39. Betnow

Founder: Robert Urwin, Mike McCartney
Website: www.betnow.co.uk

Mobile gambling website BetNow was launched in 2005 to mixed reviews – while entrepreneurs everywhere were kicking themselves for not having thought of such a lucrative idea first, moralists condemned the concept.

“Generally speaking, anyone who’s placing bets on sporting events via their mobile phone probably has a gambling problem,” wrote one disgruntled tech blogger shortly after the launch. This didn’t prevent them from securing a major round of funding from Balderton Capital in January, though, and with the mobile gambling industry said to be worth over $1.3bn, the company is set to continue its success.