rank: 8 (Previous rank: 12)
Employees: 2,205
Headquarters: Costa Mesa, CA
Sector(s): Manufacturing, Military
Why it's hot: As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq drag on, orders from the Penta
gon are up for Ceradyne's ceramic armor -- lighter than steel, more durable than
plastic -- to protect soldiers, helicopters, and other military vehicles.
F5 Networks (FFIV)
Rank: 9 (Previous rank: 18)
Employees: 1,159
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Business applications are moving from the PC to the Web, and that
means more and more companies are depending on F5's appliances to smooth the tra
nsition online by balancing Internet traffic on their corporate servers.
Armor Holdings (AH)
Rank: 10 (Previous rank: 47)
Employees: 8,150
Headquarters: Jacksonville, FL
Sector(s): Manufacturing, Military
Why it's hot: Its labs design high-strength fibers, lightweight ceramics, and bu
lletproof polymers for tougher helmets and vehicles. Government spending on new
military vehicles beefed up business, as did the purchase of manufacturer Stewar
t & Stevenson.
InVentiv Health (VTIV)
Rank: 11
Employees: 5,200
Headquarters: Somerset, NJ
Sector(s): Medical
Why it's hot: Helping drug companies with things like staffing, running clinical
trials, and managing sales data added more than $200 million to InVentiv's reve
nue last year.
Apple (AAPL)
Rank: 12 (Previous rank: 3)
Employees: 21,500
Headquarters: Cupertino, CA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Apple followed its blockbuster iPod line with the Intel-powered Ma
cBook, whose Windows compatibility revived Apple's laptop sales. Next up: the iP
hone.
ValueClick (VCLK)
Rank: 13 (Previous rank: 5)
Employees: 1,072
Headquarters: Westlake Village, CA
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: The online ad network's sites had 132 million unique visitors last
year in the United States alone. Its acquisition of Shopping.net and Fastclick
bulked up revenue.
Varian Semiconductor (VSEA)
Rank: 14 (Previous rank: 44)
Employees: 1,627
Headquarters: Gloucester, MA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: The semiconductor equipment maker uses an ion-blasting technology
that's increasingly popular with chipmakers. Sales were strong worldwide.
LifeCell (LIFC)
Rank: 15 (Previous rank: 8)
Employees: 335
Headquarters: Branchburg, NJ
Sector(s): Medical
Why it's hot: Revenue from its AlloDerm product -- modified human tissue used to
reconstruct breasts and repair hernias -- jumped 62 percent in 2006.
Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH)
Rank: 16 (Previous rank: 28)
Employees: 38,800
Headquarters: Teaneck, NJ
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: Cognizant handles complex IT tasks like setting up data warehouses
. Meanwhile, a growing cadre of India-based programmers is helping to drive reve
nue.
Itron (ITRI)
Rank: 17 (Previous rank: 97)
Employees: 2,400
Headquarters: Liberty Lake, WA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: As utilities build smart grids to cut power usage, they're relying
on Itron and its wireless smart meters to collect and analyze gas and electrici
ty data.
Digital River (DRIV)
Rank: 18 (Previous rank: 83)
Employees: 1,086
Headquarters: Eden Prairie, MN
Sector(s): Business Services
Why it's hot: With consumers increasingly downloading antiviral software, Digita
l River ensures that programs stream smoothly and securely for companies like Mc
Afee.
Hologic (HOLX)
Rank: 19 (Previous rank: 19)
Employees: 1,617
Headquarters: Bedford, MA
Sector(s): Medical
Why it's hot: Its medical-imaging equipment scans for breast cancer and osteopor
osis. An aging population and the need to replace obsolete machines are driving
growth.
Cymer (CYMI)
Rank: 20
Employees: 975
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Cymer's light-source products are used in lasers that etch pattern
s onto semiconductors. Customers like Canon and Nikon increased their orders las
t year.
MKS Instruments (MKSI)
Rank: 21
Employees: 2,960
Headquarters: Wilmington, MA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Its products, which control gases and static in manufacturing, are
used by makers of everything from chips and flat-panel displays to DVDs and sol
ar panels.
Ansoft (ANST)
Rank: 22 (Previous rank: 29)
Employees: 302
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA
Sector(s): Software
Why it's hot: Ansoft's software helps automate repetitive aspects of designing c
omputer chips, cell phones, and networking equipment -- all growing industries.
Rochester Medical (ROCM)
Rank: 23
Employees: 213
Headquarters: Stewartville, MN
Sector(s): Medical
Why it's hot: Hospitals rely on its catheters, and Rochester added incontinence
products. It also scored $39 million in legal settlements involving anti-infecti
ve catheters.
American Science & Engineering (ASEI)
Rank: 24
Employees: 283
Headquarters: Billerica, MA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: The company's scanners can detect a bomb in a suitcase or an illeg
al immigrant in a truck. These days governments are willing to pay big bucks for
both.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Rank: 25
Employees: 4,083
Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA
Sector(s): Electronics
Why it's hot: Nvidia's GeForce graphics processor set the industry standard in b
ringing photo-realism to the Xbox and PlayStation 3. It now powers iPods as well
.