Hansjörg Wyss, Swiss billionaire and philanthropist, built his fortune through medical device maker Synthes, which he sold to Johnson & Johnson for nearly $20 billion in 2012. An engineer by training, Wyss expanded Synthes into a global leader in orthopedic implants before turning his focus to large-scale philanthropy. Through the Wyss Foundation, he has committed billions to environmental conservation, scientific research, and public interest journalism, becoming one of the world’s most influential advocates for protecting wild lands and advancing sustainable solutions.

GT Dave, founder and CEO of GT’s Living Foods, is widely credited with bringing kombucha into the mainstream U.S. market. Starting in the mid-1990s from his family’s kitchen in Los Angeles, he transformed a homemade health drink into a billion-dollar brand, now the leading kombucha company in the world. Known as the “King of Kombucha,” Dave built his business without outside investors, maintaining full ownership while expanding into wellness beverages that emphasize authenticity, probiotics, and natural ingredients. His story reflects both entrepreneurial persistence and a passion for health-driven innovation.

George Marcus, Greek-American real estate mogul, is the founder and chairman of Marcus & Millichap, one of the largest commercial real estate brokerage firms in the United States. Since launching the company in 1971, he has expanded it into a nationwide powerhouse specializing in investment sales, financing, research, and advisory services. Beyond brokerage, Marcus also cofounded Essex Property Trust, a publicly traded REIT focused on West Coast multifamily housing, cementing his influence across both transactional and ownership sides of the real estate industry.

George Lucas, filmmaker and entrepreneur, redefined modern cinema with the creation of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, building two of the most successful franchises in history. Beyond directing and producing, he pioneered advances in visual effects and sound through Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, setting new industry standards. In 2012, he sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4.05 billion, cementing his legacy as both a creative visionary and shrewd businessman. Through the George Lucas Educational Foundation, he has also championed philanthropic efforts in innovative learning.

Geoffrey H. Palmer, founder of G.H. Palmer Associates, is one of Los Angeles’s largest apartment developers, with more than 13,000 units across the metro. He stamped downtown with Italianate mega-complexes like the Medici, Orsini, Piero, Da Vinci, and Lorenzo, and reshaped policy with the 2009 appellate win Palmer v. City of Los Angeles, which limited rental inclusionary mandates under California’s Costa-Hawkins Act. A prolific Republican donor, he remains a powerful—if polarizing—force in L.A. real estate.

Gary Michelson, orthopedic spinal surgeon turned inventor and philanthropist, amassed his fortune through more than 950 patents for medical devices, instruments, and procedures that revolutionized spinal surgery. After a landmark $1.35 billion settlement with Medtronic in 2005 over patent disputes, he shifted his focus to philanthropy, founding the Michelson Medical Research Foundation, Michelson 20MM Foundation for education, and Michelson Found Animals Foundation for animal welfare. His career blends groundbreaking medical innovation with a deep commitment to scientific research, education, and social impact.

Gary Lauder, venture capitalist and heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics fortune, manages Lauder Partners LLC, investing in emerging technologies, communications, and media ventures. Known for his strategic, long-term approach, he has backed numerous early-stage companies while maintaining active involvement in philanthropic initiatives. As a member of the influential Lauder family, he combines the legacy of one of America’s most iconic beauty empires with a forward-looking vision for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Gary Friedman, chairman and CEO of RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), transformed the home furnishings retailer into a high-end lifestyle brand synonymous with luxury design. Since taking the helm in 2001, he has repositioned the company through bold merchandising, exclusive collections, and immersive gallery spaces that blend retail, hospitality, and experience. Under his leadership, RH’s market value has soared, redefining the intersection of home décor and aspirational living while establishing Friedman as one of retail’s most innovative and uncompromising leaders.

Garrett Camp, Canadian entrepreneur and investor, is best known as the cofounder of Uber and the founder of startup studio Expa. Before reshaping urban transportation with Uber, Camp created StumbleUpon, the pioneering web discovery platform acquired by eBay in 2007. At Uber, his vision helped scale the company from a niche car service into a global ride-hailing giant operating in hundreds of cities. Through Expa, he continues to back and build innovative startups, cementing his reputation as a tech visionary with a knack for disruptive ideas.

