Steve Blank
father of modern entrepreneurship, angel investor, educator, professsor at Stanford, keynote speaker, pioneer in lean startups
Achal Bakeri living
billionaire, air coolers, founder and chairman of Symphony Limited
1959- (66)
Andrew Mason living
Entrepreneur, businessman, co-founder of Groupon, Descript
1980- (45)
britannica.com
Anne Wojcicki
genomics entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of 23andMe in 2006, former wife to Sergey Brin
Arnold Clark living
Billionaire, automobiles, founder of Arnold Clark
1927- (98)
arnoldclark.com
Ben Cohen living
co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, businessman, entrepreneur, socialist
1951- (74)
Ben Silbermann living
Billionaire, co-founder and CEO of Pinterest, internet entrepreneur
1982- (43)
Bernd Bergmair living
billionaire Internet entrepreneur of adult websites, former chairman of MindGeek (now Aylo, formerly Manwin), largely known for making pornography free on the Internet with Pornhub, owner of RedTube in 2006, former Wall Street banker at Goldman Sachs
1969- (56)
Bill Drayton living
founder & CEO of Ashoka changemakers, father of social entrepreneurship (1970)
1943- (82)
Charles H. Doerr
Baker, biscuits, candy & confectionary entrepreneur, co-founder of Dare Foods (C. H. Doerr & Co) in 1892
1868-1941 (73)
glimpsesofcanadianhistory.ca
Charles A. Pillsbury
Businessman, politician, entrepreneur, industrialist, co-founder of the Pillsbury Company
1842-1899 (57)
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi living
Billionaire, founder of Thai Beverage, chairman of TCC Group, Fraser and Neave, Ltd.
1944- (81)
Chelsea Clinton
Entrepreneur, co-founder of HiddenLight Productions, daughter of Bill & Hillary Clinton
Christine Maxwell living
Internet pioneer, entrepreneur, co-founder of Magellan search engine (sold to Excite) with her twin sister Isabel, founder of PROMIS software, Chiliad, co-founder and CEO of Techtonic Insight, director at Commtouch (Cyren), created the New Riders' Official Internet Directory
1950- (75)
isgap.org
C.N. Ray
financier, entrepreneur, co-founder of Sea Ray boating company
Colonel Sanders
Founder of KFC franchise, or Kentucky Fried Chicken, railroad worker, gas station attendant, country lawyer
C.W. Post
entrepreneur, founder of General Foods, Postum (now Post Consumer Brands) or Post cereals
Dan Gilbert
Billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, co-founder of Rocket Mortgage (Quicken Loans), founder of Rock Ventures, sports team owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers via Cavaliers Entertainment LLC
Dario Telles de Menezes
founder of Ypióca a maker of traditional cachaças in 1846, Brazil's oldest distillery which he ran until 1895, entrepreneur
Dave Portnoy
businessman, founder of Barstool Sports, sports blogger, entrepreneur, timepieces, founder of Brick Watch Company
David McLane
concert promoter, entrepreneur, founder of the World Roller Hockey League (1993), the PBH: Pro Beach Hockey (1999), and WOW: Women of Wrestling (2000), TCP: Triple Crown of Polo (2003)
Deganya Aleph
entrepreneur, pioneer of the kibbutz agricultural (agrarian) local community in 1910 and there are 270 kibbutzim today in Israel
Edgar Sia living
Billionaire, founder of Mang Inasal (Jollibee) fast food restaurants, chairman of DoubleDragon Properties
1976- (49)
Edward Clark
Inventor, pioneer in sewing machines, co-founder of the Singer Company
Erling Persson
Founder of H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) in 1947, merged with hunting outfitter Mauritz Widforss in 1968
Estée Lauder
Entrepreneur, founder of the namesake Estée Lauder cosmetics and beauty products in 1946
1908-2004 (96)
elcompanies.com
Fabian Thylmann living
Internet entrepreneur of adult websites, known as Mr. Sex and the Mark Zuckerberg of pornography, founder and managing partner of Pornhub (Aylo) formerly Manwin, MindGeek
1978- (47)
François Pinault living
Billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, founder of Kering, Artémis, branding for Puma, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), owner of Grassi Palace
1936- (89)
Frank C. Mars
entrepreneur, founder of Mars chocolate confectionary with his wife
Frank Morneau
Founder of W. F. Morneau & Associates which merged with Sobeco, Shepell-fgi to become Morneau Shepell (now LifeWorks) human resources technology firm
Frank H. Sobey
businessman, entrepreneur, founder of Sobeys (Empire Company) with his father who started as a butcher/meats shop, art collector
1902-1985 (83)
frankhsobeyawards.com
George Eastman
Entrepreneur, businessman, founder of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company which later became Eastman Kodak Company, brought photographic film rolls into popularity, inventor of the Kodak camera in 1888, committed suicide in 1932
1854-1932 (78)
biography.com
George A. Hormel
entrepreneur, founder of Hormel Foods (1891), author of The Open Road
1860-1946 (86)
George "Winning" Weston
breadmaker at the Model Bakery, bread wholesaler, entrepreneur who bought delivery wagons, founder of George Weston Limited (1882), patriarch of the Weston family dynasty
1864-1924 (60)
Gérard Mulliez living
billionaire entrepreneur, founder of Auchan supermarkets (Familiale Mulliez)
1931- (94)
Harry Lopes living
Harry Rosen living
Founder of Harry Rosen a chain of luxury menswear department stores
1931- (94)
Harry Steele
Founder of Newfoundland Capital Corporation, now Stingray Radio
Musgrave Harbour
Henry Garrity
Founder of Devin Adair Publishing Company, news publisher, entrepreneur
Henry Wellcome
Pharmaceuticals entrepreneur, co-founder of Burroughs Wellcome & Company, merged to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), his legacy is the Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Collection & Foundation) created in 1936; a huge foundation with thousands of employees investing in modern therapeutics, like the Therapeutics Accelerator.
1853-1936 (83)
wellcome.org
Hilde Schwab
Billionaire heiress, chairperson and co-founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
Isabel S. Maxwell living
President of Commtouch, Blue World Alliance, co-founder of Magellan search engine that sold to Excite in 1996, moved on to email business, former senior advisor to Grameen America, declared bankruptcy
1950- (75)
weforum.org
Isidor Straus
Businessman, entrepreneur, co-owner of Macy's department stores, died on the Titanic
Ivanka Trump
entrepreneur, founder of Ivanka Trump clothing line, fashion designer, daughter and heiress to Donald Trump fortune, golfing
J. Michael Cline
Founder and managing partner of Accretive LLC, executive chairman of Juxtapose, serial entrepreneur, founder of Fandango, Accretive Health (R1 RCM), investment banker, former vice-chairman at Bridgewater Associates, co-inventor of Panthera Poacher Cam, co-founder of Everspring, Accolade, Accumen, Insureon
accretivellc.com
Jack Ma
Billionaire tech founder of Alibaba, AliExpress, Alipay, Taobao and Tmall, entrepreneur, private jet owner
Jack Taylor
Billionaire, rental cars, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 1957, entrepreneur
James Buchanan Duke
Founder of American Tobacco Company, Duke Energy co-founder, Duke University, entrepreneur
James L. Kraft
Founder of Kraft Foods, entrepreneur, patents and pioneer in processed cheese
1874-1953 (79)
Janet Jacks
founder of Goodness Me! natural food markets, podcaster on the The Honest to Goodness Podcast!
goodnessme.ca
Janus Friis living
co-founder of Starship autonomous delivery vehicles, co-founder of KaZaA peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing service, co-founder of Skype (acquired by Microsoft), then co-founder of Rdio/Vdio (2013)
1976- (49)
Jay Pritzker
entrepreneur, co-founder of the Marmon Group, co-founder and patriarch of the Hyatt family dynasty
1922-1999 (77)
Jerome Schottenstein
Entrepreneur, co-founder of Schottenstein Stores Corp., philanthropist
1926-1992 (66)
Jessica Alba
Actress in Dark Angel, Into the Blue, entrepreneur, owner of The Honest Co.
Jim Balsillie living
Billionaire, entrepreneur, co-founder of BlackBerry (Research-in-Motion aka RIM)
1961- (64)
Jim Sinegal living
Billionaire, businessman, co-founder and former CEO of Costco Wholesale
1938- (87)
Jim Treliving
Billionaire, co-founder of Boston Pizza, entrepreneur, TV host of Dragons Den
John Cadbury
Founder of Cadbury chocolates & confectionary candy company, he was financed partly by his father Richard Tapper Cadbury
1801-1889 (88)
John D. Larkin
Businessman, entrepreneur, marketer, founder of the Larkin Soap Company, pioneer of the mail-order business strategy
1845-1926 (81)
John K. Smith
Pharmacist, entrepreneur, founder of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), opened up a drugstore in Philadelphia previously known as Smith, Kline & French (SKF) in 1830
John Lewis
entrepreneur, businessman, founder of John Lewis & Partners department stores in the UK, Ireland and Australia
1836-1928 (92)
John McAfee
founder of McAfee, Sentinel, MGT Capital Investments, inventor, early internet pioneer in anti-virus software, entrepreneur, drug dealer, FBI informant, CIA intelligence officer, Monero crypto enthusiast, Ghostcoin (Ghost Exchange), Libertarian Party politician
1945-2021 (76)
whoismcafee.com
John W. Nordstrom
Businessman, entrepreneur, co-founder of Nordstrom department stores
John Schnatter living
John Watts
Businessman, entrepreneur, co-founder of the British East India Company (dba The English East India Company) which traded overseas in Indo-China, Persia via the Indian Ocean
Joseph E. Seagram
entrepreneur, founder of the distillery Joseph E. Seagram & Sons (Seagrams), politician, philanthropist, thoroughbred racing, horse breeder
1841-1919 (78)
Julius Wilhelm Braun
Founder of B Braun, entrepreneur, acquired the Rose Pharmacy in Melsungen in 1839
bbraun.com
Keith Murdoch
Journalist, entrepreneur, billionaire, father of Rupert Murdoch, started the News Corp Australia empire, in 1979 Rupert created the News Corp holding company in New York
Kevin O'Leary
financier, founder of O'Leary Funds, former TV producer, founder of The Learning Company (SoftKey), millionaire entrepreneur aka Mister Wonderful, angel investor, TV presenter on SqueezePlay, TV host on Shark Tank, formerly on Dragons Den, wine lover, crypto promoter of FTX
Klaus Tschira
Billionaire, entrepreneur, co-founder of SAP AG in 1972 which is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software company
1940-2015 (75)
Lori Greiner
Angel investor, "The Queen of QVC", TV host on Shark Tank, inventor, entrepreneur, bestselling author
lorigreiner.com
Mack McLarty living
Businessman, co-founder and chairman of McLarty Associates (McLarty Companies) since 1998, US Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton from 1993-1994, Democratic Party politician, co-signatory for NAFTA, special envoy for the Americas until 1998
1946- (79)
maglobal.com
Marc Lore
Real estate developer, entrepreneur, former CEO of Walmart, founder of Diapers.com (Quidsi) and Jet.com
Marc Randolph living
Co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, tech entrepreneur, author of That Will Never Work
1958- (67)
marcrandolph.com
Marian Ilitch living
Billionaire entrepreneur, co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza, sports team owner of the Detroit Red Wings
1932- (93)
Martine A. Rothblatt living
Lawyer, entrepreneur, founder and CEO of United Therapeutics, pioneer in transhumanism, founder of the Truths of Terasem Movement Foundation
1954- (71)
Mike Ilitch
Billionaire entrepreneur, co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza, sports team owner of the Detroit Red Wings (NHL) hockey team, Detroit Tigers (MLB) baseball team
1929-2017 (88)
Niklas Zennström
co-founder of Skype (acquired by Microsoft), then co-founder of Rdio
Nolan Bushnell
entrepreneur, founder of Atari video gaming, Chuck E. Cheese's family restaurants
Noubar Afeyan
Co-founder of Moderna, entrepreneur, investor at Flagship Pioneering, philanthropist, co-founder of the Aurora Prize and The Future Armenian
Paul Orfalea living
businessman, entrepreneur, founder of Kinko's (FedEx Kinkos) facsimile copy-chain of fax copiers
1947- (78)
PBD
Entrepreneur aka Patrick Bet David (PBD), founder of Valuetainment, podcaster on PBD Podcast
Phil Knight
Billionaire, founder of Nike out of Blue Ribbon Sports in 1972, author of Shoe Dog
Sir Philip Green living
Billionaire businessman, founder and chairman of Arcadia Group (bought out Sears plc) with Charles Clore, entrepreneur, fashion retailer, owner of Topshop stores, Topman, Miss Selfridge
1952- (73)
Precious Moloi-Motsepe
Entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist
motsepefoundation.org
R.H. Riley
entrepreneur, founder of Riley Brothers (Haliax) confectionary maker of Rileys Toffee Rolls since 1907
Rich Miner
venture capitalist, investor, entrepreneur, inventor, co-founder of Android, Wildfire
Richard W. Sears
Co-founder and 1st President of Sears-Roebuck, railroad worker at Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad
1863-1914 (51)
searsarchives.com
RJ Reynolds
entrepreneur, founder of RJ Reynolds (RJR Nabisco) tobacco maker known today as RAI for Reynolds American Inc.
