Browse by company

Los Angeles esports and lifestyle organization founded in 2017. Drake and Scooter Braun co-led its $25 million Series A in October 2018 and became co-owners.

Personal genomics company offering direct-to-consumer saliva-based genetic testing for ancestry and health reports. Co-founded in 2006 by Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza.

American auto racing organization in the NASCAR Cup Series, owned by Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin. The name combines the number 23 and Hamlin's number 11.

Integrated media and entertainment company co-founded by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban, covering film and television production and distribution, theatrical exhibition and home entertainment.

Chicago web software company founded in 1999 by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura and Ernest Kim as a web design firm. It makes Basecamp and HEY, and the open-source Ruby on Rails framework was first built for internal use there.

American multinational conglomerate, originally the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, operating in industry, worker safety and consumer goods and making over 60,000 products.

Production company founded in 1979 by Spike Lee and Monty Ross. It has produced all of Lee's films, beginning with She's Gotta Have It in 1986.

Production company founded in 2003 by Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros.' Telepictures, known for producing The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It closed in September 2024 after DeGeneres retired.

American commercial broadcast television network, the flagship property of the Disney Television Group division of the Walt Disney Company.

Private roofing supply company based in Beloit, Wisconsin, and the largest roofing and vinyl siding wholesale distributor in the United States. Founded in 1982 by Ken and Diane Hendricks.

Italian Serie A football club in Florence. Rocco Commisso bought it in June 2019, per Wikipedia. Forbes lists Catherine Commisso, his widow, as its owner.

Workforce solutions and temporary staffing company opened in Los Angeles in 1978 by Janice Bryant Howroyd, who is its founder and CEO. It began as The ACT 1 Group.

Chip maker founded by Jerry Sanders and other Fairchild alumni. Now led by Lisa Su.

Windows Server management software company started by Ratmir Timashev and Andrei Baronov in Ohio. Quest Software bought it in 2004. Founding year is 1996 in Forbes and 1997 in Wikipedia.

English Premier League football club formed in 1899 as Boscombe. Michael B. Jordan was announced in December 2022 as part-owner and led a minority ownership group.

Offers point-of-sale installment loans and is the largest American buy now, pay later lender. Founded in 2012 by Max Levchin and others.

Company that Alejandro Zaffaroni co-founded in 1988, specializing in combinatorial chemistry to cut the cost and time of identifying new medicines.

Santa Clara biotechnology company making DNA microarray products, co-founded by Alejandro Zaffaroni and Stephen Fodor. Now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Zaffaroni's page gives 1991 as the co-founding year.

Hip-hop and R&B label founded by Dr. Dre in 1996 after he left Death Row Records. A Universal Music Group subsidiary distributed through Interscope Records.

Runs a website and app for booking places to stay, activities and services, earning a fee on each booking.

Wireless security company launched by Jay Chaudhry. Motorola acquired it in 2008.

Company that Alejandro Zaffaroni founded in 2000 to work on rapid-onset drug delivery technologies.

Chinese technology and e-commerce group founded in 1999 in Hangzhou by Jack Ma and co-founders.

American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida, founded in 2019. Tony Khan is president and CEO; his father Shahid Khan is a lead investor.

American media company founded in 1993 by Byron Allen and formerly called Entertainment Studios. It has interests in television production, broadcasting, film production and digital media. Allen is listed as owner.

Formula One team racing as BWT Alpine Formula One Team for sponsorship reasons. Michael B. Jordan is listed as a team investor alongside Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Denver-based commercial and industrial general contracting, site management and design/build firm. Wikipedia says Linda Alvarado founded it in 1976 and continues as CEO.

American pharmaceutical and medical systems company that Alejandro Zaffaroni founded in 1968 to develop controlled drug-delivery systems. It was named from a shortening of his name.

Company founded by Jeff Bezos in Bellevue, Washington, spanning online retail, cloud computing, streaming and AI.

Home furnishings service that Forbes says Jennifer Gilbert founded and later sold. Founding year not established.

Mexican telecommunications corporation headquartered in Mexico City. Telmex spun off its international cellular division as América Móvil in 2000.

American bank holding company and financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards, headquartered in Lower Manhattan. Kenneth Chenault was its chairman and CEO from 2001 to 2018.

Privately run American film production company based in San Francisco, founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.

American cosmetics company best known for eyebrow products, founded by Anastasia Soare in Beverly Hills. Her daughter Claudia Soare is president; TPG holds a minority stake.

Privately held venture capital firm launched in July 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests in early-stage startups and established growth companies and is based in Menlo Park, California.

Privately owned military technology company founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, Joe Chen and Brian Schimpf. It makes autonomous systems, drones, surveillance towers and command-and-control software, mainly for the U.S. Department of Defense.

American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, competing in the National Women's Soccer League. It began play in 2022.

Sports and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, founded by Philip Anschutz. It owns teams and venues, including the Los Angeles Kings.

Chinese financial technology company that operates Alipay, founded by Jack Ma and spun out of the Alibaba ecosystem.

AI safety company started by former OpenAI staff, maker of the Claude models.

Company behind a platform for building and running AI and machine learning workloads on Ray, the open-source distributed computing project developed at UC Berkeley's RISELab. Ion Stoica lists himself as a co-founder.

