Edwin Chen, founder and CEO of Surge AI, built one of the most important hidden infrastructure companies of the generative AI era by supplying the high-quality human data and evaluation systems used to train frontier models. A former engineer at leading tech companies, he launched Surge in 2020 and scaled it with unusual speed, turning a bootstrapped startup into a billion-dollar-revenue business serving top AI labs. Known for a low profile and uncompromising focus on quality, Chen has emerged as one of the standout entrepreneurs behind the AI boom.

Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group, helped build one of crypto’s most influential holding companies, with businesses spanning venture investing, asset management, and digital-market infrastructure. A longtime entrepreneur in financial technology, he launched DCG in 2015 and used it to back and acquire major crypto companies, positioning himself as one of the central architects of the industry’s institutional growth. Despite controversy tied to the digital-asset downturn, Silbert remains one of the most consequential figures in the evolution of blockchain finance.

Alexander Rinke, cofounder and co-CEO of Celonis, helped turn a university project into one of Europe’s most valuable software companies by building a global leader in process mining and process intelligence. Since cofounding Celonis in 2011, he has guided its rise into a major enterprise software force serving thousands of deployments worldwide, as companies use its technology to uncover inefficiencies, improve operations, and accelerate AI-driven decision-making. Known for product conviction and execution-focused leadership, Rinke has become one of the standout founders in European tech.

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.

Herriot Tabuteau, founder, CEO, and chairman of Axsome Therapeutics, has built one of biotech’s most closely watched companies by focusing on treatments for central nervous system disorders. A Yale-trained physician with a background in healthcare investing, he launched Axsome in 2012 and helped turn it into a major player in depression, Alzheimer’s agitation, and other brain-health markets. Known for combining scientific ambition with financial discipline, Tabuteau has emerged as one of the most notable entrepreneurs in modern neuropsychiatric drug development.

Michael Dorrell, chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Stonepeak, built the firm into one of the most influential investors in infrastructure and real assets. Since founding Stonepeak in 2011, he has helped turn it into a global private-markets powerhouse spanning energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and logistics. Known for disciplined dealmaking and long-horizon conviction, Dorrell has emerged as one of the standout billionaires created by the modern infrastructure investing boom.

Peter Salanki, cofounder and chief technology officer of CoreWeave, helped build one of the AI boom’s fastest-rising infrastructure companies by turning specialized GPU expertise into a major cloud platform for artificial intelligence. After joining CoreWeave in 2019 and rising through its engineering ranks before becoming CTO in 2024, he became a central technical force behind the company’s expansion into high-performance compute for leading AI labs and enterprises. Known for deep engineering focus and a low public profile, Salanki is one of the key architects behind CoreWeave’s rise.

Michael Intrator, cofounder and CEO of CoreWeave, has become one of the standout winners of the AI infrastructure boom by transforming a company rooted in crypto-era GPU computing into a major cloud provider for artificial intelligence. A former hedge fund manager, he helped build CoreWeave into one of the sector’s fastest-rising players, supplying high-performance compute to leading AI companies and positioning the firm at the center of the race for AI capacity. Known for bold financing and aggressive scale, Intrator has emerged as one of the most consequential operators in the new AI economy.

Gene Lee, Ramp cofounder and head of growth engineering, helped build one of fintech’s fastest-rising companies by turning corporate spend management into a software-driven efficiency engine. After previously helping launch Paribus with Eric Glyman and Karim Atiyeh, he joined them again at Ramp in 2019, where the company grew into a major finance platform spanning corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, and automation. Known for his product and engineering focus, Lee has been part of a founding team that reshaped how modern businesses manage spending.

Eric Glyman, cofounder and CEO of Ramp, has emerged as one of fintech’s fastest-rising founders by building a finance automation platform designed to save businesses both time and money. After previously cofounding Paribus, which was acquired by Capital One, he launched Ramp in 2019 and helped scale it into one of the most valuable private fintech companies, spanning corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, and AI-powered financial operations. Known for product intensity and a contrarian focus on customer savings rather than rewards, Glyman has become a defining figure in the new era of business finance.

Stephen Ketchum, founder, managing partner, CEO, and CIO of Sound Point Capital Management, built the firm into one of the most prominent players in alternative credit, overseeing more than $44 billion across liquid and illiquid strategies. A veteran of the credit markets with a background at Banc of America Securities and UBS, he has helped position Sound Point as a major force in leveraged loans, distressed debt, structured credit, direct lending, and real estate credit. Known for deep credit expertise and disciplined investing, Ketchum has become a notable figure in modern alternative asset management.

Marc Lore, serial entrepreneur and investor, built his fortune by repeatedly spotting where consumer behavior was heading next—from e-commerce to food delivery. After cofounding Quidsi and later launching Jet.com, which Walmart acquired for $3.3 billion in 2016, he became one of the most prominent operators in digital commerce. He has since turned to next-generation retail and delivery through Wonder, while also expanding into sports ownership, cementing his reputation as a high-velocity builder of consumer businesses.

Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, helped pioneer the fast-casual revolution by turning a single Denver burrito shop into one of America’s most influential restaurant brands. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, he built Chipotle around higher-quality ingredients and a simplified menu, reshaping how consumers think about quick-service dining. After leading the company as CEO until 2018 and executive chairman until 2020, Ells remained a defining figure in the industry and joined the billionaire ranks as the enduring value of his Chipotle stake became clear.

Ankur Jain, founder and CEO of Bilt, has built one of the most ambitious consumer fintech and housing platforms by turning rent and housing payments into a rewards ecosystem tied to travel, dining, fitness, and neighborhood spending. Through Bilt, Jain helped create a new category at the intersection of housing, loyalty, and payments, expanding beyond rent into a broader membership model connected to how people live. He is also the founder of Kairos, but Bilt is the defining company in his current profile and the business that has made him one of the most closely watched young entrepreneurs in fintech and consumer infrastructure.

Ryan Israel, chief investment officer and managing director at Pershing Square Capital Management, is one of the most important behind-the-scenes investors in activist hedge funds, helping shape the concentrated, high-conviction portfolio that defines Bill Ackman’s firm. Since joining Pershing Square in 2009, Israel has played a central role in research, underwriting, and portfolio construction across the firm’s major public equity positions, earning a reputation for deep fundamental analysis and disciplined long-term thinking. He represents the analytical core of one of Wall Street’s most closely watched investment platforms.

Steve Koltes, cofounder and honorary co-chair of CVC, helped build one of the world’s most influential private markets firms from its Citicorp roots into a global powerhouse spanning private equity, credit, secondaries, and infrastructure. After joining the business in the late 1980s, Koltes became one of the key architects of CVC’s international expansion and long-term institutional franchise, helping scale the firm across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. He stepped back from an active role in 2022 and now serves in a non-executive capacity, but remains closely associated with CVC’s rise into the top tier of global buyout firms.

Kevin Glazer, founder, CEO, and owner of Glazer Properties, has been a prominent figure in commercial real estate for more than three decades, building a portfolio shaped by long-term ownership and disciplined investment. Beyond property, he is also a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a principal investor in Manchester United Football Club, placing him at the intersection of real estate and global sports ownership. Known as a philanthropist as well as a businessman, Glazer’s profile reflects a blend of private enterprise, franchise ownership, and civic engagement.

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.

Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, writer, and producer, turned observational stand-up into one of the most valuable personal brands in entertainment history. As co-creator and star of Seinfeld, he helped redefine television comedy, then extended his influence through stand-up specials, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and the 2024 Netflix film Unfrosted. Known for disciplined craft, cultural longevity, and extraordinary syndication economics, Seinfeld remains one of the most commercially successful comedians ever.

Philip Falcone, founder of Harbinger Capital Partners, rose to prominence as one of the most aggressive hedge fund managers of the financial-crisis era, making billions by shorting subprime mortgages before turning to large, high-stakes bets in distressed debt and telecom. A former Harvard hockey player turned Wall Street trader, he built Harbinger into a multibillion-dollar fund known for concentrated, contrarian investing, though his later career was marked by regulatory scrutiny and the costly collapse of LightSquared. Falcone remains a memorable figure in hedge fund history for pairing extraordinary conviction with extraordinary volatility.