Robert Herjavec living
billionaire entrepreneur, founder of BRAK Systems (AT&T Canada), Herjavec Group an IT security firm, TV host on Shark Tank
1962- (63)
Robert Miller living
Billionaire businessman, electronics entrepreneur, co-founder of Future Electronics components distributor in 1968 who bought his partner out in 1976 for half a million dollars.
1943- (82)
forbes.com
Rocky Agusta living
Rose Blumkin
retailer, businesswoman, entrepreneur, founder of Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1937
1893-1998 (105)
Ruben Rausing
Billionaire industrialist, entrepreneur, founder of Tetra Pak
Ryan Breslow
Billionaire founder and chairman of Bolt, Prism, entrepreneur, co-founder of Eco, Love, The Movement, dancer
bolt.com
Sam Bronfman
anti-prohibitionist, entrepreneur aka Mr. Sam, The Whisky Man, founder of Distillers Corporation Ltd. in Montreal which bought out Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Ltd., philanthropist at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts
Sam Tick
Founder of Canada Goose (Metro Sportswear) outerwear jackets & down-filled parkas in 1957.
canadagoose.com
Samuel Curtis Johnson
Founder of SC Johnson & Sons family dynasty
scjohnson.com
Sandy Lerner
Billionaire entrepreneur, co-founder of Cisco Systems with her husband Len Bosack, fired and retired by John Morgridge because it was her or 8 VP's leaving the company
Sara Blakely
Founder of Spanx, entrepreneur, sports team owner of the Atlanta Hawks
Serge Godin living
Billionaire tech entrepreneur, founder and chairman of CGI Group in 1976 an information technology (IT) services company
1949- (76)
cgi.com
Sergey Brin
Billionaire, co-founder of Google, co-chairman and president of Alphabet Inc.
SS Kresge
Retailer, founder of Kmart which is now Sears
kresge.org
Steve Kirsch living
Serial entrepreneur, co-inventor of the optical mouse, founder of InfoSeek, Mouse Systems, OneID, FrameMaker (Frame Technology Corp.)
1956- (69)
skirsch.com
Terry Gou
Billionaire, entrepreneur, founder of Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn)
T.H. Chan
Entrepreneur, his sons donated $350 million for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Theo Albrecht
Billionaire, co-founder of Aldi Supermarkets, his son Berthold Albrecht died at 58
Thomas Smythe
Businessman, entrepreneur, co-founder of the British East India Company (dba The English East India Company) which traded overseas in Indo-China, Persia via the Indian Ocean
Thomas J. Watson
Businessman, entrepreneur, founder, chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM) from 1914-1956, diplomat, US ambassador in Moscow Russia
1874-1956 (82)
ibm.com
Todd Wagner living
billionaire entrepreneur, co-founder of Broadcast.com (AudioNet) an online media platform bought by Yahoo! for $5.7 Billion, he also bought Magnolia Pictures with Mark Cuban
1960- (65)
Tom Bilyeu living
Multimillionaire entrepreneur, co-founder of Quest Nutrition, podcaster on Impact Theory, author of Neon Future, Imapct Planner
1976- (49)
impacttheory.com
Tom Sims
Entrepreneur, inventor of the snowboard, founder of Sims Snowboards, invented the first snowboards called skiboards
Trevor Milton
Entrepreneur, co-founder and former executive chairman of Nikola
Dr. Wallace C. Abbott
Founder of Abbott Laboratories, entrepreneur
abbott.com
Walt Disney
Founder of The Walt Disney Company, film producer, entrepreneur
Warren Avis
founder of AVIS rent-a-car, entrepreneur, pioneer in car rentals
Wences Casares
co-founder & CEO of Xapo Bank since 2013, serial entrepreneur, crypto enthusiast, sold off Bitcoin chain of custody to Coinbase Custody, financier, director at PayPal, Diem, Endeavor Global, Kiva, founder of Banco Lemon Wallet, Patagon (Banco Santander Online), Wanako Games, Internet Argentina S.A. Internet service provider (ISP)