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

Travis Kalanick, Uber

Travis Kalanick, who co-founded Uber alongside Garrett Camp and is now CEO, is allegedly possessed of a bit of a temper. He evidently has passion, because Uber is only five years old and has been valued at a staggering $18.2bn. The smartphone-based car service now operates across the globe

Few would have envisaged much room for reassessing the taxi and private car hire market a few years ago, but Uber has completely reinvigorated an industry entering a new digital maturity. The firm reconsidered the supply chain: with drivers chosen based on their proximity to pick ups and customers ordering immediately, the enterprise makes strong use of smartphone technology. Uber’s real genius is in its affordability, driving it to the forefront of the market. Kalanick, the man behind this success, has been instrumental in carving Uber’s niche.

Supplements

Innovation 40 - 2014

Netflix

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Airbnb

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate