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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsComputerworld’s January 27, 2021 list named 12 enterprise technology companies it considered especially notable at the time. This is a historical snapshot—not a current ranking or a claim that the companies remain startups, have the same products, or retain the funding and valuations reported then. The picks span databases, data management, software development, AI hardware, virtual events, security, collaboration, marketing data, and business travel.
What “hot” meant in this 2021 roundup
Computerworld’s selection reflected a mix of product relevance, customer adoption, funding, and demand during the COVID-era shift toward digital services. The article did not publish a scoring method, so its picks are not directly comparable as an investment ranking or a measure of business performance. The numbers below are figures reported in that article and belong to their stated dates.
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The backdrop was a forecast, not a result: Computerworld reported Gartner’s 2021 forecast of 6.2% growth in global IT spending, to $3.9 trillion. It also cited Crunchbase’s report that global venture funding in the first half of 2020 reached $130 billion, about 6% below 2019. These figures are presented as reported by Computerworld; the underlying Gartner and Crunchbase publications were not separately verified.
The 12 enterprise tech companies
1. Cockroach Labs: distributed SQL databases
Cockroach Labs develops CockroachDB, a commercial distributed SQL database. Computerworld reported that the company’s revenue more than doubled in 2020 and that it raised a $160 million Series E in January 2021. Both are article-era figures, not current performance or funding information.
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2. Cohesity: enterprise data management
Cohesity began with secondary data—such as backups, files, test and development data, and analytics—and the article described an expansion into analytics, security, and recovery. It reported a $250 million Series E in April 2020.
3. Confluent: real-time data streaming
Founded by creators of Apache Kafka, Confluent was described as a commercial offering for organizations using Kafka for high-volume application messaging and real-time data streaming. For readers who want a separate learning resource, Manning’s Apache Kafka in Action is a print book covering Kafka fundamentals, production operations, and enterprise integration; it is a book, not a company or a Confluent product.
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4. Front: shared inboxes for teams
Front makes shared inbox software for teams such as customer support, sales, and public relations. Its collaboration features include assigning conversations and coordinating responses, addressing work that can otherwise be scattered across individual inboxes.
5. Funnel: marketing and advertising data
Swedish SaaS company Funnel collects and prepares marketing and advertising data from multiple sources. The Computerworld article named Skyscanner, Samsung, and Ubisoft as reference customers and reported a $47 million Series B in January 2020.
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6. GitLab: code hosting and DevOps collaboration
GitLab combines source-code repositories with DevOps collaboration, including continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) functionality. The article reported a $268 million funding round in 2019 and a $6 billion valuation as of January 2021; neither figure should be read as a current valuation or funding total.
7. Graphcore: processors for AI workloads
UK-based Graphcore builds processors for AI workloads, which it calls intelligent processing units (IPUs), alongside its Poplar software stack. The article highlighted the GC200 processor, described as a 2020 product, and a $222 million Series E raised in December 2020.
8. Hopin: virtual events
Founded in 2019 and based in London, Hopin offered software for virtual events. Computerworld reported the company’s claim that, as of November 2020, it had 3.5 million users across more than 50,000 organizations; the article did not present that usage as independently audited. It also reported a $125 million Series B at a $2.1 billion valuation.
9. Snyk: security for developers and open-source code
Snyk focuses on developer-oriented security, including helping identify vulnerabilities in open-source code. The article reported a $200 million investment in September 2020 and a $2.6 billion valuation at that time.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →10. Tanium: endpoint management and security
Tanium provides enterprise network endpoint management and security. The article described mapping endpoints and monitoring devices, and reported that the company had raised more than $1 billion by January 2021.
11. Tessian: email security
Tessian focuses on risks such as misdirected email and sensitive information being sent to the wrong recipient. Its approach, as described in the article, uses behavioral patterns to prompt senders to review risky messages. Computerworld said that named organizations and more than 70 British law firms used the product, and reported $60 million raised. These are article-era adoption and funding claims.
12. TripActions: corporate travel
TripActions provides corporate travel booking and management, pairing a consumer-style travel search experience with employer controls. The article reported a $155 million Series E in January 2021 and a $5 billion valuation. Those figures describe the company’s position as reported then, not its present status.
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The companies served different enterprise needs, so a single “best” pick cannot be inferred from the roundup. A meaningful comparison would need to account for what each product does, who uses it, how mature it was, what adoption evidence was available, and when any funding or valuation figure was reported. The 2021 article supplies a dated snapshot of those topics, not evidence of current products, customers, financial strength, or company status.
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