Investment firm founded by Keith Dunleavy, focused on founder-led technology companies. Forbes says it is funded solely by his own money and lists SpaceX and Shield AI among its investments.

American asset management firm that primarily invests in alternative assets. It was founded in 1990 by Leon Black, Josh Harris, Marc Rowan and Tony Ressler after the collapse of Drexel Burnham Lambert.

Cupertino technology company making consumer electronics, software and online services. Bought Beats Electronics in 2014 for about $3 billion.

Nonprofit biomedical research organization co-founded by Patrick Collison with Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu.

Publicly traded company developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for air taxi and defense use, founded in 2018 by Adam Goldstein and Brett Adcock.

French champagne brand introduced in 2006, sold in metallic bottles. A company led by Jay-Z bought the brand in 2014, and it is now owned half by Jay-Z and half by LVMH.

Independent distribution company launched by Ava DuVernay as the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM) and renamed ARRAY in 2015. It aims to produce, distribute and amplify work from Black artists and filmmakers of color.

Work-management software company founded by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein.

Satellite designer and manufacturer in Midland, Texas, building a space-based cellular broadband network meant to connect to standard smartphones. Founded in May 2017 by Abel Avellan, who remains chairman and CEO.

Telecommunications company; AT&T Corp. was founded in 1885 as American Bell's long-distance subsidiary, and Bell Labs was founded in 1925 as its research division.

Connecticut maker of non-alcoholic craft beer, founded by Bill Shufelt and John Walker; Blake Mycoskie is listed among its investors.

Major League Baseball club, based in Atlanta since 1966. Ted Turner bought the team in 1976; Time Warner acquired it with Turner Broadcasting in 1996 and sold it to Liberty Media in 2007.

NBA franchise whose origins trace to the 1946 Buffalo Bisons. In 2015 a group led by Tony Ressler bought it for $850 million; Sara Blakely was part of that group.

Company run by Travis Kalanick, formerly City Storage Systems. Its CloudKitchens subsidiary builds ghost kitchens and was absorbed into Atoms in March 2026.

Tool for eBay sellers co-founded by Patrick and John Collison. Live Current Media bought it in March 2008.

New York sports, media, entertainment and lifestyle platform that owns brand IP and licenses it to operating partners. In January 2026 it agreed a partnership with Kevin Hart in which he became a shareholder.

Distributed web software company founded in 2005 by Matt Mullenweg, best known for WordPress.com and its contributions to WordPress. Its other products include Akismet, Gravatar and Tumblr.

Brazilian airline headquartered near Sao Paulo, the fourth airline launched by David Neeleman. It began flying in December 2008 and filed for Chapter 11 in the United States in May 2025.

Venture capital firm established in 2015 by Arlan Hamilton to invest in startups led by founders underrepresented in tech.

Chinese internet and AI company. Dario Amodei worked there from November 2014 to October 2015.

American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, founded in 1973 by former Boston Consulting Group vice president Bill Bain and colleagues.

Cybersecurity-focused venture firm. Its team page lists Kevin Mandia as co-founder and general partner.

Professional American football team based in Baltimore, playing in the NFL's AFC North at M&T Bank Stadium.

American investment bank and brokerage holding company, founded in 1923 and acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2008. Chris Gardner was recruited to its San Francisco office.

Conglomerate founded by MrBeast that holds his media channels, MrBeast Burger, Feastables and Lunchly. It raised $200 million from Bitmine at a $5 billion valuation in January 2026.

Headphone and audio company co-founded by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, bought by Apple in 2014.

American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies created when AT&T was forced to divest its regional telephone companies.

Franchise chain of five-and-dime and craft stores in small towns, begun in 1927 by Butler Brothers. Sam Walton bought a Ben Franklin franchise in Newport, Arkansas, in 1945.

Holding company. Bill Gates was on its board until March 2020, when he left his Microsoft and Berkshire boards.

Streaming service announced in 2019 as a joint venture between BET and Tyler Perry Studios. Paramount Skydance bought out Perry's stake in 2026, and the service was shut down in July 2026.

Financial services company formed in 2004 as BGC Partners when Cantor Fitzgerald spun out its voice brokerage business. Howard Lutnick is listed as its former chairman and CEO.

Latin America-focused technology venture fund founded in June 2023, with a $500 million target. Marcelo Claure is a founder and executive chairman.

Indian biopharmaceutical company based in Bengaluru, founded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in 1978 as a partner to an Irish enzyme maker. Its subsidiaries include Biocon Biologics and Syngene International.

American cable network aimed at African-American audiences, launched in 1999 as MBC Network and renamed in 2004. Robert Townsend developed its original programming. It ceased operating as a channel in April 2007.

Fast-casual pizza restaurant chain founded in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzel's Pretzels, known for made-to-order pizzas.

Technology and financial services company founded as Square by Jack Dorsey, Jim McKelvey and Tristan O'Tierney in 2009 and renamed Block in December 2021. Its products include Square, Cash App, Afterpay and Tidal.

American privately held financial, software, data and media company in Manhattan, co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981 as Innovative Market Systems and renamed in 1986. Bloomberg is listed as its majority owner.

Human spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000.

Microblogging service that began in 2019 as a research initiative at Twitter and became an independent company in 2021. Jack Dorsey, then Twitter's CEO, announced the initiative and left its board in May 2024.

