Kickstarters
Crowd-funding and kickstarters took off during the last decade. Kickstarter.com was the first company to bring entrepreneurs outside of their comfort zone and to ask for money from potential customers. It's really convenient for people who want to take their money out of big business and invest in smaller companies.
Square Reader
Not a lot of people will admit to carrying a lot of cash anymore. Most of the time, people use their debit or credit cards. This was a problem for smaller, independent folks who wanted to sell their products but didn't have the means for a legit card reader. Then, the Square Reader came onto the market and helped bring more cash into the pockets of small businesses. Plus, it's way more convenient for the customer, too!