Dan Friedkin, chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group, built one of America’s most diversified private empires by expanding a family automotive fortune into hospitality, entertainment, and global sports. Best known for leading Gulf States Toyota, he has also extended his reach through luxury resorts, film production, and high-profile football ownership, including AS Roma and Everton. With a low public profile and a long-term ownership style, Friedkin stands out as one of the most quietly influential billionaires in business.

Surya Midha, cofounder and chairman of Mercor, has emerged as one of the youngest self-made billionaires of the AI era after helping build the company into a fast-scaling platform that connects elite professionals with AI labs and enterprises. Launched in 2023 with fellow young founders Brendan Foody and Adarsh Hiremath, Mercor sits at the intersection of recruiting, human expertise, and artificial intelligence, as businesses use specialized talent to train and evaluate advanced models. Known for a low public profile and extraordinary early success, Midha has become one of the standout new fortunes of the AI boom.

Brendan Foody, cofounder and CEO of Mercor, has emerged as one of the youngest billionaires of the AI era by building a fast-scaling company that helps top AI labs and enterprises source expert talent to train and evaluate models. After launching Mercor in 2023 with fellow young founders, he turned it into one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched startups, positioned at the intersection of recruiting, human expertise, and artificial intelligence. Known for speed, ambition, and sharp execution, Foody has become one of the standout new faces of the AI boom.

Robert Steers, cofounder and executive chairman of Cohen & Steers, helped build one of the first investment firms dedicated to listed real estate securities and turn it into a major force in real assets and income investing. He launched the firm with Martin Cohen in 1986, helped take it public in 2004, and spent decades shaping its expansion from a REIT-focused specialist into a broader asset manager with a global footprint. Known for long-term conviction and deep expertise in real estate securities, Steers remains one of the defining figures in modern real-assets investing.

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.

Ted Leonsis is the founder and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owning the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics. A former AOL executive, he pioneered the "teams as platforms" model, though his 2024 attempt to move his franchises to Virginia hit a high-profile dead end. He ultimately secured a deal to renovate D.C.’s Capital One Arena, anchoring his teams in the District through 2050. A venture capitalist at Revolution Growth, Leonsis operates with a "double bottom line" philosophy, valuing community impact alongside financial success. Whether chasing Stanley Cups or tech disruptions, he remains a central figure in the digital evolution of global sports.

Frank McCourt, real estate developer and former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, built his fortune through large-scale property holdings and high-profile sports investments. After selling the Dodgers in 2012 for a record $2.15 billion, he expanded his portfolio through McCourt Global, a diversified enterprise spanning real estate, sports, media, and technology. Known for bold, often controversial deals, McCourt has also turned his attention to digital infrastructure projects aimed at rethinking data ownership, positioning himself as both a traditional asset mogul and a forward-looking tech investor.

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.

Chris Sacca is an American investor, entrepreneur, and former Google executive who founded Lowercase Capital, backing early-stage winners like Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Twilio, Stripe, and Kickstarter. After retiring from tech investing in 2017, he returned in 2021 through Lowercarbon Capital, channeling capital into startups focused on climate solutions and energy innovation.

Antony “Tony” Ressler is a billionaire investor, co-founder of two private equity giants — Apollo Global Management (1990) and Ares Management (1997 )— and principal owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. A Georgetown-educated financier, he built an empire across credit, private equity, and real estate, and channels his wealth into philanthropy, education, and the arts.