American aerospace company founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle as Pacific Aero Products Company. The present corporation resulted from its acquisition of McDonnell Douglas on August 1, 1997.

American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the Big Three management consultancies alongside McKinsey and Bain.

Bowling and entertainment company whose chairman and CEO is founder Thomas F. Shannon. Alberto Perlman joined its board in December 2022.

Dallas hedge fund focused on the oil industry that T. Boone Pickens founded in 1997. The initials stand for Boone Pickens, not BP the oil company. He closed it in January 2018.

Low-cost U.S. airline based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, founded by David Neeleman as Moxy Airways. It flew its first flight in May 2021.

American investment management firm founded by Ray Dalio in 1975. It serves institutional clients such as pension funds, endowments and central banks, and pioneered the risk parity approach in 1996.

Wireless distribution and services company Marcelo Claure founded in Miami in 1997. SoftBank bought a majority in 2013 and the company is now named Likewize.

Private equity firm. Marcelo Claure became a minority shareholder in 2023 and partner and co-chairman in April 2025. It is not the wireless company Brightstar that he founded.

Early internet radio and streaming company, founded in 1989 as Cameron Audio Networks. Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban invested in 1995. Yahoo acquired it in 1999.

NBA team founded in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans. Jay-Z owned a small minority stake from 2003 until 2013.

NHL team in Buffalo, New York. A consortium led by Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn bought it in 2003, and Terry Pegula bought it from Golisano in 2011.

Investment partnership Warren Buffett created in 1956. He merged his partnerships into a single entity in 1962 and liquidated it in 1969, passing assets including Berkshire Hathaway shares to his partners.

American mobile app for online dating and social networking, launched in December 2014 and founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd. It is operated by Bumble Inc., which also owns Badoo.

American online media and news company founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III. Byron Allen's family office agreed in May 2026 to buy it for $120 million, and Allen became chairman and CEO.

Meeting-scheduling software company founded in Atlanta in 2013 by Tope Awotona, who remains its CEO.

New York family office founded by Daniel Lubetzky in 2018 as Equilibra, later rebranded Camino Partners. It backs entrepreneur-run businesses that offer packaged goods to consumers.

Canadian cannabis company founded as Tweed in 2013 by Bruce Linton and Chuck Rifici and renamed Canopy Growth Corporation in 2015.

Financial services and investment banking firm founded by B. Gerald Cantor. Howard Lutnick joined in 1983 and headed it from 1996 to 2025, when his sons took over.

Australian graphic design platform, launched in 2013, with a freemium model and drag-and-drop tools for presentations, posters and social content. Co-founded by Melanie Perkins.

Health plan company that Mike Fernandez founded in 2002 and sold to Humana in 2005.

Women's footwear brand Carlos Santana launched in 2001, licensed to Caleres (formerly Brown Shoe Company) until 2019. He took it in-house under Jubilation LLC and relaunched it in November 2022.

Steel producer formed on July 1, 1892 to consolidate Andrew Carnegie's Pittsburgh-area mills and related assets. It was sold in 1901 and became a major component of U.S. Steel.

Southern California department store holding company, known as Broadway-Hale Stores until 1974. It acquired Neiman Marcus in 1969 and was sold to Federated in 1995.

Privately held Los Angeles real estate company that develops, owns and manages properties, including The Grove and the Americana at Brand. Rick Caruso founded it in 1987 and is its founder and executive chairman.

Technology group founded by Strive Masiyiwa. It operates over 100,000 km of fibre-optic cable in Africa and in 2025 was reported to be working on AI factories in five countries.

American commercial real estate services and investment firm headquartered in Dallas. Its origins trace to 1906, and it is the world's largest such firm by 2025 revenue.

American sports programming division responsible for sports broadcasts on the CBS network and the Paramount+ streaming service.

Privately held, self-funded hair care brand founded in 2024 by Beyonce Knowles-Carter after six years in development. She is founder and chairperson and owns the company.

Private French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is owned by Alain and Gérard Wertheimer.

American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, playing in the NBA's Southeast Division. Known as the Bobcats until 2013.

American professional basketball team based in Chicago, playing in the NBA's Central Division since the 1966-67 season.

American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in bowls, tacos and burritos made to order. Steve Ells is its founder.

Climbing-hardware maker Yvon Chouinard founded after he began forging pitons in 1957. It filed for Chapter 11 in 1989 and its assets were bought by employees and re-formed as Black Diamond Equipment.

American automobile manufacturer founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925, now a subsidiary of Stellantis.

American movie theater chain headquartered in Plano, Texas, that began operating in 1977 and runs nearly 500 theaters.

Email security company based in Alpharetta, Georgia, known for its IronMail gateway appliance. Jay Chaudhry and Lawrence Hughes cofounded it; Secure Computing bought it in August 2006 for $273.6 million.

American multinational hedge fund and financial services company, founded in 1990 by Kenneth Griffin, who is its CEO and co-chief investment officer and owns most of the firm. It is legally distinct from the market maker Citadel Securities.

American market-making firm headquartered in Miami. It is a separate entity from the hedge fund Citadel LLC, though both were founded by Ken Griffin and are majority owned by him.

