The List: Disruptor 50
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In the second annual Disruptor 50 list, CNBC features private companies in 27 industries—from aerospace to enterprise software to retail—whose innovations are revolutionizing the business landscape. These forward-thinking upstarts have identified unexploited niches in the marketplace that have the potential to become billion-dollar businesses, and they rushed to fill them. In the process, they are creating new ecosystems for their products and services. Unseating corporate giants is no easy feat. But we ranked those venture capital–backed companies doing the best job. Already it's hard to think of the world without them. Read more about the list ranking and the methodology.
1. SpaceX
2. Warby Parker
3. Etsy
4. Motif Investing
5. Palantir Technologies
6. GitHub
7. Aereo
8. Moderna Therapeutics
9. Spotify
10. Uber
11. Zuora
12. ChargePoint
13. Dataminr
14. Skybox Imaging
15. Stripe
16. TransferWise
17. Personal Capital
18. Quirky
19. Pure Storage
20. Wealthfront
21. Fullscreen
22. EcoMotors
23. Shape Security
24. Dropbox
25. Cool Planet Energy Systems
26. AngelList
27. BrightRoll
28. Yext
29. DocuSign
30. Apptio
31. Nebula
32. Pinterest
33. Lending Club
34. Redfin
35. Coinbase
36. Hampton Creek Foods
37. Bill.com
38. Rent the Runway
39. Nexmo
40. Fon
41. Airbnb
42. MongoDB
43. Oscar
44. Kumu Networks
45. Betterment
46. Kymeta
47. Twilio
48. Snapchat
49. Kickstarter
50. Birchbox
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2014 CNBC's Disruptor 50
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In the second annual Disruptor 50 list, CNBC features private companies in 27 industries—from aerospace to enterprise software to retail—whose innovations are revolutionizing the business landscape. These forward-thinking upstarts have identified unexploited niches in the marketplace that have the potential to become billion-dollar businesses, and they rushed to fill them. In the process, they are creating new ecosystems for their products and services. Unseating corporate giants is no easy feat. But we ranked those venture capital–backed companies doing the best job. Already it's hard to think of the world without them. Read more about the list ranking and the methodology.
1
SpaceX
The company that wants to send you to space and colonize Mars.
2
Warby Parker
Taking on the Luxottica eyewear machine.
3
Etsy
A big voice for small artisans.
4
Motif Investing
Building theme-based portfolios online.
5
Palantir Technologies
Silicon Valley’s CIA operative.
6
GitHub
Cracking the code on collaboration.
7
Aereo
The company TV hopes will die.
8
Moderna Therapeutics
Reprogramming cells to fight disease.
9
Spotify
The most controversial act in music.
10
Uber
The 21st-century taxi service.
11
Zuora
A renewal in the subscription business model.
12
ChargePoint
Putting the gas station out of business.
13
Dataminr
The search for intelligence on Twitter.
14
Skybox Imaging
The spy who came into the Google fold.
15
Stripe
The start-up challenging PayPal.
16
TransferWise
Getting bankers out of the forex biz.
17
Personal Capital
A 360-degree view of your finances.
18
Quirky
Crowdsourcing an idea for basement tinkerers.
19
Pure Storage
Predicting a flash flood of data.
20
Wealthfront
Silicon Valley’s plan to oust wealth managers.
21
Fullscreen
YouTube's hot multichannel talent network.
22
EcoMotors
Turning the engine inside out, in Detroit's backyard.
23
Shape Security
Putting organized cybercrime out of biz.
24
Dropbox
The 800-pound gorilla in the cloud IPO room.
25
Cool Planet Energy Systems
From farm to fuel, and back to farm.
26
AngelList
Getting disruptors the money they need to disrupt.
27
BrightRoll
Betting detergent ads on TV won’t wash.
28
Yext
Resurrecting the Yellow Pages.
29
DocuSign
Sign on the dotted e-line.
30
Apptio
A cloud-based Peter Drucker.
31
Nebula
A private cloud the size of a pizza box.
32
The world's bulletin board.
33
Lending Club
Borrowing without banks.
34
Redfin
The only real estate broker who hates commissions.
35
Coinbase
The closest thing bitcoin has to a central bank.
36
Hampton Creek Foods
The egg comes first; no chicken necessary.
37
Bill.com
Making sure the check’s never in the mail again.
38
Rent The Runway
Nice dress. Can I borrow it?
39
Nexmo
How billion-dollar start-ups text.
40
Fon
The Airbnb meets Uber and Aereo of Wi-Fi.
41
Airbnb
The newest idea in room service: renting one.
42
MongoDB
Solving humongous data problems.
43
Oscar
Health insurance for the Obamacare era.
44
Kumu Networks
A much-needed boost for wireless networks.
45
Betterment
Robo-advising for the masses.
46
Kymeta
Bill Gates’ next potential blockbuster.
47
Twilio
Riding the mobile-app wave.
48
Snapchat
The app for selfie photo lovers.
49
Kickstarter
Cashing in from the crowd.
50
Birchbox
Free samples, for a price.