Flickr/LeWeb
Alexander Ljung at LeWeb12 conference in Paris.
Ljung and cofounder Eric Wahlforss bonded over a shared love of music, and decided to create a platform that was something like Flickr or Wordpress but for sound. It turned out to be a godsend for aspiring musicians, mainstream artists, DJs, and podcasters alike, who have collectively uploaded over 100 million tracks.
It propelled Ljung into the spotlight too. When not working hard at SoundCloud's Berlin office, he can be found in the company of models and celebrities in some of the most beautiful places in the world.
After eight years, however, SoundCloud is going through a rocky patch. Big labels like Sony have pulled their music from the platform, and the company may have to give away big chunks of equity in order to win licensing agreements.