American multinational investment bank and financial services company in New York City, formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group.

Hong Kong property developer that began trading in June 2015 when Cheung Kong Holdings spun off its property holdings in a restructuring. It is one of the two flagship companies of Li Ka-shing's empire.

Hong Kong conglomerate formed in 2015 by merging Cheung Kong Holdings, founded 1950 by Li Ka-shing, with Hutchison Whampoa. Core businesses are ports, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications.

Investment company and family office led by Marcelo Claure, who is its founder and CEO as of 2023. He also chairs Bicycle Capital, the Latin America-focused venture fund.

Design-build construction and real estate firm formed July 23, 1984 by Bob Clark at age 25. Headquartered in Chicago since 2013, it is one of the largest privately owned firms in its industry.

American private equity company with about $30 billion invested in roughly 90 businesses. Jack Welch became an adviser to the firm after retiring from General Electric.

Non-toxic cleaning product brand launched by Joy Mangano in 2020. The rapper Pitbull was announced as a co-founder in 2023.

Telecommunications operator providing mobile and fixed wireless broadband in the United States and parts of Europe. In October 2003 Craig McCaw purchased its parent company and moved the headquarters to Kirkland, Washington.

American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, playing in the NBA's Central Division. It began as an expansion team in 1970.

Network security and content-delivery company founded in 2009 by Matthew Prince, Michelle Zatlyn and Lee Holloway. It listed on the NYSE in September 2019.

Bolivian professional football club founded in 1925 and based in La Paz. Marcelo Claure's ownership group has held the right to operate it since 2008.

American 24-hour cable news channel founded on June 1, 1980 by Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld and headquartered in Atlanta. It is now the flagship property of CNN Worldwide, a division of Skydance.

Cogeneration power company founded by Bob McNair in 1984 and sold in 1999, to Enron according to Wikipedia. Cal McNair joined in 1987 and worked on plant construction.

AI software company behind Devin, a coding agent. Co-founded by Scott Wu, Steven Hao and Walden Yan, who met on the competitive programming circuit, per Forbes.

Cryptocurrency exchange co-founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. Armstrong has been its CEO since founding.

Investment firm focused on Black entrepreneurs. Jewel Burks Solomon is its managing partner.

Major League Baseball team based in Denver, playing at Coors Field in the National League West.

Private biotechnology and genetic engineering company founded in 2021 by Harvard geneticist George Church and Ben Lamm, focused on de-extinction projects such as the woolly mammoth. Based in Dallas, Texas.

American basic cable channel launched April 1, 1991 and based in Manhattan. It broadcasts comedy series, stand-up specials and feature films.

Dallas-based financial services company and parent of Comerica Bank, a regional commercial bank. Fifth Third Bank announced a definitive agreement to acquire it in October 2025.

Personal computer maker. Tim Cook was its vice president for corporate materials in 1997 and left for Apple about six months later.

Oklahoma City oil and gas producer founded by Harold Hamm in 1967 as Shelly Dean Oil Company and renamed Continental Resources in 1990. Public from 2007, it was taken private by Hamm family affiliates in November 2022.

Video streaming analytics and optimization company, founded in 2006 as Rinera Networks by Hui Zhang and Ion Stoica and renamed Conviva in 2008. Stoica is a co-founder.

Managed e-commerce platform launched by Jay Chaudhry in 2000. It was later acquired by USi, which AT&T bought.

New Jersey cloud-computing company running data centers built for GPU-intensive AI workloads. Founded in 2017 as Atlantic Crypto; it listed on Nasdaq on March 28, 2025.

Public benefit corporation based in Dallas that distributes generic drugs, aiming to lower prices by removing middlemen such as pharmacy benefit managers. Operates as Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.

Membership-only warehouse club chain founded in Seattle in 1983. Jim Sinegal co-founded it and was its president and CEO until 2012.

New York sandwich restaurant concept from Steve Ells. It replaced his automated fast casual concept Kernel in 2025 and had five locations by July 2026.

Online learning company founded by Stanford professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, offering courses, certificates and degrees with universities and other partners.

Production company of comedian Chris Rock, which he had while producing the series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.

San Francisco venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies, founded by David Sacks and Bill Lee.

American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, founded in Beverly Hills in 1975.

Independent wealth management firm and registered investment advisor in Overland Park, Kansas, majority owned by Peter Mallouk, who acquired it in 2004 when it managed $34 million for about 30 clients.

Texas-based cybersecurity company offering endpoint security, threat intelligence and cyberattack response. George Kurtz, Dmitri Alperovitch and Gregg Marston founded it; it listed on Nasdaq in June 2019.

American rail transportation and real estate holding company, established in 1980 from the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. Oscar Munoz was its CFO, COO and president.

Hedge fund where Jeff Bezos worked from 1990 to 1994, becoming its fourth senior vice president by age 30.

American professional basketball team based in Dallas, playing in the NBA's Southwest Division.

Office supply company where Sara Blakely sold fax machines door-to-door before founding Spanx. She resigned after Oprah Winfrey named Spanx a Favorite Thing in November 2000.

San Francisco data and AI platform company built around Apache Spark, which grew out of UC Berkeley's AMPLab. Ali Ghodsi is a co-founder and its CEO.

