Imagine a world, where connecting to the internet means dialing a special phone number on a dedicated landline and praying that the call actually goes through. Or where homeowners and apartment-dwellers are solely responsible for disposing of their own trash. Or where launching a payload into orbit is so astronomically expensive that no one can afford to do it except the wealthiest governments. These scenarios aren’t ripped from some work of dystopian fiction. They were reality in the not-too-distant past.
We’ve moved past these and other inconvenient realities thanks to the tireless efforts of a very special group of people: serial entrepreneurs. Serial entrepreneurs love to build big, bold new businesses, and they often make the world better in so doing. Here’s a look at five of the most active, including some you’ve probably heard of.