Great annual issue – run out and get the March copy.
The editorial summarizes the major innovation trends that drove their selection:
- Social is now a layer for everyone: Nike's FuelBand is not only a novel product, but users promote the company with each post or tweet of their activity.
- Software is the "wow" factor: Now that smartphones and tablets are everywhere, cool apps are the foundation of transformational businesses. Uber (No. 6) is remaking urban transport. Airbnb (No. 12) is revolutionizing hoteling. Even Ford (No. 27) has put software at the center of its customer experience.
- Reinvention is required: Fab (No. 5) started as a hot flash-sales site, but it broke out by expanding well beyond that model. BuzzFeed (No. 18) didn't content itself with huge audiences drawn by cat videos; it invested in high-impact journalism and set new traffic records.
- Speed matters: Amazon (No. 2) raised the ante for e-tailers with same-day delivery. And Google's (No. 11) test case for superfast broadband in Kansas City has other locales salivating.
- Entrepreneurialism is still rising: Just look at the range of businesses remaking fashion and beauty (No. 19), from Nasty Gal to Science.
- Data is the difference: Splunk (No. 4) is now worth $3 billon; the risk analytics of OpenGamma (No. 24) offer needed protection against future financial meltdowns.
- R&D pays off: In a world of instant gratification, long-term investment still matters. Proteus Digital Health and GE Healthcare generated biotech breakthroughs (No. 34). Thanks to intense research, Corning (No. 36) can do things with glass that no one ever imagined.
- Schools are learning: Technology continues to remake education, as online Western Governors University (No. 28) became a leading provider of master's degrees, and Coursera (No. 40) attracted 2 million students.
Comments