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.

John Doerr, chairman of Kleiner Perkins, is one of the most influential venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, backing industry-defining companies that helped shape the modern internet and clean-tech revolutions. Since joining the firm in 1980 after a successful career at Intel, he led investments in Amazon, Google, Netscape, Sun Microsystems, and later climate-focused innovators such as Beyond Meat and QuantumScape. Doerr is also a leading voice for mission-driven entrepreneurship, championing OKR management frameworks and ambitious climate policy through philanthropy and his book Speed & Scale. His decades-long impact continues to steer technology, leadership, and climate innovation on a global scale.

Joe Ricketts, billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, is the founder of TD Ameritrade, the online brokerage he launched in 1975 and grew into one of America’s largest trading platforms through early adoption of discount brokerage, digital tools, and retail investor empowerment. After taking the company public and expanding it through major acquisitions, Ricketts became a prominent figure in finance and later sold TD Ameritrade to Charles Schwab in a landmark multibillion-dollar deal. Beyond business, he has invested heavily in journalism, conservation, and civic initiatives through the Ricketts family foundation, and the family also owns the Chicago Cubs. Ricketts remains a defining voice in entrepreneurship, public policy, and philanthropy.

Jerry Speyer, cofounder and chairman of Tishman Speyer, is one of the most influential real estate developers of the modern era, shaping skylines across New York, major U.S. cities, and global financial hubs. Since launching the firm in 1978 with his father-in-law, Robert Tishman, Speyer has overseen iconic projects such as Rockefeller Center, the MetLife Building, and Frankfurt’s MesseTurm, while expanding the company’s portfolio to more than 200 million square feet of office, residential, and mixed-use assets worldwide. Known for his disciplined investment approach, civic leadership, and long-term urban vision, Speyer remains a defining figure in institutional real estate.

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.

J. Hyatt Brown, chairman and former CEO of Brown & Brown Insurance, built the company into one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the United States. Taking over the family business in the late 1960s, he led decades of steady expansion through strategic acquisitions, operational discipline, and a focus on client relationships. Under his leadership, Brown & Brown became a multibillion-dollar enterprise serving customers across all 50 states. A prominent philanthropist and civic leader, Brown has also made significant contributions to education, healthcare, and community development in Florida.

Irving Grousbeck, entrepreneur, investor, and academic, is best known as cofounder of Continental Cablevision, which grew into one of the largest cable television companies in the United States before its sale to US West. After his success in media, he became a prominent figure in academia, serving as a professor at Harvard Business School and later at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he helped launch the school’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Grousbeck is also a co-owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and remains influential in shaping both the entrepreneurial and investment landscapes.

Howard Schultz, former longtime CEO and chairman emeritus of Starbucks, transformed a small Seattle coffee chain into a global brand with more than 35,000 stores worldwide. Inspired by Italy’s espresso culture, he built Starbucks into a company that blended premium coffee with community-driven “third place” experiences. Schultz became known not only for scaling the brand into a multibillion-dollar enterprise but also for his focus on employee benefits, ethical sourcing, and social responsibility. A visionary entrepreneur and occasional political voice, he remains one of the most influential figures in modern retail and consumer culture.

Everett Dobson is an Oklahoma-based billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist. As Executive Chairman of Dobson Fiber (and former CEO of Dobson Communications), he built one of the country’s largest rural wireless providers—from a family-owned telephone company into a $1.6 billion business across 17 states, sold to AT&T in 2007. He now leads regional fiber‑optics expansion, serves as a minority owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and chairs leading thoroughbred racing organizations.

Edward Scott “Eddie” Lampert is an American billionaire investor and founder of ESL Investments, established in 1988 after stints at Goldman Sachs and backing from Richard Rainwater. He famously orchestrated the merger of Kmart and Sears in 2005 and led Sears Holdings until 2019, after acquiring it via bankruptcy auction through Transformco. His record has been polarizing—praised for contrarian success at AutoZone and AutoNation, yet widely criticized for Sears’ collapse.

Drayton McLane Jr. is a self-made billionaire business magnate and philanthropist best known for building the McLane Company into a nationwide grocery and logistics powerhouse—growing revenue from $3 million to $19 billion—and later selling it to Walmart in 1990. He served as vice-chairman of Walmart while expanding The McLane Group, a family-owned holding company investing globally. He also owned and led the Houston Astros from 1993 to 2011 as chairman and CEO, becoming the first Texas team to reach the World Series under his tenure.

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.

David Steward is an American billionaire tech entrepreneur who founded World Wide Technology (WWT) in 1990 with minimal capital. A Central Missouri alumnus, he transformed WWT into one of the largest African-American–owned companies in the U.S., generating over $11 billion in annual revenues. Known for his faith-driven leadership and civic engagement, Steward also founded Telcobuy and chairs major nonprofit boards.

David Kabiller is the co‑founding principal and Head of Business Development at AQR Capital Management, the global quantitative investment firm he launched in 1998 alongside Cliff Asness and others. He spearheaded AQR’s international expansion, retail mutual fund offerings, and educational initiatives such as AQR University and the AQR Insight Award. A former athlete, he holds degrees in economics and finance from Northwestern and continues to support research via prizes at Northwestern and London Business School. 

Christian W. E. Haub is the German‑American CEO and majority stakeholder of Tengelmann Group, the global retail conglomerate founded by his family in 1867. Since 2018, he has consolidated leadership—acquiring a controlling share after his brother Karl‑Erivan’s disappearance—and now oversees operations in discount grocery, e-commerce, and retail across Europe and North America. He also leads Emil Capital Partners, holds board roles in Metro Inc. and Boston College, and is known for his strategic vision and reputable family legacy.  

Brian Roberts is the chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation—heir to the founding family and the public face behind one of the world’s largest media and telecom companies. Since joining Comcast in 1981 and becoming president in 1990, he has overseen growth through major acquisitions—from AT&T Broadband to NBCUniversal and Sky—boosting revenues from under $1 billion to over $90 billion.

Bobby Murphy is the co-founder and CTO of Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat. A Stanford-trained engineer, he architected the platform’s core messaging tech and helped pioneer augmented-reality features like Lenses, Filters, and Spectacles. A low-profile billionaire, Murphy focuses on product, infrastructure, and long-horizon AR bets shaping the future of social communication.

Benoit Dageville is a French-American computer scientist and co-founder of Snowflake, the revolutionary cloud data platform. As President of Product, he steers the technical vision and innovation behind SQL performance and AI integration. A former Oracle architect with a PhD in parallel database systems, Dageville holds over 80 patents and helped grow Snowflake from stealth mode in 2012 to a multi‑billion‑dollar IPO in 2020. 

Ben Silbermann is an American internet entrepreneur and co-founder & Executive Chairman of Pinterest, the visual discovery platform he launched in March 2010. A Yale graduate in political science, Silbermann transformed a failed app into a global tech powerhouse that went public in April 2019, with over 500 million monthly users. He stepped aside as CEO in June 2022 to focus on long-term vision and product innovation.

Andy Fang is a Taiwanese‑American tech entrepreneur and co‑founder of DoorDash, currently serving as its Head of Consumer Engineering. A Stanford‑trained computer scientist, Fang helped transform a class project into a multibillion‑dollar food‑delivery platform, owning about 4% of the company since its December 2020 IPO.