Author: Charlotte Gill

With projects across Scandinavia, the leading Danish architectural practice experiments with inspiring and innovative design and build techniques that have impressed since 1986. 3XN aims to fuse science and art to build iconic buildings that influence the behaviour of their inhabitants and make the very best out of the space available. The firm has worked on corporate, private, educational and healthcare establishments, as well as a list of urban planning projects, and has a plethora of projects that will be coming to fruition over the next few years.

Crafting some of the most highly regarded glass and ceramics products on the market, Corning is a leading innovator in a number of new and traditional material fields. Notably, the firm is a market leader in display and environmental technologies, optical communications, life sciences and speciality materials. Corning has been carrying the torch in these markets for a long time – it was founded over 160 years ago – and enjoys annual revenue well into the billions.

Having ridden a number of waves over the course of its existence, Intel has evolved from one sector within the technology sphere to another, constantly reinventing itself and the market within which it operates. A multinational organisation with its headquarters in California, the world’s computer industry wouldn’t be where it is today without Intel. The firm’s products are in just about every computer and computerised system on the planet, such has the firm grown over the past decade. The ‘Internet of Things’ could be the company’s latest enduring legacy.

The front-runner in the global consumer solutions market, Nielsen’s work in putting together information and data, and understanding that data, has become the source of a large number of product success stories. The organisation works with a variety of clients, form multinationals to SMEs, and, as such, focuses on tailored market research that informs innovative product and service strategies. Founded in 1923, the firm’s thoroughbred reputation is known across the world, and it continues to build on its success.

Founded in 2005, Etsy has spent the last decade growing to become the number-one marketplace for creative entrepreneurs across the globe. Shoppers use the site to find individual products from every corner of the globe. With nearly 1.5 million active sellers, the site and organisation – headquartered in New York – has enjoyed skyrocketing sales and a burgeoning reputation. Etsy aims to help small businesses make the most of their products and encourage the growth of community traders everywhere.

A product of the Kickstarter phenomenon, US-based Oculus was the brainchild of Palmer Luckey, whose vision was to create affordable immersive virtual reality technology. Since then the firm has added a number of products to its range, opened a number of offices across the US, and become a pacesetter in the industry. Oculus is changing not only the face of gaming, but also setting a trend for virtual reality tech in all its uses, both current and potential. The firm’s products are constantly in development so software and hardware lines can constantly be improved.

The founder of PayPal has refused to rest on his laurels after cashing in on the payment system when it was sold to eBay in 2002. SpaceX, Musk’s current main interest, is a hugely ambitious, expansive project set up to explore outer space and, ultimately, allow people to live beyond the boundaries of Earth. Musk’s philosophy of research and pushing the limits of possibility define the company; his automotive firm, Tesla, works along the same lines, and has been widely praised for its progressive nature.

Long considered the future of supply chain management and expected to shake the foundations of distribution systems, 3D printing teeters on the brink of revolutionising the movement of goods. 3D Systems has been accredited with the invention of the 3D printer, and the firm continues to improve the technology by researching new ways to design and implement both hard and software. The company focuses on faster solutions for 3D printing across a variety of materials for use in a range of industries.

The world’s foremost semiconductor intellectual property developer and supplier, UK-based ARM Holdings‘ products are everywhere. From smartphones to sensors, tablets and servers, reports suggest the company has sold more than 60 billion chips across the world. The firm isn’t directly focused on manufacturing semiconductor chips, but rather the design and licensing of intellectual property on them. ARM has leading-edge research facilities operated by some of the best brains in the industry.

China’s answer to Google has met with great success in delivering the very platform on which the internet is built across the country. Starting life as a search engine, the organisation has diversified into a number of markets, technologies and fields, and now sits at the forefront of many of the industries into which it has attempted to grow. From software applications to an advertising agency, Baidu has made its mark on the Chinese marketplace, and continues to grow.

With governments and private institutions looking for ways to provide greater and more sustainable food sources, several organisations have sprung up to answer the call. Hampton Creek Foods aims to utilise different technologies in order to produce healthier options, without using trans fats or MSGs. The organisation was formed in 2011 in San Francisco and is building a portfolio of products – including Just Mayo, Just Cookie Dough and Just Cookies. Bill Gates is said to be a fan and the products are gaining traction.

A unique enterprise, the Tory Burch Foundation supplies access to affordable loans, business education, networking programmes and mentoring schemes to entrepreneurial women across America. Burch herself has driven the organisation, enthusing and inspiring women starting out in business from a variety of backgrounds. She has teamed up with a number of large companies – such as Goldman Sachs and Bank of America – in order to facilitate the growth of the organisation and prospects for female entrepreneurs in the country.