Advertising network that grew out of Doyle Dane Bernbach, founded in 1949, and was later owned by Omnicom Group.

American stock brokerage and securities firm, founded in 1924 and merged into Morgan Stanley in 1997. Chris Gardner joined its stockbroker training program in San Francisco.

American record label known for West Coast hip-hop releases, founded in 1991. Dr. Dre is listed among its founders and left in 1996.

American record label founded by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, now part of Universal Music Group. Jay-Z served as its president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.

Private research and development company in Manchester, New Hampshire, founded in 1982 by Dean Kamen. Its work includes the iBOT wheelchair, portable dialysis machines and the Luke prosthetic arm.

Computer company Michael Dell registered as PC's Limited in January 1984 and incorporated as Dell Computer Corporation that May. He is its founder, chairman and CEO.

Professional American football team based in Denver, playing in the NFL's AFC West and headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

National Hockey League team in Detroit, founded in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars and renamed the Red Wings in 1932. It is owned by Ilitch Holdings.

Major League Baseball team in Detroit, founded in 1894 in the minor Western League and a charter member of the American League in 1901. Its infobox lists Ilitch Holdings as owner.

French luxury fashion house founded in December 1946 by Christian Dior and Marcel Boussac. Bernard Arnault's family group owns 97.5% of Christian Dior SE via Financière Agache.

American satellite television and IPTV provider, formerly EchoStar Communications Corporation, now a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. Its main competitor is DirecTV.

Research company that Alejandro Zaffaroni established in 1980 to develop macromolecular products combining genetic engineering and immunobiology.

Theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, opened in 1986. Per Wikipedia it is owned 50% by Dolly Parton Productions and 50% by Herschend, which operates it.

Virtual studio for interior designers that Forbes says Jennifer Gilbert founded and later sold. Founding year not established.

Boston-based digital sports entertainment and gambling company offering sportsbook and daily fantasy sports services.

San Francisco investment firm that backs technology companies in public and private markets. Founded in 2012 by Marc Stad, who remains its managing partner. Its holdings include stakes in OpenAI and Anthropic.

Clothing line launched by Reese Witherspoon in 2015, named for her grandparents and built around her Southern upbringing. Consortium Brand Partners acquired a 70% stake in 2023.

Media company co-founded by Drake and Adel Future Nur in 2017. It works as a management company and entertainment group with a production company.

Wall Street investment bank founded in 1935 that went defunct in 1994. Leon Black ran its mergers and acquisitions group before co-founding Apollo in 1990.

File hosting and cloud storage company founded by MIT students Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, incorporated in May 2007 as Evenflow, Inc. It began trading on Nasdaq on March 23, 2018.

Educational technology company founded by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker that makes language-learning apps and language certification. Private beta launched in November 2011; it trades on Nasdaq as DUOL.

Household appliance maker founded by James Dyson and owned by him and his family. Its headquarters is in Singapore.

Rochester-based company best known for photographic film. Tom Golisano sat on its board as designee of GO EK Ventures IV, per Paychex's 2021 proxy.

E-commerce company founded by Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb in 1995, letting users buy and sell through auctions and fixed-price listings. Meg Whitman was CEO from March 1998 to January 2008.

Seamless-underwear and apparel brand co-founded in 2018 by Sofía Vergara and entrepreneur Renata Black. It raised $6 million in Series A funding.

American satellite communication, wireless and internet company whose subsidiaries include Dish Network, Boost Mobile, Sling TV and Hughes Network Systems.

Diversified telecommunications group with operations and investments in Africa, Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific, controlled by its founder, Strive Masiyiwa.

Restaurant near Roses, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià and known for modernist cuisine. It held three Michelin stars and closed on 30 July 2011, relaunching as the El Bulli Foundation.

Information technology services company founded in Dallas in 1962 by Ross Perot, a former IBM salesman. General Motors bought a controlling interest in 1984. HP acquired it in 2008.

Record label founded in 2010 by Mike Hamlin, Ellen DeGeneres and her production company A Very Good Production, with Warner Bros. Its first signing was Greyson Chance. It is listed as defunct since 2012.

Cosmetics line launched by L'Oréal in 2013 under Michelle Phan's name. Phan bought L'Oréal's share through Ipsy in April 2015.

American data storage and cloud computing company based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, founded by Richard Egan and Roger Marino; acquired by Dell in 2016 for about $67 billion. Parent of VMware until 2021.

Provider of communications services to maritime and other mobility markets. Its founder, Abel Avellan, was its CEO when Global Eagle Entertainment agreed in 2016 to buy it for $550 million.

SaaS technology platform that uses machine learning to manage and grow talent inside a company. Carlos Gutierrez is its co-founder and executive chairman per a speaker profile.

Winery co-founded by Gary Vaynerchuk, acquired by Constellation Brands in 2020.

Holding company for talent and media agencies based in Beverly Hills, California. Formed in April 2009 by the merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor Talent Agency.

Mental-health awareness brand launched by Blake Mycoskie in January 2026, operated by We Are Enough LLC and owned by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Video game developer and publisher in Cary, North Carolina, maker of Fortnite and Unreal Engine. Founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991.

Privately held healthcare software company based in Verona, Wisconsin, founded in 1979 by Judith Faulkner, who is its CEO.

