John Hering

The same wide-eyed University of Southern California student who hacked a Bluetooth network from a record-setting distance of over a mile away and scanned celebrities’ phones on the red carpet of the 2005 Academy Awards has turned his free mobile security application, Lookout, into one of the most downloaded apps on the Android. (It released for iOS platforms in 2011.) Lookout uses its algorithm-based Mobile Threat Network to scan your smartphone for Malware and other unwanted intrusions. A serial entrepreneur, Hering was able to raise $75 million to fuel his San Francisco–based startup’s rapid growth. In 18 months Lookout has tripled in size, largely through deals with major telecom providers like Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. It now has more than 25 million users and is valued at $1 billion. Fave hobby: Umm … hacking. –Eli Epstein