Focus: Online gaming
Rob Small, 31
Company: Miniclip
Web: www.miniclip.com
After Facebook, Miniclip.com is the largest privately held website in the world, with 36 million users. Rob Small created the online gaming site six years ago, turning it into a worldwide smash hit with a Dancing Bush game depicting the US president. With around 400, mainly free, games to date and a user-base to drool over, advertisers have flocked. It also creates games for clients and licenses brand names and games to other sites. Since year two the company’s been in profit. Turnover was £12m last year and should double in 2007. Now watch it go truly global.
2012 update:
11 years since its launch and the business is still consistently profitable. With double the amount of players, the site now has more than 65 million users a month, and 750 cross-platform games, Small’s privately owned business continues to dominate the gaming world. With offices in six countries and games in 17 languages its global mission is also being realised.
