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How to Use Sector HQ Rankings

Your complete guide to navigating AI company rankings like a pro.

1

Understand Score vs Rank

The most important concept: Score and Rank are different metrics that tell different stories.

📊 Score (0-100)

Absolute measure of AI activity, quality, and sentiment.

  • • Based on event volume, quality, and sentiment
  • • Independent of other companies
  • • Can compare across time periods
  • • Score of 75 always means same activity level

Example: Company with score 85 is highly active regardless of competition

🏆 Rank (#1-500+)

Relative position compared to all other companies.

  • • Position in sorted list (lower is better)
  • • Changes as competitors move
  • • Affected by overall market activity
  • • #1 rank = most active THIS WEEK

Example: Rank #50 could be score 75 or score 88 depending on competition

⚠️ Common Scenario

Your tracked company has score 80 (excellent!) but dropped from rank #15 to #25. This doesn't mean they got worse - it means 10 competitors became more active. Check their score change, not just rank change.

2

Navigate the Leaderboard

The leaderboard offers multiple ways to explore companies:

🔍 Search by Name

Use the search bar to find any tracked company instantly.

Tip: Search works on partial names - "anthrop" finds "Anthropic"

📋 Browse by Rank Range

Different rank tiers reveal different insights:

  • Ranks #1-10: Industry leaders, highest activity
  • Ranks #11-50: Strong performers, established players
  • Ranks #51-100: Mid-tier, potential rising stars
  • Ranks #101+: Emerging, niche, or lower activity

🗂️ Filter by Metrics

Filter companies by specific criteria:

  • • Minimum score threshold (e.g., score > 75)
  • • Event activity level (e.g., 10+ events/week)
  • • Sentiment range (e.g., sentiment > 60%)
  • • Hype Gap classification (honest, overhyped)

📂 Explore by Category

View companies grouped by AI category: Infrastructure, Generative AI, AI Agents, Computer Vision, NLP, and 19 more categories.

Visit /categories to browse all 24 categories

3

Interpret Company Metrics

Each company listing shows key metrics. Here's how to read them:

Score: 85.2

What it means

Overall activity level combining events, quality, and sentiment.

90-100: Exceptional | 75-90: Excellent | 60-75: Good | 40-60: Average | Below 40: Low

Rank: #12

What it means

12th most active AI company this week.

Watch for: ↑ Rank improving | ↓ Rank declining | − Stable position

Events: 18 (7d) | 65 (30d)

What it means

18 AI events detected in past week, 65 in past month.

10+ per week = active | 20+ per week = very active | 30+ per week = extremely active

Sentiment: 72%

What it means

72% positive community perception from Reddit, GitHub, forums.

Above 60% = positive | 40-60% = mixed | Below 40% = negative

Hype Gap: +8

What it means

Hype score exceeds reality score by 8 points. Slight marketing exaggeration.

Negative = underdelivers | 0-5 = honest | 5-10 = slight hype | 10-20 = overhyped | 20+ = extreme hype

Explore LeaderboardRead Methodology