Author: Charlotte Gill

Revolutionising the travel and tourism sectors, Airbnb has created a platform by which bookings can be made quickly and easily on mobile and other interfaces among a trusted community. The site boasts more than 25 million guests across more than 190 countries and close to 35,000 cities. Its growth is pretty much unheard-of – across any sector – and can be attributed to the highly successful marketing campaign instigated in 2014. The product is unique and easy-to-use, and has been well received across the globe.

The chair of Ellevate – a global professional network for women – has a strong corporate history of influencing and producing some outstanding results on Wall Street and beyond. Since turning her hand to her current project, Krawcheck has taken to social media through LinkedIn and Twitter, where the well informed and progressive direction of Ellevate is communicated to businesswomen everywhere. The network invites members from all walks of society and all rungs of the corporate ladder to join and succeed.

With an expanding range of healthy products made from Mycoprotein, Quorn has reinvented the way vegetarians eat. The firm, based primarily in the UK and Ireland, has made startling inroads to a traditionally stubborn market place – that of the meat substitute. Taking on a niche but growing market, Quorn became suitable for vegans in 2012 and continues to research alternatives. Internally, the company has strengthened its supply chain, with reports indicating well over three million less eggs being used in the production process.

Online dating has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, going through a period of revolution and re-establishing itself as market drivers come and go. That was until Tinder arrived on the scene, and completely realigned the way dating service providers perform. Tinder capitalised on the growth of the smartphone market, and its addictive swiping system appealed instantly to the digital generation. The service is available across platforms.

A truly 21st-century organisation with a forward-looking mantra, Dassault is part of a trend of firms keen to define the next stage of immersive applications and business processes. The company’s bespoke 3D offering seemingly has few limitations – a multitude of devices and software applications have been created to boost client experiences and company demands. The France-based firm is a subsidiary of the Dassault Group, which was created in 1981 and has invested in numerous sectors over the course of its lifetime.

The world’s largest aerospace company, and a leading manufacturer of jetliners and aircraft, employs over 165,000 employees across 65 countries. Boeing is at the forefront of the industry, with research and development departments second to none. Continually rewriting the rulebook when it comes to engineering excellence, the company keeps competitors on their toes by throwing a great deal of weight behind forward planning and investing in the latest technologies. With an impressive history and an enviable dedication to R&D, Boeing is a favourite among commercial airlines and within the defence sphere.

One of the companies that revolutionised the search engine, Google is now pretty much the field on which the internet is played. It’s a long time since Google has been referred to as a single product company, with the firm often considered one of the most innovative and expansive outfits on the planet. 2014 was no different, with Google investing in a variety of sectors. Naturally, a company that looks to so many revenue drivers will have a varied success rate, but Google presses on.

Entering the music streaming market at a rate of knots, Spotify has without doubt offered a huge market a distinct and timely service, guaranteeing a faithful audience. Against the odds, the company has created a viable business model in which adverts and a subscription service come together; a model that should give Spotify longevity in an evolving market. Establishing better relations with artists and suppliers, the company has reinvented itself, allowing a better service and generating a more substantial revenue base.

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.

A forward-looking research and development organisation, Moderna is pioneering the next generation of drug development, using messenger RNA (mRNA). The idea is based on the belief that mRNA can assist the human body in generating protein, which in turn contributes to beneficial activity in and around cells. Moderna has built a unique and diverse workforce capable of focusing and developing the very best technology, working with the latest advances in mRNA understanding.

As healthcare markets become more demanding, and advancing organisations in different sectors look for different solutions to stay at the forefront of medical services, genome research and analytics have become vital. It’s here that firms such as Illumina become pivotal. The company – based in California – leads the way in the biotechnological sphere and provides key tools and capacities for firms to determine better medical results. Much lauded for its research and development facilities, Illumina goes from strength to strength.

Established in 2006, One Acre Fund was set up in Kenya to help provide financing and educational facilities to small farmers in East Africa. The organisation lends to farmers in order to help them with assets such as tools, seeds and fertiliser. The firm’s influence can be found in a number of nations across Africa, and was founded by MBA graduate Andrew Youn. One Acre Fund’s repayment returns have been exceptional – a tribute to client loyalty and belief in the programme.