Jaclyn Baumgarten

In 2012, Jacyln Baumgarten remembered that her happiest childhood memories as a kid involved boating on lakes outside Chicago. Then, within two weeks, her brothers called, each saying he hadn’t used his boat in a year and was going to sell it. Seeing a need--and inspired by the success of platforms like Airbnb--Baumgarten launched peer-to-peer boat-sharing company BoatSetter. (Initially it was called Cruzin; she merged with another company and rebranded in 2015.) The platform allows owners to rent out their boats for a few hours or a few months, thus off-setting the cost of ownership. (Some even come with captains.) Baumgarten’s real innovation was pioneering the first peer-to-peer marine insurance policy, without which boat-sharing would not be possible. The company is speeding forward: this year it has expanded its reach to the Balearic Islands, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Mexico, bringing registered users to over 350,000 in 70 countries. --Hannah Wallace