'We want to be world class," says Errol Damelin, talking about his high-profile start-up, Wonga. "And I don't mean bigger than Barclays. I mean like Facebook, Amazon and Apple."

Fantasy? Well, the smart-talking South African entrepreneur is certainly making a strong case.

Who would have thought it? Lego could be the key to improving global economies.

According to Israeli entrepreneur Amir Asor, the popular children's building brick is integral to training the next generation of engineers, who will in turn play an increasingly important role in solving some of the world's financial difficulties. So convinced is Mr Asor that he has set up a business based on it.

It is every venture capitalist's dream: invest in a young company and watch it grow on an unprecedented scale in a short space of time. And that is exactly what leading VC firm Greylock has managed to do - again and again.

It counts US-based Facebook, LinkedIn and Groupon among its successful investments.

In 2004 entrepreneur Rob Keve had a pivotal moment. The former venture capitalist realised there were changes afoot for customer service and came up with a concept to enable businesses to receive consumer feedback in real-time.

Image is everything. Just ask Doren Gabriel, the founder of photography firm, image 1st.

His business comprises DG Corporate, which specialises in taking company headshots. It has experienced an 80 per cent increase in revenues over the past year as companies seek ways to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

Bread is big business. Despite rising food inflation and curbs on consumer spending, sales of bread are on the rise, particularly among the artisan varieties.

Both Tesco and Waitrose have reported significant increases in sales of "speciality bread" and have expanded their ranges to cope with customer demand.

Ignore social media at your peril. Such a warning is sounded by Michael Raibin of niche property firm, Hatton Real Estate.

Earlier this year the young company, nominated for the Estates Gazette's Business Launch of the Year, became what is believed to be the first UK agency to execute a commercial property deal via Facebook.

Tzachi Wiesenfeld probably has access to most of the world's buildings. If not, he could no doubt find a way of getting in.

The Israeli engineer is the vice president of Assa Abloy, the world's leading door solutions and lock company. He heads the Europe, Middle East and Africa multi-billion dollar arm - the group's largest division.

An increasing number of Jewish investors are putting their faith - and cash - into Germany.

According to David Kaye, commercial director at leading investment-banking group Shore Capital plc, which reported a pre-tax profit of £4.3 million for the first half of the year, Israelis in particular are playing a more prominent role when it comes to investing in Germany.

Restaurateur Mitchell Tillman has obviously not read the financial menu. While many businesses struggle to cope with the impact of the downturn, his First Restaurant Group is expanding with trade better than expected this year.

"London's eating-out market is growing," says Mr Tillman, 36.

Richard Tibber is never late. Hardly surprising considering he owns several dozen watches and has access to millions.

Mr Tibber is the managing director of Zeon, the UK's leading watch company. It sells more than 2.5 million watches a year, achieves around £30 million worth of sales and has a 15 per cent market share.

David Reiss is something of an anomaly in retail. For one, he is still smiling amid the depressing high street conditions. His Reiss fashion chain has reported a 43 per cent rise in UK profits this year to £13.1 million and the head honcho believes these are the most exciting times in the group's 40-year history.

Online gaming is one of the world's largest growth markets. According to some sources it has been growing faster than Facebook and is expected to rise at double the rate of land-based gambling over the next two years.

Israel, a global leader in the industry, is hoping to cash in on the boom.

Assessing global markets is not that different to football, according to Sir Martin Sorrell, one of the world's most accomplished businessmen.

Arising number of company directors and professionals are turning to pawn.

● 2010 Winner: Michael Korn - KwickScreen, a retractable portable screen to create partitions in hospitals

Medical inventor Michael Korn was last year's runaway winner, wowing the judges with his KwickScreen - a retractable screen that creates temporary partitions between hospital beds to prevent the spread of infection.

Is Howard Schultz a madman or a genius? A "poor boy from Brooklyn", he spent 13 years building up Starbucks from a handful of branches to a global empire before deciding to step back. And after he had borrowed millions to buy it.

A "chocoholic" from East Sussex was the winner of this year's Dragons' Den-style competition, organised by the JC and London Jewish Cultural Centre for the fourth consecutive year.

● Gabriel John
Tyger Paw - a purpose made brush for cleaning football boots and others studded sports shoes

Football fan Gabriel John has created a product that he believes is the ideal tool for cleaning sports footwear.

● Tony Perkin and Laurence Wright Easy Pour'ter - a device that allows you to open and pour bottles with one hand

Confident they have the bottle to make it are plastics expert Tony Perkin and his business partner Laurence Wright. The Reading duo have created Easy Pour'ter, a device that enables people to open and pour two-litre bottles with one hand.