Marcelo Claure, entrepreneur and investor, is best known for building Brightstar into one of the world’s largest wireless distribution companies and for his high-profile leadership roles in global telecommunications. After founding Brightstar in 1997, Claure expanded it into a multibillion-dollar enterprise operating in more than 50 countries, later selling a majority stake to SoftBank. He went on to serve as CEO of Sprint, where he led a multiyear turnaround, and later became chief operating officer of SoftBank Group, overseeing global investments across technology, telecom, and startups. Known for his intense execution style and dealmaking acumen, Claure remains a central figure in international business and private investment.

Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Netscape and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is one of Silicon Valley’s most influential architects, shaping both the early internet and the modern startup ecosystem. After creating Mosaic, the first widely adopted web browser, and helping launch Netscape, Andreessen turned to investing, backing industry-defining companies across software, crypto, AI, and consumer technology. Through Andreessen Horowitz, he helped institutionalize venture capital as a full-service platform, supporting founders with capital, talent, and strategic insight. Known for his bold technological manifestos and conviction in software’s transformative power, Andreessen remains a central voice in global innovation.

Kevin Plank, founder and executive chairman of Under Armour, transformed an idea born from sweat-soaked T-shirts into a global performance apparel brand that redefined athletic wear. Launching Under Armour in 1996 from his grandmother’s basement, he introduced moisture-wicking compression gear to football teams and quickly expanded the brand across professional sports, retail, and international markets. Plank led Under Armour through explosive growth, celebrity partnerships, and a high-profile IPO, while cultivating a bold, challenger culture. After stepping back from the CEO role, he remains the company’s strategic force and a major investor in real estate and hospitality through Sagamore Ventures.

Karthik Sarma, founder of SRS Investment Management, is the hedge fund manager who turned a concentrated activist position in Avis Budget Group into one of the most spectacular investment wins of the past decade. After founding SRS in 2006, the former Tiger Cub built a reputation for deep, research-driven conviction, long time horizons, and strategic influence behind the scenes. His most famous trade—SRS’s stake in Avis—generated multibillion-dollar gains as the company’s market value surged, making Sarma one of the top-earning hedge fund managers in America. Known for his low profile, analytical intensity, and disciplined patience, he has become a defining figure in modern activist investing.

Justin Ishbia, founder and managing partner of Shore Capital Partners, has built one of the fastest-growing private equity firms in the lower middle market, backing healthcare, business services, and food companies through a disciplined strategy of operational improvement and platform roll-ups. Under his leadership, Shore has completed hundreds of acquisitions and created scaled national platforms across dental, veterinary, behavioral health, and specialty manufacturing, while consistently generating strong returns. A former practicing attorney with a sharp eye for founder-led businesses, Ishbia is also a major investor in sports as co-owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury alongside his brother, Mat Ishbia. His combination of analytical rigor, deal intensity, and strategic focus has made him a rising force in private equity.

Joseph Bae, co-CEO of KKR, is one of the most powerful private equity leaders of his generation, having played a central role in transforming the firm from a classic buyout shop into a diversified global investment powerhouse. Joining KKR in 1996, he spearheaded the firm’s expansion across Asia—building its offices, teams, and flagship funds—before taking on broader leadership of global private equity, growth, credit, and infrastructure platforms. As co-CEO, Bae oversees hundreds of billions in assets and helps set the strategic direction of one of the world’s most influential alternative asset managers. Known for his global mindset, disciplined dealmaking, and talent-building leadership, he remains a defining voice in the evolution of modern private equity.

José E. Feliciano, cofounder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, is one of the most influential private equity investors of his generation, helping build Clearlake into a top-tier global firm focused on technology, industrials, and consumer businesses. Since launching the firm in 2006 with Behdad Eghbali, Feliciano has overseen a disciplined strategy combining operational transformation with data-driven value creation, driving assets under management to well over $70 billion. A leader in expanding Latino representation in finance, he is also a major philanthropist through the SUPERB and Somos foundations, supporting education, entrepreneurship, and social mobility. Feliciano’s blend of investment rigor, cultural leadership, and long-horizon thinking has made him a defining force in modern private equity.

Jon Oringer, founder and executive chairman of Shutterstock, is one of the earliest pioneers of the digital content marketplace economy. In 2003, he launched Shutterstock as a one-man operation—personally shooting the site’s first 30,000 stock photos—before scaling it into a global platform offering millions of images, videos, and creative assets to customers in more than 150 countries. Oringer took Shutterstock public in 2012, becoming New York’s first tech billionaire, and has since focused on building Pareto Holdings, an investment firm backing early-stage startups in Miami and beyond. Known for his product intuition and bootstrap discipline, he remains a central figure in the evolution of digital media licensing.

Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, is one of the most influential investors in modern finance, credited with building the firm’s real estate arm into the world’s largest private property platform. Joining Blackstone in 1992, he pioneered the company’s massive expansion into opportunistic real estate, logistics, hospitality, and large-scale global acquisitions, including the Hilton Hotels deal—one of the most profitable private equity investments in history. As COO, Gray now helps steer Blackstone’s multi-trillion-dollar asset management strategy across private equity, credit, infrastructure, and insurance. Known for his analytical discipline, bold dealmaking, and philanthropic leadership in cancer research, Gray is a central architect of the firm’s rise to global dominance.

John Foley, cofounder and former CEO of Peloton, turned a home-fitness concept into a global connected workout phenomenon by merging high-end hardware with subscription media. After launching Peloton in 2012 through Kickstarter, Foley pushed a bold bet on streaming-based fitness communities, leading the company through rapid growth, a blockbuster IPO, and a surge in demand during the pandemic. Known for visionary product design and premium branding, he later stepped down amid supply-chain and post-pandemic challenges but remains a defining figure in the evolution of consumer wellness technology. Through subsequent ventures in textiles and wellness, Foley continues to pursue innovation at the intersection of lifestyle, brand, and retail.

