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

One Acre Fund

In 2014, the One Acre Fund ran new research studies in the long rain season in Rwanda, in a bid to find out how bananas and varieties of bean crops can and could affect the local communities/economies

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.

Supplements

Innovation 40 - 2014

Netflix

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Airbnb

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate