MAX LEVCHIN, PAYPAL

The impact that visionary and entrepreneur Max Levchin has had on the world cannot be overstated. Since earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois in 1997, he has founded or had a significant role in developing PayPal, Yelp and social photo-sharing site Slide (acquired by Google for a cool $182m).

Today, PayPal has more than 148 million active accounts across 203 markets worldwide. It has blazed a trail of innovation in electronic payments, inspiring countless entrepreneurs throughout the world.

In 2004, Levchin also helped start Yelp, an online social networking and review service that invites customers to post reviews for local businesses, and he continues to serve as chairman. Yelpers have written more than 57 million reviews, and in the first quarter of 2014 alone, the site had 132 million unique visitors.