John Bicket, co-founder and CTO of Samsara, turned a PhD-level tech project at MIT into a multibillion-dollar industrial Internet-of-Things company. After earlier selling his first startup, Meraki, to Cisco for $1.2 billion, Bicket teamed up with Sanjit Biswas in 2015 to build Samsara—fusing sensors, AI, and cloud software to monitor fleets, equipment, and field operations across thousands of enterprises. With stakes valued at around $3 billion each post-IPO, Bicket reflects the rare path from academic research to top-tier tech billionaire, while steering product strategy, engineering culture, and long-term innovation at the heart of the connected-operations era.

James Tisch, president and CEO of Loews Corporation, oversees one of America’s most enduring and diversified conglomerates, with major interests in insurance, energy, hospitality, and packaging. A member of the prominent Tisch family, he joined Loews in the 1970s and became CEO in 1998, guiding the company through decades of disciplined capital allocation and strategic acquisitions. Under his leadership, Loews has maintained a reputation for conservative financial management and long-term value creation, anchored by flagship holdings such as CNA Financial and Loews Hotels. Tisch is also a noted philanthropist and civic leader, contributing to education, healthcare, and cultural institutions.

Irwin Jacobs, cofounder and former CEO of Qualcomm, is a pioneering engineer and entrepreneur who helped revolutionize wireless communications. After an academic career at MIT and UC San Diego, he launched Qualcomm in 1985, driving the development and commercialization of CDMA technology, which became the global standard for mobile networks. Under his leadership, Qualcomm grew into a multibillion-dollar powerhouse at the heart of the mobile phone industry. Beyond technology, Jacobs is a noted philanthropist, supporting education, science, and the arts, particularly in San Diego, where his contributions have had lasting civic impact.

Herbert Fisk “Fisk” Johnson III is the fifth-generation leader of S. C. Johnson, the iconic cleaning‑products company founded in 1886. A Cornell alumnus with multiple degrees (BA, MEng, MS, MBA, PhD), he joined the family business in 1987 and became CEO in 2004. Known for his environmental advocacy and scientific approach, Johnson champions sustainable packaging and pulled SC Johnson into the fight against plastic waste.

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 Einhorn is the founder and president of Greenlight Capital, a value-oriented long/short hedge fund founded in 1996. Known for accurately shorting Lehman Brothers and Allied Capital, he built Greenlight into a firm delivering annualized returns around 15–26% in its early years. In early 2025, the fund gained ~12%—with gold leading portfolio performance—even amid a bearish pivot during volatile markets.

David A. Duffield is an American enterprise software pioneer. He co-founded PeopleSoft in 1987 and in 2005 co-founded Workday—both revolutionized HR and financial management systems. He later founded Ridgeline Apps, serving investment managers. At age 84, he’s also a philanthropist behind Maddie’s Fund and the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation, with gifts exceeding $450 million.  

Andrew Tisch is co‑chairman of Loews Corporation, the diversified family-run holding company spanning insurance, energy, hotels, and real estate. A Cornell and Harvard alumnus, Tisch has led major turnarounds—such as Bulova and Lorillard—and today guides the firm alongside his brother and cousin.