Age: 30
Nationality: German
www.intershop.com

Schambach was still in his 20s and living in what was then East Germany when he founded Intershop, an e-commerce software company that today has 1,000 employees and a market value of about $4 billion.

The firm, now headquartered in the U.S., has since moved into offering business-to-business e-commerce solutions for large corporations with enfinity, software that applies Internet standards to streamline operations throughout the supply chain.

Intershop's software recently tied for first place in a ranking of e-commerce software firms by Forrester, a U.S. market research firm, beating a host of American rivals. The appointment of Eckhard Pfeiffer, former CEO of computer maker Compaq, as the company's chairman is expected to help it increase direct sales to blue-chip clients.

The vision thing: "Companies will sell direct, through marketplaces and exchanges, integrate with bricks-and-mortar operations, offer wireless solutions and sell through new channels as they evolve."

Forward spin: Intershop needs to establish a higher profile in the U.S. market to get ahead and will face competition in Europe from U.S. rivals ATG and Blue Martini.

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