You are missing a 'the'. It should be They want to stay ahead of the curve. According to: http://tweakyourbiz.com/growth/2013/05/09/staying-ahead-of-the-curve-and-in-step-with-your-growth-plan/ What does “Staying ahead of the curve” mean to my business? Loosely, it means that you’re managing the careful act of remaining adept, focused and aware of opportunities, before they arise and being absolutely prepared for them. You’re well-connected to your market by listening to your customer, client, or whomever you service. In fact, you’re so well ‘tuned-in’ to them that you know what they’re likely to want before they want it. You’re designing, developing and strategising your business’s service or product by anticipating the next potential market “swing”.

Gary's answer is correct as far as it goes but his answer provides a limited context for the phrase "ahead of the curve". To be "ahead of the curve" or "behind the curve" is an English idiom. The problem with idioms is that sometimes it's well known where the idiom comes from and other times it's a mystery. When it's now well known, there are often multiple competing hypotheses for where the idiom comes from. Here's one explanation of what the CURVE is: http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/ahead+of+the+curve.html Here's another similar explanation: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-ahead-of-the-curve-mean.htm I do not like the above explanations but they are the ones that I found via Google Search. I think the derivation of "the curve" has some sort of scientific/engineering origin but what that is may be lost in the fog of history. In preference to the above definition of "the CURVE", I have constructed the following explanation of what the CURVE is: When you are driving a car (or a train), you often come to a point where the road (or railway) curves. In a car, you must slow down and start steering. In a train, you must slow down. If you slow down and start steering "ahead of the curve", you are being pro-active and acting before it is necessary. You will probably handle the curve in a better manner than a driver who is late in slowing down and steering. That person will be reacting "behind the curve" and will likely skid and fishtail through the curve. A train engineer may well derail his train if he slows down too late. Whether my explanation is the "true" origin of the phrase "ahead of the curve" or not, I think it will help you to understand it and use it appropriately.

Simply: 1. It means "to be above average". 2. Origin: "the curve" is the standard bell-shaped statistical curve.