Orion Hindawi, cofounder and CEO of Tanium, built one of the most influential private cybersecurity companies by redefining how large organizations manage and secure their endpoints in real time. Partnering with his father, computer scientist David Hindawi, he helped develop Tanium’s peer-to-peer architecture, enabling unprecedented visibility and control across massive enterprise networks. Under his leadership, Tanium became a trusted platform for governments and Fortune 500 companies, earning a reputation for technical rigor, security credibility, and disciplined growth while remaining privately held.

Michael Xie, cofounder and chief technology officer of Fortinet, is the engineering force behind one of the world’s largest and most influential cybersecurity companies. After earlier success building NetScreen Technologies alongside his brother Ken Xie, Michael became the principal architect of Fortinet’s core technologies, designing the high-performance security systems that underpin its global firewall, cloud, and network-security platforms. Known for deep technical rigor and product-first discipline, Xie has played a decisive role in scaling Fortinet into a multibillion-dollar cybersecurity leader serving enterprises, governments, and critical infrastructure worldwide.

Matthew Prince, cofounder and CEO of Cloudflare, is one of the most influential figures in modern internet infrastructure, building a company that now protects and accelerates a significant share of global web traffic. After cofounding Cloudflare in 2009, Prince led its transformation from a security startup into a critical platform providing content delivery, DDoS mitigation, zero-trust security, and edge computing services to millions of websites worldwide. Under his leadership, Cloudflare has become a publicly traded company trusted by governments, enterprises, and developers alike, known for its principled stance on internet resilience, free expression, and cybersecurity. Prince’s blend of technical insight, public advocacy, and long-term vision has positioned him as a central architect of the modern, secure internet.

Kelcy Warren, cofounder and executive chairman of Energy Transfer, built one of North America’s largest pipeline and midstream energy networks through aggressive dealmaking, operational scale, and a deep understanding of U.S. oil and gas logistics. Since launching Energy Transfer in 1996, he has overseen a sweeping expansion across natural gas, crude, and NGL infrastructure, including the development of high-profile projects such as the Dakota Access Pipeline. A self-made billionaire from modest Texas roots, Warren combines engineering discipline with bold acquisitive strategy, while remaining an active philanthropist in education, parks, and music—most notably founding the Texas music venue and nonprofit, Klyde Warren Park in Dallas.

Jay Chaudhry, founder and CEO of Zscaler, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in cloud security, having built multiple cybersecurity companies before creating Zscaler in 2007 to redefine how enterprises protect their networks. Born in a small Himalayan village in India with no running water or electricity, Chaudhry immigrated to the U.S., earned multiple engineering and business degrees, and launched a series of security startups acquired by major tech firms. With Zscaler’s zero-trust platform now securing thousands of global enterprises, he has become a leading voice in cloud transformation and one of the wealthiest self-made immigrant founders in Silicon Valley.

George Kurtz, cofounder and CEO of CrowdStrike, has become one of the most influential leaders in cybersecurity. After a successful career at McAfee, he launched CrowdStrike in 2011 with the vision of using cloud-native technology to stop breaches in real time. Under his leadership, the company went public in 2019 and grew into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise protecting governments, corporations, and institutions worldwide. Known for his technical expertise and entrepreneurial drive, Kurtz is a central figure in shaping the modern cybersecurity landscape.

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 Hindawi is an Iraqi‑born American software entrepreneur and the co-founder of Tanium, the cybersecurity platform he built in 2007 with his son Orion. Prior to Tanium, he founded and sold BigFix (acquired by IBM in 2010) and several software firms. He holds advanced degrees—including a PhD from UC Berkeley—and his patents in systems-management software underpin enterprise-scale security technology.

Craig Newmark is the American founder of Craigslist, the influential online classifieds platform he started in 1995. With degrees in computing and information sciences from Case Western Reserve University, Newmark built Craigslist into a global service, stepping down as CEO in 2000 but continuing to support users and guide customer service. Since 2016, he has focused full-time on Craig Newmark Philanthropies, supporting ethics in journalism, veterans’ cybersecurity, and election integrity.

Aubrey Chernick is a Canadian‑born entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Candle Corporation (creator of the Omegamon mainframe-monitoring platform) and later developed cybersecurity firms NC4 and Celerium. After selling Candle to IBM in 2004, he has championed youth education, digital inclusion, and tech-driven social impact through the Candle Foundation and Chernick family initiatives.