Annuity and life insurance company. Per Wikipedia's Magic Johnson article, he completed an acquisition of a majority, controlling interest in 2015, when it managed $14.5 billion.

American basic cable sports network, originally the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, and flagship property of ESPN, LLC.

Online travel company spun off from IAC. Dara Khosrowshahi was its CEO from August 2005 until he left for Uber in 2017.

American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, formed by the 1999 merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its Exxon side descends from Standard Oil of New Jersey.

Early silicon chip maker whose founders and staff went on to start Intel, AMD and others.

Sugar and real estate conglomerate owned by the Fanjul brothers. Its subsidiaries include Domino Sugar, Florida Crystals, C&H Sugar and Redpath Sugar.

Snack and chocolate brand MrBeast introduced in January 2022 with the MrBeast Bar line. It is part of the Beast Industries group of businesses.

Package delivery and logistics company founded in 1971 in Little Rock, Arkansas by Frederick W. Smith and now based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Discount department store chain started in San Diego by Sol Price, who later founded Price Club. Jim Sinegal began there as a bagger and became an executive vice president.

Paris fashion brand founded by Rihanna in 2019 under LVMH, co-owned by Rihanna and LVMH. Its Wikipedia page lists it as defunct in 2021.

Cosmetics brand founded by Rihanna and launched in 2017 through LVMH's Kendo division. Its Wikipedia infobox lists ownership as Rihanna 50 percent and LVMH 50 percent.

American sports holding company that owns Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, Liverpool in the Premier League, NASCAR's RFK Racing and Boston Common Golf.

American financial services company and one of the largest asset managers in the world. Edward C. Johnson II founded it in 1946, and his granddaughter Abigail Johnson is its CEO.

Private robotics company founded in 2022 by Brett Adcock that builds AI-driven humanoid robots. It has developed Helix, a vision-language-action model.

Security company founded in 2004 by Ashar Aziz. It bought Mandiant in December 2013 for $1 billion and in June 2021 sold its products business and name to Symphony Technology Group for $1.2 billion.

Entertainment company launched in Jersey City, New Jersey, now based in Miami. Founded by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere; it produces films and television shows.

Automotive parts maker. Shahid Khan worked there as engineering director, then bought it in 1980. It had 69 plants in eight countries by 2019 and a 2020 revenue of $8.9 billion.

Image and video hosting service launched in February 2004 by Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake at Ludicorp. Yahoo acquired it on March 20, 2005; SmugMug has owned it since 2018.

Fanjul family-owned sugar growing and refining company in Florida. José Fanjul is its vice chairman and president.

National Hockey League team based in the Miami metropolitan area, playing since the 1993-94 season. Its infobox lists the owner as Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, with Vincent Viola as chairman.

Investor-owned electric utility based in Juno Beach, Florida, serving about 5.6 million customers. It is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy.

American business magazine and media company founded in 1917 by B. C. Forbes. His grandson Steve Forbes is chairman and editor-in-chief. Hong Kong-based Integrated Whale Media Investments has held a majority stake since 2014.

American automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903, headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. It sells vehicles under the Ford brand and luxury cars under Lincoln.

Fast-fashion retailer founded in 1984 as Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles, by Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang. Ownership passed out of the Chang family in 2020.

Film and television production company owned by Ava DuVernay.

San Francisco venture capital fund founded in 2005 by Peter Thiel, Ken Howery and Luke Nosek. Known for early investments in SpaceX, Palantir and Facebook.

Security consulting and vulnerability-management firm. McAfee agreed to buy it in August 2004 for $86 million. George Kurtz founded it in 1999, and Kevin Mandia worked there before starting Mandiant.

Local search and discovery app created in late 2008 by Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai and launched in 2009.

American commercial broadcast television network founded in 1986 by Rupert Murdoch and Barry Diller. It aired In Living Color, created by Keenen Ivory Wayans, from 1990 to 1994.

American pay television channel, branded FS1, owned by Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. It airs live sports and sports talk programming.

Chipmaker spun out of Motorola's semiconductor division in 2004 and merged into NXP Semiconductors in December 2015.

Improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group started by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Veneziale and directed by Thomas Kail. It completed a Broadway run at the Booth Theatre in 2022.

American snack food company, formed by the 1961 merger of the Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company, later merged with Pepsi-Cola to form PepsiCo.

American hip hop apparel company; the name stands for "For Us, By Us". Its Wikipedia page dates the founding to 1992, when Daymond John mortgaged his home for $100,000. Peak sales were over $350 million in 1998.

Professional football club in West London, founded in 1879 and playing at Craven Cottage since 1896. Shahid Khan bought it from Mohamed Al-Fayed in July 2013.

Institutional brokerage firm Chris Gardner established in Chicago in 1987 with $10,000 of start-up capital. He sold his stake in it in 2006.

American biotechnology company in South San Francisco, regarded as the world's first biotechnology company. Herbert Boyer co-founded it with Robert Swanson in 1976. It now operates as an independent subsidiary of Roche.

American venture capital firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 2000 by Joel Cutler and David Fialkow. It invests across seed, venture and growth stages.

American multinational conglomerate established in 1892 through the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston. Jack Welch was its chairman and CEO from 1981 to 2001.

American multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The original company was founded in 1908; the present General Motors Company dates from 2009.

Venture firm started in July 2017 by Luke Nosek and Stephen Oskoui after Nosek left Founders Fund. It makes concentrated, long-horizon bets; its portfolio lists SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company.

Media company founded by Sophia Amoruso in December 2017, making editorial content, video and podcasts aimed at women, and running Girlboss Rallies.

Company with a satellite-based connectivity platform plus content, digital media and operations solutions products. In 2016 it agreed to acquire Emerging Markets Communications for $550 million in cash and shares.

Contract chip maker formed in March 2009 as a spin-off of AMD's manufacturing business, headquartered in Malta, New York. Hector Ruiz chaired it in 2009.

Boulder, Colorado technology platform for the faith ecosystem, offering values-based AI, resources and funding to ministries and nonprofits.

American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City.

Search and advertising company, now a subsidiary of Alphabet.

Private American producer and distributor of foods and beverages, founded in New York City in 1936 by Prudencio Unanue Ortiz. It is under third-generation ownership of the Unanue family and based in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Investment firm where Warren Buffett worked as a securities analyst from 1954 to 1956, per his Wikipedia biography.

Tequila brand launched in 2022. Forbes lists Kevin Hart, Juan Domingo Beckmann and James Morrissey as its co-founders.

One of the oldest venture capital firms, focused on early-stage consumer and enterprise software. Reid Hoffman joined as a partner in 2009.

Group-meetup startup backed by Y Combinator, co-founded by Tom Brown, who was its CTO from 2012 to 2015.

Mexican conglomerate formed in 1990 by the merger of Corporación Industrial Carso and Grupo Inbursa, and owned by Carlos Slim. Telmex and América Móvil were separated from it in 1996.

Multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey in Chicago, based in West Hollywood. It acquired The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1988 and is the minority holder in the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Digital publishing and e-commerce company founded by J.K. Rowling, launched in 2011 as Pottermore. It sells the Harry Potter e-books and audiobooks and runs the HarryPotter.com site.

Kevin Hart's comedy media company, created in April 2022 when his Laugh Out Loud network merged with Hartbeat Productions. It includes Hartbeat Studios, Hartbeat Media and Hartbeat Pulse.

Vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics brand founded by Lady Gaga and Ben Jones. It launched in 2019 exclusively on Amazon and relaunched in 2022 with Sephora.

American premium television network and service, flagship of Home Box Office, Inc. Its programming is mainly films and original series, with occasional comedy and concert specials.

Fusion energy company. Sam Altman is chairman of its board.

American media company founded in 2016 by Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rodsky, focused on female-driven stories in film, TV and digital. Candle Media holds a controlling interest; Witherspoon retains a minority stake.

Defense company in which Prima Materia, co-founded by Daniel Ek, led a 600 million euro investment in 2025. Ek is its chairman.

Silicon Valley electronics company. Steve Jobs got a summer job there in 1968 from Bill Hewlett, and Steve Wozniak designed calculators there before Apple.

Travel-search site that Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman launched after leaving Reddit.

Investment and venture capital firm described as Li Ka-shing's vehicle for backing internet and technology startups. Reported investments include Zoom and Summly.

Independent music and entertainment company founded by Megan Thee Stallion after her October 2023 settlement with 1501 Certified. Her masters and publishing are released through it, distributed by Warner Music Group.

NFL franchise awarded to Bob McNair on October 6, 1999 and playing since 2002. Cal McNair has been its chairman and CEO since 2018-2019 and principal owner since March 2024.

American home shopping television network founded by Lowell Paxson and Roy Speer. Liberty Interactive acquired it in 2017, and it is now co-owned with QVC.

Venture fund Sam Altman co-founded with his brother Jack in April 2012.

Media and internet holding company led by Barry Diller. Dara Khosrowshahi was its chief financial officer before becoming Expedia's CEO.

Technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, operating in about 175 countries.

Holding company established in 1999 for the businesses owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch, including Little Caesars, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers and MotorCity Casino Hotel. Marian Ilitch is listed as chairman.

Genomics company. John W. Thompson joined its board in 2017 and was chairman from 2021 to 2023.

American visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion studio founded by George Lucas in 1975. It is a division of Lucasfilm.

Joy Mangano's product company, incorporated as Arma Products and later renamed Ingenious Designs. She sold it to USA Networks, the parent company of HSN, in 1999.

Early-stage venture capital firm co-founded by Alexis Ohanian and Garry Tan. Ohanian was a managing partner until June 2020.

Cloud-based healthcare data and analytics company founded in Maryland in 1998 by Keith Dunleavy as MedAssurant and renamed Inovalon in 2012. Public on Nasdaq from 2015; acquired by a Nordic Capital-led consortium in 2021.

Photo-sharing app co-founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, which grew out of Burbn. Facebook acquired it in April 2012.

Private equity firm co-founded in 2021 by Ursula Burns, Tagar Olson and Richard Kunzer. It raised $1.1 billion for its inaugural fund and focuses on technology-enabled services companies.

Chip maker founded by two Fairchild co-founders, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore.

Miami-based Major League Soccer club, approved as an expansion franchise in January 2018. David Beckham, Jorge Mas and Jose Mas are its owners; Jorge Mas is managing owner.

Santa Monica record label founded by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field, now owned by Universal Music Group. Distributes Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.

