2. Raspberry Pi

Founders: Eben Upton, Jack Lang, Robert Mullins, David Braben, Alan Mycroft and Pete Lomas
Founded: December 2009 (launched February 2012)
Website: www.raspberrypi.org

When it made our list last year, Raspberry Pi was just getting started, but despite being just over a year old, the enterprise has since earned plaudits and fans around the globe for its efforts to make programming experience available to all. The founders, having noticed that children no longer have machines like the BBC Micro or ZX Spectrum on which they can learn to program, have achieved the incredible feat of designing a microcomputer which retails at only $25. It plugs into a television and keyboard to be used in much the same way as a PC, and its low price barrier means that it is already being used by children all over the world to learn programming. With ambitious plans to transform the nature of IT education, the business has plans to shift focus over the next 12 months, concentrating less on producing hardware and more on developing educational materials around the device to help users utilise its full potential.