John Arnold, former hedge fund trader and cofounder of Arnold Ventures, built one of the most successful careers in energy trading before devoting his wealth to large-scale philanthropy. After rising quickly at Enron’s trading desk, he launched Centaurus Energy in 2002 and became known for prescient bets on natural gas markets that produced billions in profits, earning a reputation as one of the most skilled traders of his generation. Retiring from finance in his 30s, Arnold shifted his focus to philanthropic work through Arnold Ventures, targeting data-driven policy reform in criminal justice, healthcare, education, and public finance. His rare trajectory from billionaire trader to systems-change philanthropist has made him a uniquely influential figure in both markets and public policy.

Jeffrey Talpins, founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Element Capital Management, is a leading architect of the “modern macro” hedge fund era. Launching Element in 2005 after distinguished fixed-income roles at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, Talpins built the firm into a multi-billion-dollar platform famed for its disciplined, systematic global-macro strategies and strong historical performance. Under his leadership, Element returned 21 % annualized since inception and at one point managed over $18 billion in assets. Talpins also channels his success into high-impact philanthropy, including conservation, education, and peace initiatives through the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation.

Omar Al Futtaim, vice chairman and CEO of the Al-Futtaim Group, oversees one of the Middle East’s largest and most diversified conglomerates, with operations spanning automotive, retail, real estate, finance, and logistics. Under his leadership, the Dubai-based family empire—known for partnerships with brands such as Toyota, Lexus, IKEA, and Marks & Spencer—has expanded across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Al Futtaim has guided the group’s transformation through digital modernization, large-scale real estate developments, and strategic global acquisitions, solidifying its position as a cornerstone of regional commerce and one of the UAE’s most influential private enterprises.

Patrick Dovigi, founder, president, and CEO of GFL Environmental, has built one of North America’s fastest-growing waste management and environmental services companies. Starting GFL in 2007 with a single truck operation, he executed an aggressive consolidation and acquisition strategy that transformed the business into a multibillion-dollar green-branded powerhouse operating across Canada and the United States. Known for his dealmaking acumen, entrepreneurial intensity, and distinctive “Green For Life” vision, Dovigi has reshaped the competitive landscape of waste collection, recycling, and infrastructure services while maintaining one of the industry’s most recognizable consumer-facing brands.

Jeff Tangney, cofounder and CEO of Doximity, has built the platform into the “LinkedIn for doctors” and one of the most important digital networks in American healthcare. After previously cofounding Epocrates, he launched Doximity in 2010 to streamline communication among physicians, hospitals, and healthcare organizations. Under his leadership, Doximity has grown to millions of verified medical professionals, offering telehealth tools, secure messaging, and clinical resources that power critical workflows across the industry. Known for his disciplined product focus and deep understanding of medical communication needs, Tangney has positioned Doximity as a vital infrastructure player in modern healthcare.

Jeff Lawson, cofounder and former CEO of Twilio, is a pioneering force in cloud communications whose vision reshaped how modern companies interact with customers. Launching Twilio in 2008 after stints at Amazon, StubHub, and founding multiple startups, Lawson championed the idea of programmable communication APIs that let developers embed messaging, voice, and authentication directly into applications. Under his leadership, Twilio grew into a multibillion-dollar public company powering communications for thousands of global enterprises. Known for his developer-first philosophy and product-driven leadership style, Lawson remains a defining figure in SaaS innovation and digital customer engagement.

Jeff Green, cofounder and CEO of The Trade Desk, has become one of the most influential leaders in digital advertising by building the world’s leading independent programmatic ad platform. Since launching the company in 2009, he has championed transparency, data-driven buying, and an open internet—positioning The Trade Desk as a counterweight to walled gardens like Google and Meta. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a multibillion-dollar powerhouse serving major brands, agencies, and media companies across the globe. Known for his strategic clarity and outspoken industry perspective, Green has reshaped how digital ads are bought, measured, and optimized.

Jed Walentas, CEO of Two Trees Management, is one of New York City’s most influential real estate developers, known for transforming Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood from industrial waterfront to one of the city’s most desirable creative and residential hubs. Building on the vision of his father, David Walentas, he led marquee projects such as the Domino Sugar Refinery redevelopment on the Williamsburg waterfront—blending mixed-use design, public spaces, and architectural ambition. With a reputation for long-term, community-focused urban development, Walentas has shaped modern Brooklyn’s identity while solidifying Two Trees as a powerhouse in New York real estate.

Jed McCaleb, pioneering software developer and blockchain innovator, is best known as a cofounder of Ripple and Stellar, two of the most influential protocols in the digital asset ecosystem. A serial entrepreneur with a long history in early crypto infrastructure, McCaleb created the first major cryptocurrency exchange, Mt. Gox, before selling it in 2011, and later launched Stellar to promote low-cost, decentralized cross-border payments. Beyond blockchain, he founded aerospace company Vast to pursue long-term visions in space habitation. Known for his technical creativity and unconventional path, McCaleb has helped shape multiple generations of internet and financial technology.

Jared Smith, cofounder of Qualtrics, helped build one of the world’s leading experience management platforms, transforming the way companies gather insights and understand customers, employees, and markets. Launching the company with his brother Ryan and their father in a Utah basement, he oversaw product development and technology that powered Qualtrics’ rapid ascent from a bootstrapped startup to a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Following its $8 billion acquisition by SAP, Smith continued as president of Qualtrics, driving global expansion and innovation. Known for his operational discipline and product vision, he remains a key figure in the modern SaaS landscape.