Eric Ries

Ries became a corporate guru after his 2011 book The Lean Startup influenced a generation of startups and big companies alike. Now he’s focused on building the LTSE, a new exchange with listing standards that prioritize long-term investing. Wall Street’s short-term focus is a well-acknowledged problem. Will Ries solve it? Right now he’s still pursuing the complex regulatory path required, but he’s raised some $19 million to fund it—and he did, after all, write the book on successful innovation.