Netflix

Not so much a single innovation as the successful application and extension of an innovative business model, Netflix has impressed by building on what it already had. Taking advantage of the growing digital economy, it’s changed the way television, in particular, is accessed and absorbed

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

2014 was the year Regeneron’s Genetics Centre became fully operational, and new research collaborations, including with Columbia University, were announced. The centre will allow Regeneron to continue its work in biopharmaceuticals

Airbnb

In 2014, Airbnb launched its first global marketing campaign – ‘Views’, by agency Pereira & O’Dell – to showcase its offerings around the world. It worked – the company has continued to grow, and Airbnb is now enshrined in tourists’ thinking

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate

Krawcheck’s purchase of women’s networking club 85 Broads, which she rebranded as ‘Ellevate’, has helped open up chances to professional women across the globe. In a world in which equal pay and opportunities have still not been achieved, her efforts are a welcome step

Kevin Systrom, Instagram

in 2014, Instagram launched a series of new creative editing tools, as well as new filters and a sleeker design for android devices. The image-sharing platform continues to go from strength to strength, and is now appreciated as a social network of its own

The co-founder and CEO of Instagram has watched his social media platform grow, both under its own guidance and since being bought by Facebook. Systrom is seen as something of a pillar of Silicon Valley – one of the success stories who really pushed the boundaries and has continued to generate better growth rates since inception. The young CEO’s strengths have become clear as Instagram has challenged some of the bigger players in the market, despite the company starting from very little.

Supplements

Innovation 40 - 2014

Netflix

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Airbnb

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate