Nick Caporella, founder and longtime chairman of National Beverage Corp., built one of the most distinctive players in the U.S. beverage industry by betting early on healthier, flavor-forward drinks. After acquiring the company in the 1980s, Caporella focused on brand-led growth rather than scale-for-scale’s sake, turning LaCroix into a cultural phenomenon and a leader in sparkling water. Known for frugality, tight control, and unconventional strategy, he created outsized value with a small portfolio and an intense focus on margins and brand equity.

Nicholas Woodman, founder and CEO of GoPro, created one of the most recognizable consumer electronics brands by turning a simple idea—capturing action sports from the participant’s perspective—into a global media and hardware platform. After an early surfing trip inspired the original camera mount, Woodman built GoPro into a publicly traded company whose rugged cameras became synonymous with adventure, user-generated content, and immersive storytelling. Under his leadership, GoPro expanded beyond hardware into software, subscriptions, and content ecosystems, shaping how millions document and share experiences. Woodman’s entrepreneurial journey reflects persistence, product obsession, and the power of creator-driven media.

Nicholas J. Pritzker, managing partner and cofounder of Tao Capital Partners, represents the next generation of the Pritzker family’s investment legacy, focusing on long-term, impact-oriented private investing. Through Tao Capital, he backs companies across technology, healthcare, sustainable consumer brands, and environmental solutions, emphasizing durable growth, values-driven leadership, and positive social outcomes. Distinct from the family’s hospitality roots, Pritzker has carved out an independent path as an investor aligned with ESG principles, while also engaging deeply in philanthropy supporting climate action, democracy, and community development.

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.

Neil Kadisha, cofounder of Omninet and a pioneering telecommunications entrepreneur, played a central role in building the early global internet backbone during the 1990s. Through Omninet, he helped deploy one of the world’s first international fiber-optic networks, enabling high-capacity data transmission across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East at a critical moment in internet expansion. After exiting the business, Kadisha shifted his focus to philanthropy and impact investing, supporting initiatives in health, education, conflict resolution, and peace-building through the Kadisha Family Foundation. His career bridges foundational internet infrastructure and long-term global social impact.

Neil Bluhm, real estate developer and casino magnate, built a diversified empire spanning luxury hotels, gaming, and urban real estate through long-term vision and disciplined capital deployment. As cofounder of JMB Realty, he helped shape landmark developments across major U.S. cities before expanding aggressively into gaming as a principal owner of Rush Street Gaming and Rush Street Interactive. Bluhm is also a major civic philanthropist, supporting education, healthcare, and cultural institutions in Chicago and beyond, blending large-scale commercial development with sustained community investment.

Naveen Jain, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, is best known for building companies that tackle large-scale problems in health, space, and data science. After founding InfoSpace during the early internet era, Jain went on to launch ventures such as Moon Express, focused on commercial lunar exploration, and Viome, which applies AI and molecular analysis to personalized health and longevity. Known for his “moonshot” mindset, he consistently targets industries where exponential technology can disrupt entrenched models. Jain’s work blends bold vision with scientific ambition, positioning him as a distinctive force at the intersection of entrepreneurship and frontier innovation.

Nathan Blecharczyk, cofounder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb, is the technical architect behind one of the world’s most influential travel platforms. After building Airbnb’s original website and payment systems, he helped scale the company from a startup renting air mattresses into a global marketplace operating in nearly every country. Blecharczyk has played a central role in shaping Airbnb’s long-term strategy, trust and safety infrastructure, and international expansion, while also serving as chairman of Airbnb China. Known for his engineering-first mindset and low public profile, he remains a key force behind the platform’s global growth and resilience.

Myron Wentz, founder of USANA Health Sciences, built a global nutritional supplements company by applying scientific rigor and quality control to the direct-to-consumer wellness market. A microbiologist by training, Wentz launched USANA in 1992 with a focus on research-driven formulation, manufacturing discipline, and international distribution, growing the company into a publicly traded enterprise with customers worldwide. Beyond business, he became a major philanthropist through the Wentz Family Foundation, supporting medical research, higher education, and humanitarian initiatives. His career reflects a blend of scientific entrepreneurship, global commerce, and long-term charitable impact.

Mortimer Zuckerman, real estate magnate, media executive, and investor, built a multifaceted career spanning property development, publishing, and public policy influence. As longtime chairman and CEO of Boston Properties, he helped create one of the largest publicly traded office real estate investment trusts in the United States, shaping skylines in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. In parallel, Zuckerman became a prominent media figure as owner and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report and publisher of the New York Daily News, using his platforms to weigh in on economics, foreign policy, and urban affairs. His career reflects a rare blend of large-scale real estate execution and national media influence.

Mitchell Rales, cofounder of Danaher Corporation, is one of America’s most successful industrial builders, known for pairing disciplined capital allocation with a relentless focus on operational excellence. Alongside his brother Steven, Rales transformed Danaher from a small real estate company into a global science and technology conglomerate by pioneering the Danaher Business System, a management framework rooted in continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. After stepping back from day-to-day operations, Rales has remained an influential investor and philanthropist, supporting education, public policy, and cultural institutions through the Rales Foundation and Glenstone Museum.

Mitchell Jacobson, cofounder and co-CEO of MSC Industrial Direct, helped build one of North America’s largest distributors of metalworking and maintenance supplies through disciplined execution, scale logistics, and a relentless focus on customer service. After joining the family-founded business, Jacobson oversaw its expansion from a catalog distributor into a technology-enabled industrial supplier serving manufacturers nationwide. Under his leadership, MSC grew into a multibillion-dollar public company known for operational efficiency, strong margins, and long-term shareholder alignment, while maintaining a conservative balance sheet and founder-led culture.

Ming Hsieh, founder and executive chairman of Fulgent Genetics, built a leading precision diagnostics company by applying advanced automation, data systems, and scalable lab infrastructure to genetic testing. After decades as a successful entrepreneur in aerospace simulation software, Hsieh founded Fulgent in 2011 and guided it from a startup into a publicly traded genomics platform offering comprehensive clinical and diagnostic testing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fulgent rapidly scaled nationwide testing capacity, demonstrating its operational agility and cementing its position in molecular diagnostics. Known for his engineering rigor and long-term vision, Hsieh has also emerged as a major philanthropist supporting education, medical research, and STEM initiatives.

Min Kao, cofounder and longtime executive of Garmin, helped build one of the world’s most successful GPS and navigation technology companies. After cofounding Garmin in 1989, Kao played a central role in developing satellite-based navigation systems that became industry standards across aviation, marine, automotive, fitness, and outdoor markets. Under his technical leadership, Garmin evolved from a niche aviation supplier into a global consumer and industrial technology powerhouse known for precision engineering and vertical integration. Since stepping back from daily operations, Kao has focused on philanthropy, particularly in education, science, and environmental conservation.

Mike Speiser, managing partner at Sutter Hill Ventures, is one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capitalists, known for backing category-defining enterprise software and infrastructure companies at their earliest stages. Since joining the storied firm in the late 1990s, Speiser has led or co-led investments in transformative businesses such as Snowflake, Pure Storage, and NVIDIA-backed platforms, helping founders scale from technical breakthroughs to global market leaders. Renowned for Sutter Hill’s concentrated, long-term approach, Speiser combines deep technical insight with board-level stewardship, making him a central figure in the evolution of modern enterprise technology.

Mike Bingle is a cofounder of Silver Lake, the technology-focused private equity firm that helped define large-scale investing in software, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure. In the firm’s early years, Bingle played a key role in shaping Silver Lake’s thesis-driven approach to backing category-defining technology companies, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the most powerful platforms in global private equity. Silver Lake’s model—deep sector expertise combined with long-term capital—went on to influence an entire generation of technology investors.

Miguel McKelvey, cofounder and former chief culture officer of WeWork, is the design-driven entrepreneur who helped redefine how a generation thinks about workspaces. Partnering with Adam Neumann, McKelvey translated architectural training and brand intuition into a global coworking phenomenon, shaping WeWork’s distinctive aesthetic, community ethos, and rapid international expansion. After stepping back from day-to-day operations, he has focused on new ventures at the intersection of design, culture, and entrepreneurship, continuing to influence how physical spaces support creativity, collaboration, and modern work.

Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation, built the world’s largest cruise company into a dominant force in global leisure travel while also shaping professional sports as owner of the Miami Heat. After taking the helm of his family’s cruise business, Arison expanded Carnival through scale, brand diversification, and operational efficiency, overseeing multiple marquee cruise lines and a vast global fleet. Beyond travel, he transformed the Heat into an NBA powerhouse with multiple championships, applying a disciplined, culture-driven ownership style. Known for a low public profile and long-term focus, Arison remains one of the most influential figures in hospitality and sports ownership.

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.

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.