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

Baidu

Baidu spent $650m on research and development in 2014 in an attempt to develop more mobile-friendly services. It also launched Baidu Wallet, a mobile payment system, in April last year

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.

Supplements

Innovation 40 - 2014

Netflix

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Airbnb

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate