Herald Y. Chen, former president and CFO of AppLovin and now a director of the company, helped shape one of the most successful mobile software stories of the AI era. A longtime private equity executive before joining AppLovin, Chen played a central role in the company’s public-market ascent, helping steer its financial strategy, acquisitions, and operating discipline as it evolved into a major force in app monetization, advertising, and mobile gaming. Known for pairing Wall Street rigor with technology execution, Chen remains closely tied to AppLovin’s rise as one of the standout software winners of recent years.

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.

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.

William P. Lauder, executive chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, helped expand the family-founded beauty empire into a global powerhouse of prestige cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance brands. After serving as CEO and guiding major international growth, brand acquisitions, and digital expansion, Lauder transitioned to executive chairman, continuing to shape long-term strategy and governance. A grandson of founders Estée and Joseph Lauder, he represents multigenerational leadership at one of the world’s most influential luxury beauty groups, blending heritage stewardship with modern global scale.

Scott Simplot, son of agribusiness pioneer J.R. Simplot, oversees one of America’s largest privately held food and agriculture empires as chairman of the J.R. Simplot Company. The Idaho-based company is a global supplier of frozen foods, potato products, fertilizers, and agricultural services, with deep ties to the restaurant and foodservice industry, including longstanding partnerships with major quick-service chains. Under Simplot family leadership, the business has remained privately held while expanding internationally and investing across agriculture, food processing, and related industries. Scott Simplot continues the family’s multigenerational stewardship of a company central to modern agribusiness.

Scott Shleifer, senior advisor at Tiger Global Management and former longtime partner, is one of the most influential technology investors of the past two decades, helping deploy billions into high-growth public and private companies worldwide. During his tenure as a senior leader at Tiger Global, he played a central role in major investments across software, internet platforms, and global technology champions, blending public market expertise with venture-scale private investing. Known for disciplined analysis and concentrated positions, Shleifer helped shape Tiger Global’s reputation as a dominant force in crossover technology investing and continues to advise the firm and broader tech ecosystem.

Scott Nuttall, co-CEO of KKR, is one of the most influential leaders in global private equity, helping scale the firm into a diversified alternative asset manager spanning private equity, credit, real estate, infrastructure, and insurance. Joining KKR in the 1990s, Nuttall rose through the ranks by leading major transactions and shaping the firm’s strategic expansion, including the growth of its credit platform and the evolution of its long-term capital vehicles. Known for disciplined capital allocation and institutional partnership building, he has helped position KKR as a cornerstone of modern private markets.

Richard Perry, founder of Perry Capital, was one of Wall Street’s most recognized hedge fund managers, known for event-driven investing and complex special situations across credit and equities. After early success at Goldman Sachs, Perry launched Perry Capital in 1988 and built it into a multibillion-dollar firm with a reputation for aggressive risk-taking and sophisticated arbitrage strategies. At its peak, the fund was a major player in merger arbitrage, distressed debt, and structured credit, navigating both market booms and severe downturns. Though the firm ultimately closed after years of volatility and underperformance, Perry remains a defining figure of the hedge fund era.

Phillip Frost, physician and entrepreneur, built a biotechnology empire by identifying undervalued medical assets and scaling them through disciplined science-driven investing. As founder and chairman of OPKO Health, Frost assembled a diversified healthcare platform spanning diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and medical technologies, often through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. Earlier in his career, he sold IVAX Corporation to Teva in a multibillion-dollar transaction, cementing his reputation as a leading dealmaker in life sciences. Known for a long-term approach to innovation and capital allocation, Frost remains a central figure in global healthcare entrepreneurship.

Nelson Peltz, founder and CEO of Trian Fund Management, is one of the most prominent activist investors in corporate America, known for pushing operational discipline and shareholder-focused governance at some of the world’s largest companies. After early success building food distributor Triangle Industries, Peltz turned to activism through Trian, taking influential stakes in companies such as Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, DuPont, and General Electric. His campaigns typically emphasize cost control, capital allocation, and strategic clarity rather than breakups, earning him a reputation as a boardroom power broker. Peltz’s blend of industrial experience and financial activism has reshaped how large corporations respond to shareholder pressure.

Michael Steinhardt, legendary hedge fund manager and cofounder of Steinhardt Partners, is one of the most influential investors of the late 20th century, known for combining macroeconomic insight with aggressive, high-conviction trading. Rising from modest beginnings in New York, he built Steinhardt Partners into one of Wall Street’s most successful funds during the 1980s and 1990s, delivering exceptional returns before closing the firm at its peak. Beyond finance, Steinhardt became a major patron of Jewish education, culture, and scholarship, endowing institutions and initiatives worldwide. His legacy spans both investment excellence and large-scale philanthropy rooted in identity, history, and long-term stewardship.

Mark Pincus, founder and former CEO of Zynga, was a pioneer of social gaming, turning casual games into a mass-market phenomenon on Facebook and mobile platforms. After early ventures in internet services and venture capital, Pincus launched Zynga in 2007, scaling hits like FarmVille and Words With Friends into a multibillion-dollar business that went public in 2011. Known for his aggressive growth strategies and product experimentation, he later stepped back from daily operations while remaining an active investor and entrepreneur through Reinvent Capital. Pincus continues to influence consumer technology at the intersection of gaming, social interaction, and digital monetization.

Marc Rowan, cofounder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, is one of the most influential figures in alternative investing, helping build Apollo into a global powerhouse across private equity, credit, and real assets. After beginning his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert, Rowan co-launched Apollo in 1990, developing its reputation for contrarian investing, distressed opportunities, and disciplined capital allocation. As CEO, he has overseen Apollo’s evolution into a diversified asset manager with a strong emphasis on credit, insurance partnerships, and long-term yield strategies. Known for his analytical rigor and understated leadership, Rowan stands at the center of modern private markets.

Larry Robbins, founder and CEO of Glenview Capital Management, is one of the most respected hedge fund managers in healthcare and event-driven investing. After early success at Leon Cooperman’s Omega Advisors, Robbins launched Glenview in 2000 and built a reputation for deep industry research, concentrated positions, and long-term conviction—particularly in hospitals, insurers, and medical services. His activist work has influenced major healthcare operators, while his philanthropic efforts in education, through the Robbins Family Foundation, focus on charter schools and educational reform. Known for patient, fundamental investing and outspoken views on healthcare policy, Robbins remains a defining figure in the sector.

Kenneth Moelis, founder, chairman, and CEO of Moelis & Company, is one of Wall Street’s most accomplished investment bankers, known for his leadership in strategic advisory and restructuring. After senior roles at Drexel Burnham, DLJ, and UBS, he launched Moelis & Company in 2007, building it into a global advisory firm recognized for high-touch client service, complex M&A execution, and deep sector expertise. Moelis has advised on some of the most high-profile transactions of the past two decades, while maintaining a distinctive culture that emphasizes partnership, meritocracy, and client alignment. His entrepreneurial flair and long-term discipline have made him a defining figure in modern investment banking.

Josh Harris, cofounder of Apollo Global Management, is one of the most accomplished investors of his generation, helping build Apollo into a global alternative-asset powerhouse managing hundreds of billions across private equity, credit, and real assets. After three decades of shaping Apollo’s hallmark value-oriented, contrarian investment strategy, Harris expanded his influence into professional sports as cofounder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owning the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and, most recently, the Washington Commanders. Known for his analytical discipline, long-term strategy, and philanthropic commitments in education and community development, Harris has become a defining figure in both modern finance and major-league sports ownership.

Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, is one of the most influential investors in modern finance, credited with building the firm’s real estate arm into the world’s largest private property platform. Joining Blackstone in 1992, he pioneered the company’s massive expansion into opportunistic real estate, logistics, hospitality, and large-scale global acquisitions, including the Hilton Hotels deal—one of the most profitable private equity investments in history. As COO, Gray now helps steer Blackstone’s multi-trillion-dollar asset management strategy across private equity, credit, infrastructure, and insurance. Known for his analytical discipline, bold dealmaking, and philanthropic leadership in cancer research, Gray is a central architect of the firm’s rise to global dominance.

Yuri Milner, tech investor and science philanthropist, is one of the most influential figures in global venture capital through his firm DST Global, which backed companies such as Facebook, Airbnb, Spotify, Alibaba, and ByteDance long before they became industry giants. A former physicist, Milner is known for his data-driven approach to identifying transformative internet businesses and for shaping a new model of late-stage tech investing. Beyond finance, he cofounded the Breakthrough Prizes—often called the “Oscars of Science”—and launched initiatives supporting fundamental research, SETI, and human curiosity, establishing himself as one of the world’s leading patrons of science and discovery.

Howard Marks, cofounder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, is one of the most respected investors in distressed debt and value investing. Known for his widely read investment memos, Marks has built a reputation for clear thinking on risk, cycles, and market psychology. Since founding Oaktree in 1995, he has helped grow it into a global alternative asset manager with more than $150 billion under management. Revered by peers like Warren Buffett, Marks combines investment mastery with thought leadership, making him a guiding voice for both professionals and individual investors.