After a year in which industry was knocked off its axis by the coming of age of artificial intelligence and the transition to an online world continued apace, new businesses are emerging and old industries reinventing themselves to adapt. Here, we look at five companies making the most of these turbulent times. It's been a difficult year for the operators of electric scooters, bikes and mopeds: most notably in Paris, where its e-scooter rental scheme was shut down by city authorities after a popular vote. One big player, Tier, nominated here a year ago as a company to watch, also lost its business in London when trial licences were renewed. Increasingly, in the crowded streets of the UK, rental ebikes are looking a better bet than the e-scooter: a more familiar mode of transport for occasional users, feeling safer and with the bonus of sitting rather than standing.

The world of tabletop gaming was once the preserve of nervous teenage boys holed up in dark basements and bedrooms. But as shows like Stranger Things tap into the rose-tinted nostalgia of afternoons spent playing Dungeons & Dragons, could it be that the geeks have inherited more than Middle Earth? In a craft beer bar lit with bare bulbs, a cluster of tattooed and bearded punters gather. On first glance this branch of BrewDog in Nottingham might seem like your typical hipster hangout, but one thing gives it a slightly different air: numerous hand-drawn maps, some character sheets, and voluminous bags of 20-sided dice. It's the bar's monthly tabletop gaming night - and regulars love it. "I think the escapism is the best bit," says 27-year-old gamer Hannah Yeates.