Liquid Light took the #1 spot in the 2014-15 “40 Hottest Smaller Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy” rankings, published today in The Digest, the world’s most widely-read advanced bioeconomy daily.

It was the first year for the Hot 40, which recognizes companies with less than 50 full-time employees and $20 million or less in annual revenues.

VIrent (#2), Rivertop Renewables (#3), NexSteppe (#4), Yulex (#5), Green Biologics (#6), Inbicon (#7), Segetis (#8), and Industrial Microbes and Allylix (#10) rounded out the top 10.

Ranked #11 through #20 are Siluria Technologies, Propel Fuels, Sweetwater Energy, Calysta, Kiverdi, Ensyn, Dyadic, ZeaChem, Canergy and Cellana.

The rankings, which recognize innovation and achievement in fuels, biobased chemicals and materials by emerging companies, are based 50 percent on votes from an invited panel of distinguished international selectors, and 50 percent on votes from subscribers of The Digest

Overall, more than 100,000 individual company ratings were received from panelists and voters in the annual Hot 30, Hot 40 and Hot 50 rankings

The Miami, FL-based Digest  serves more than 1,100,000 unique readers and followers via the web, newsletters and social media in every UN-recognized country.

The 40 Hottest Smaller Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2014-15 are: