David Halbert, founder, chairman, and CEO of Caris Life Sciences, built the company into a major force in precision medicine by focusing on molecular profiling and personalized cancer care. A longtime entrepreneur with experience across energy, finance, and healthcare, he turned Caris into one of the most closely watched diagnostics companies in biotech, culminating in its 2025 IPO and his rise into the billionaire ranks. Known for long-term control and conviction-driven growth, Halbert has become a prominent figure in the push to make cancer treatment more data-driven and individualized.

Fernando De Leon, founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, built a Dallas-based holding company that spans real estate, healthcare, financial services, and technology. After starting in real estate, he expanded aggressively across sectors, helping turn Leon into a multibillion-dollar platform with a reputation for opportunistic investing and long-term ownership. Known for combining entrepreneurial range with disciplined dealmaking, De Leon has emerged as one of the most prominent self-made billionaires in Texas business.

Joseph Baratta, Blackstone’s global head of private equity strategies and a member of the firm’s board, has helped shape one of the world’s most powerful private equity franchises. Since joining Blackstone in 1998 and helping establish its European private equity business, he has risen to become one of the firm’s most influential dealmakers, overseeing directly invested private equity strategies across sectors and geographies. Known for disciplined execution and long-term value creation, Baratta stands among the most prominent figures in global private markets.

Michael S. Dunlap, cofounder and executive chairman of Nelnet, helped build the Lincoln, Nebraska–based company from its 1996 origins into a diversified public business spanning loan servicing, payment processing, education technology, and related financial services. After serving as chairman and CEO from the company’s inception, he remained a central force behind Nelnet’s long-term strategy, disciplined capital allocation, and expansion beyond student lending. Dunlap has earned a reputation as a low-profile but influential operator in education finance and business services.

Walter Kortschak is a veteran venture capitalist and former managing director of Summit Partners, where he helped establish the firm’s West Coast presence and backed a long list of technology winners over more than two decades. After joining Summit in 1989, he built a reputation for high-conviction growth investing, with standout bets in companies such as McAfee, Finisar, and Xylan. He later helped launch SignalFire and now invests privately in early-stage technology, extending a career that has made him one of Silicon Valley’s most enduring investors.

Marc Zahr, co-president of Blue Owl Capital and global head of its real assets platform, helped build one of the most important institutional franchises in private real estate and infrastructure income strategies. As founder of Oak Street, the predecessor to Blue Owl’s real assets business, Zahr developed a reputation for pairing durable cash-flow assets with long-term capital, then scaled that strategy inside Blue Owl into a major platform spanning net lease real estate and digital infrastructure. Known for disciplined underwriting and institutional execution, he has become a central figure in the rise of asset-backed alternatives.

Michael S. Chae, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Blackstone, is one of the firm’s most influential senior leaders, combining financial stewardship with decades of investing experience across global private markets. Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Chae has held a wide range of leadership roles—including heading international private equity and the Asia-Pacific private equity business—before becoming CFO in 2015 and vice chairman in 2025. A longtime member of Blackstone’s management and investment committees, he has played a central role in scaling one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers while helping guide strategy, valuation, and enterprise risk across the firm.

Doug Ostrover, cofounder, co-CEO, and chairman of Blue Owl Capital, helped build one of the most influential private credit platforms of the modern era by scaling Owl Rock into a global alternative asset manager. A former senior executive at Blackstone and cofounder of GSO Capital Partners, Ostrover launched Owl Rock in 2016 with a focus on direct lending and institutional-scale private credit, then helped transform it into Blue Owl through a landmark merger. Known for disciplined underwriting, permanent-capital strategy, and deep institutional relationships, he has become a central figure in the rise of private credit as a core asset class.

Marc Lipschultz, co-chief executive officer of Blue Owl Capital, helped build one of the most influential private credit firms of the modern era by scaling Owl Rock into a global alternative asset manager. A former senior dealmaker at KKR, Lipschultz co-founded Owl Rock in 2016, then helped merge it into what became Blue Owl, a publicly traded firm spanning credit, GP stakes, and real assets. Known for disciplined underwriting, institutional relationships, and a sharp focus on permanent capital, he has played a central role in Blue Owl’s rise as a major force in private markets.

William P. Foley II, chairman of Fidelity National Financial, built a sprawling financial and business empire spanning title insurance, mortgage services, restaurants, and professional sports. Over decades, Foley became known for acquiring underperforming businesses, imposing strict cost discipline, and scaling them through operational rigor and strategic consolidation. His influence extends beyond finance into hospitality and entertainment, including ownership stakes in the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. Known for hands-on leadership and deal-driven growth, Foley has remained a defining figure in American financial services and diversified private investment.

Vincent Viola, founder of Virtu Financial, built one of the most sophisticated electronic trading firms in global markets by leveraging high-speed technology and quantitative strategies. A former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Viola transformed Virtu into a major liquidity provider across equities, currencies, and derivatives worldwide. Known for combining trading expertise with advanced infrastructure, he helped institutionalize high-frequency market making at scale. Beyond finance, Viola is the owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, linking capital markets success with professional sports ownership.

Raymond J. Harbert, founder and CEO of Harbert Management Corporation, built a major alternative investment platform spanning private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and credit. After starting his career in banking and leveraged finance, Harbert founded his firm in 1993 and grew it into a global manager serving institutions and high-net-worth investors with long-term, diversified strategies. Known for disciplined capital allocation and a conservative, steady approach across market cycles, Harbert has also become a prominent philanthropist supporting education, medical research, and civic initiatives, particularly in the American South.

Joseph Steinberg, longtime chairman of Jefferies Financial Group and one of the most enduring dealmakers on Wall Street, helped guide the firm’s evolution from a diversified industrial holding company into a focused, modern financial services enterprise. Joining the predecessor company in the 1970s, Steinberg built a reputation for disciplined capital allocation, opportunistic acquisitions, and a value-driven investment philosophy that generated strong long-term returns. Over decades, he influenced Jefferies’ strategic direction, its expansion into investment banking and asset management, and oversaw major portfolio transformations. Known for his analytical rigor, understated leadership, and shareholder-oriented governance, Steinberg remains a defining figure in the firm’s history and a respected voice in American finance.

Christian Dumolin, chairman and co-ceo of Koramic Investment Group, is one of Belgium’s most respected industrial and investment leaders, known for transforming a traditional brick-manufacturing company into a diversified European holding with interests spanning real estate, manufacturing, financial services, and private equity. After joining the family business in the 1970s, he led its international expansion, later steering Koramic into a broad investment platform focused on long-term value creation and operational excellence. Dumolin has served on numerous corporate boards, becoming a key figure in Belgium’s entrepreneurial landscape, while his philanthropic work in culture, education, and regional development underscores his influence beyond business.

Joel Greenberg, cofounder of Susquehanna International Group (SIG), is one of the most influential and discreet figures in quantitative trading and options market making. Launching SIG in 1987 with a small group of poker-playing colleagues, Greenberg helped pioneer a probabilistic, game-theory-driven approach to trading that became the firm’s hallmark and propelled it into a global powerhouse across equities, options, fixed income, private equity, and venture capital. Known for his analytical rigor and long-term investment vision, he also helped lead major early bets such as SIG’s stake in ByteDance. Greenberg remains a defining, though intentionally low-profile, architect of the modern quantitative finance ecosystem.

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.

Jeffrey Sprecher, founder, chairman, and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has built one of the most powerful and influential financial infrastructure companies in the world. Starting in 2000 with a small online energy marketplace, he transformed ICE into a global exchange and data powerhouse through bold acquisitions—including NYSE Euronext, bringing the New York Stock Exchange under his leadership. Sprecher’s disciplined approach to technology, clearing, and market structure has reshaped modern trading across commodities, equities, and fixed income. Widely regarded as a visionary architect of today’s financial markets, he continues to drive innovation at the intersection of finance and technology.

Pedro Franceschi, Brazilian-born entrepreneur and technologist, is the cofounder and co-CEO of Brex, a fintech company transforming how startups and enterprises manage credit and financial services. A coding prodigy from a young age, he gained early recognition for developing tools to bring Siri to non-Apple devices before joining forces with Henrique Dubugras to launch Brex in Silicon Valley. Together, they scaled the company into a multibillion-dollar fintech platform, making Franceschi one of the youngest self-made billionaires and a leading voice in the future of global finance and technology.

Henrique Dubugras, Brazilian-born entrepreneur, is the cofounder and co-CEO of Brex, the fintech company revolutionizing corporate credit cards and financial services for startups and enterprises. A tech prodigy, he launched his first startup as a teenager before moving to Silicon Valley, where he and cofounder Pedro Franceschi built Brex into a multibillion-dollar company backed by leading investors. Known for his sharp vision and ability to scale fast-growing businesses, Dubugras has become a defining figure in the new wave of fintech, bridging Silicon Valley innovation with global entrepreneurship.

Hayes Barnard, founder, chairman, and CEO of GoodLeap, has emerged as a major force in sustainable finance by creating one of America’s leading platforms for solar and home efficiency lending. Starting his career in mortgage and financial services, Barnard launched GoodLeap to connect homeowners with affordable financing for clean energy upgrades, while enabling installers and contractors to scale their businesses. The company has facilitated tens of billions in loans for solar panels, batteries, and energy-efficient products, positioning Barnard as a visionary driving both profitability and impact in the transition to renewable energy.