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

Elon Musk, SpaceX

According to SpaceX, its new rocket – the Falcon Heavy – will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two when it launches later this year. This new technology, as well as SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to reusable rockets, is testament to the company’s ongoing drive for innovation

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.

Supplements

Innovation 40 - 2014

Netflix

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Airbnb

Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevate