The Disrupters 2013: The Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing Their Industries Prepare to do things differently. These entrepreneurs are bringing big ideas that are shaking up seven major industries.

By Entrepreneur Staff Jun 28, 2013

Disruption isn't cool. Historically, disruptive ideas and companies haven't been those behind the groundbreaking technologies or products--i.e., the cool stuff. Disrupters aren't usually first to market with a new invention. They are, however, visionaries who grasp how an existing idea can be made better or cheaper or accessible to millions.

History is littered with examples: Ford's assembly line and stripped-down Model T brought cars to the everyman. Steve Jobs took the computer mouse, at the time a custom-built and expensive gadget, and had someone figure out how to make it for less than a quarter of the cost. Amazon.com didn't create online shopping, but it did bring millions of products to one storefront and deliver a better price.

The same goes for our disrupters here. They saw opportunities, ignored by existing players in their fields, to get in, grow big, change the game--and get rich along the way.

Consumer Electronics

The Stylish Headphone Company That's Turning Heads

Frends has transformed a way to listen to music into a must-have women's fashion accessory. Read More "

Telecom

The Entrepreneur Who Will Change Your Mobile Phone Bill

Republic Wireless is a $19-per-month voice, text and data service that relies on Wi-Fi as its primary network. Read More "

Advertising

Revolutionizing the Way We Watch TV and Movies

HitBliss, an online streaming site, allows users to pay for movies and TV shows with cash earned from watching ads. Read More "

Gaming

Transforming the Video Game World

Julie Uhrman has created Ouya, an affordable, open-source console that can access a robust online gaming library. Read More "

Social Networking

The Revolution Will Be Texted

Celly builds mobile social networks that can be accessed by any cell phone, unlocking possibilities for group communication during social and political protests. Read More "

Transportation

A New Way to Rent a Car

Two San Francisco-based startups, RelayRides and Getaround, have teamed up to create a new kind of car-rental company -- one that allows car owners to rent out their vehicles. Read More "

Green

Saving the World With Fertilizer

BeeSafe Organic Lawn Care is scaling up organic fertilizer for commercial and institutional use.Read More "

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor

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