The Ripple Effect

While on a surf trip escaping the aftermath of a failed U$4m investment, Nick Woodman hadn't planned to develop the prototype for the GoPro camera. But from a wrist-mounted surf camera held together by scraps, a whole new industry was born.

One of America’s most iconic shoe brands struggled to get off the ground until Steve Van Doren made two fateful decisions that launched Vans into the forefront of skateboarding and punk rock culture.

Jack O’Neill’s passion for the sea was powerful enough to change the world of watersports forever. His innovation in design and knack for marketing the wetsuit spearheaded the beginnings of the modern surf industry.

Predicting the behaviour of ocean waves was thought to be impossible until Sean Collins cracked the code. While his research began out of the desire to surf perfect waves, his findings proved to have an even bigger impact on the world.

Bob McKnight and Quiksilver might as well be the Icarus of action sports. From the bar bet that launched the brand, to its growth into a billion-dollar icon, to its eventual bust, the company's ride has been anything but mundane.

The road to success is a winding one. High school friends Justin Kan and Emmett Shear played with many different business ideas before they cracked the code and changed the way people look at video games with the online esports network Twitch TV.