Fred Ehrsam, cofounder of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, played a pivotal role in bringing digital assets into the financial mainstream. A former Goldman Sachs trader, he launched Coinbase in 2012 with Brian Armstrong, helping it grow into one of the world’s largest crypto platforms. After stepping back from day-to-day operations in 2017, Ehrsam cofounded Paradigm, a leading crypto-focused investment firm backing blockchain startups and decentralized finance projects. Known for his early conviction in Bitcoin and blockchain technology, he remains a prominent voice shaping the future of digital finance.

Frank Slootman, chairman and CEO of Snowflake, has earned a reputation as one of Silicon Valley’s most effective scale-up leaders, steering three companies to multibillion-dollar valuations. After leading Data Domain and ServiceNow through explosive growth and successful IPOs, he took the helm of Snowflake in 2019, guiding the cloud data platform to a record-breaking $33 billion IPO in 2020. Known for his no-nonsense leadership style and relentless focus on execution, Slootman has become a benchmark for operational excellence in the tech industry.

Evan Clark “Ev” Williams is an American pioneer of the social internet. He co-founded Pyra Labs, created Blogger, served as CEO of Twitter (2008–2010), and launched Medium, a leading long-form publishing platform. A graduate by drop‑out who popularized blogging and micro‑blogging, he now leads the impact investment firm Obvious Ventures.

Evan Spiegel co‑founded Snap Inc. (initially Snapchat) in 2011 while studying product design at Stanford. Under his leadership, Snap evolved into a global social media firm with ~400+ million daily users, launching viral innovations like Stories and AR lenses. Spiegel holds over 95 % of Snap’s voting power alongside co‑founder Bobby Murphy and remains its CEO. He also supports youth arts and education through the Spiegel Family Fund with his wife Miranda Kerr.

Evan Sharp is the American entrepreneur and design visionary who co‑founded Pinterest in 2010 alongside Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra. An architecture graduate from the University of Chicago and Columbia GSAPP alumnus, Sharp led the product’s signature grid design and served as Chief Design & Creative Officer. Known for infusing visual simplicity into engineering, he helped Pinterest evolve from a side project into a global platform with hundreds of millions of users.

Eric S. Yuan is a Chinese‑American tech entrepreneur who founded Zoom Video Communications in 2011 and remains its CEO and largest individual shareholder (≈22%). After a high‑growth career at WebEx/Cisco, he built Zoom into a global leader in video conferencing—transforming remote work and communication worldwide. He holds degrees from Shandong University and China University of Mining and Technology, and is a prolific inventor and philanthropist.

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods is widely considered one of golf’s greatest players and one of the few athlete‑billionaires. With 82 PGA Tour wins including 15 majors, he pioneered global value in golf and re‑energized the sport after his 2021 car crash. Woods also owns ventures including PopStroke mini‑golf courses, a restaurant, golf‑course design business, and co-founded TMRW Sports and TGL with Rory McIlroy. Today, he remains active despite injuries and maintains a 15‑time major winner legacy. 

Egon Pierre Durban is a billionaire computer scientist turned private equity leader. He joined Silver Lake in 1999 as a founding principal and rose to co‑CEO in December 2019. As lead dealmaker, Durban has steered headline investments including Skype, Airbnb, Twitter, Dell, and Endeavor Group—helping Silver Lake grow to ~$104 billion in AUM and stake major influence across tech, media, and sports.

Edward P. “Ed” Roski Jr. is the billionaire president and chairman of Majestic Realty Co., one of the largest privately held real estate developers in the U.S., with over 80–90 million square feet of industrial and commercial properties. A decorated Vietnam veteran who earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, he is also a part-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings, co-founded the Land of the Free Foundation supporting veterans, and serves on USC’s board and numerous museum and civic boards. 

Douglas Leone is a billionaire venture capitalist and former Global Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital. Recruited in 1988, he rose to partner in 1993 and later led Sequoia’s international expansion across China, India, and Southeast Asia. Under his stewardship, Sequoia backed major tech wins including ServiceNow, RingCentral, Medallia, Nubank, and YouTube.

Donald E. “Don” Friese rose from an orphanage in rural Pennsylvania to become a self-made billionaire. He joined C.R. Laurence in 1961 as a warehouse worker, bought full ownership by the 1990s, and grew it into the largest glazing‑supplies company in the U.S. He sold the business in 2015 for $1.3 billion while personally gifting more than $86 million in bonuses to employees and remains active philanthropically through the Friese Foundation.