Firm formed in 1974 by Ken Langone, whom Wikipedia describes as having organized the financing for Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank to found Home Depot.

Beauty product subscription service co-founded in 2011 by Michelle Phan, Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Goldfarb. It launched publicly in 2012 and bought BoxyCharm in 2020.

Beauty brand co-founded in 2008 by Jamie Kern Lima. L'Oréal acquired it for $1.2 billion in 2016, and she stayed on as CEO until 2019.

Athleisure brand introduced by Beyonce through Parkwood Entertainment in 2016. After a partnership with Adidas ended in March 2023 she kept full ownership and control.

Online executive education institution at Strayer University, founded in 2009 by Jack Welch and his wife Suzy Welch. It offers an online executive MBA and certificates for working adults.

Professional American football team in Jacksonville, Florida, competing in the NFL's AFC South. Shahid Khan agreed to buy the team in November 2011 from Wayne Weaver.

American department store chain founded in 1902 by James Cash Penney. Sam Walton started his career there as a management trainee in Des Moines.

American low-cost airline headquartered in Queens, New York, founded by David Neeleman in 1998 under the name NewAir. It began flying in 2000.

Skin care brand launched by Jennifer Lopez in 2021.

Chicago real estate investment company. Barry Sternlicht went to work there after graduating from Harvard Business School and was laid off in 1989.

Music publishing company founded by Berry Gordy in June 1959 in Detroit. It held the Motown songwriting catalog; Gordy later sold most of his interest to EMI Publishing.

Private American maker of professional hair-care products, founded in 1980 by hairdresser Paul Mitchell and John Paul DeJoria. Based in Wilmer, Texas.

American pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Indra Nooyi began her career there as a product manager in India.

Chicago publisher of Ebony and Jet, founded in November 1942 by John H. Johnson. It sold its magazines in 2016 and filed for liquidation in April 2019.

Production company founded by Viola Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon.

American food manufacturer in Battle Creek, Michigan, founded in 1906 as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. It was renamed Kellanova in October 2023, which Mars acquired in 2025.

Jewelry and accessories brand founded in Austin, Texas, in 2002 by Kendra Scott with $500 in a spare bedroom. In 2016 Berkshire Partners bought a minority stake at a $1 billion valuation. Scott is executive chairwoman.

Streaming service and production company of the comedian Kevin Fredericks (KevOnStage). In 2021 it carried his food series What's Good, which showcases Black-owned restaurants in the United States.

Pittsburgh bridge-building company founded in 1865 by Andrew Carnegie. It was one of 28 companies absorbed into the American Bridge Company in 1900.

Fried-chicken restaurant chain founded by Harland Sanders, who began selling chicken from a roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise opened in 1952; Sanders sold the company in 1964.

American snack food company based in New York City, founded in 2004 by Daniel Lubetzky. It has been a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated since 2020.

Beauty and fragrance lines founded by Kim Kardashian in 2017. Both operated until 2022.

Venture capital firm founded in 1972 by Eugene Kleiner, Thomas Perkins, Frank Caufield and Brook Byers, based in Menlo Park, California. Its investments have included Google, Amazon, Netscape and Intuit.

Privately held conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas, with interests in refining, chemicals, fertilizer, pulp and paper, and electronics. Charles Koch has been chairman since 1967; a first co-CEO joined him in 2023.

American department store chain founded by Polish immigrant Maxwell Kohl, who opened a corner grocery store in Milwaukee in 1927.

Cosmetics company founded by Kylie Jenner, which began selling Lip Kits on November 30, 2015. Coty owns 51% and Jenner 44.1%, per Wikipedia.

French multinational personal care corporation headquartered in Clichy. It bought IT Cosmetics in 2016 and licensed Michelle Phan's name for EM Cosmetics in 2013.

Nutritional supplement company set up in 2018 by Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James. It was sold to Openfit in 2020.

American independent stop-motion animation studio, known for Coraline. It grew out of Will Vinton Studios, which Phil Knight invested in from 1998 and bought in 2002. Knight is chairman and his son Travis Knight is president and CEO.

English-language magazine for Hispanic women, founded in 1996 by Christy Haubegger and published by Latina Media Ventures. It ceased publication in 2018.

Independent animation studio founded by Walt Disney in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1921. It was incorporated as Laugh-O-Gram Films in May 1922 and closed in October 1923.

Chinese precision manufacturer of cover glass, ceramic, metal and sapphire components for consumer electronics, founded by Zhou Qunfei. Listed in Shenzhen in 2015 and in Hong Kong in 2025.

Chicago advertising agency founded on August 5, 1935 by Leo Burnett, also known as Leo Burnett Company, Inc. It is now a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe.

Denver-based hydraulic fracturing and oilfield services company founded in 2011 by Chris Wright as Liberty Oilfield Services; NYSE-listed since January 2018.

Professional networking platform founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003. Microsoft completed its acquisition in December 2016.

American pizza chain founded on May 8, 1959 in Garden City, Michigan, by Mike and Marian Ilitch. It is the third largest pizza chain in the United States by sales and is owned by Ilitch Holdings.

Professional football club based in Liverpool, England, competing in the Premier League and playing at Anfield since its formation.

Location-sharing mobile app co-founded by Sam Altman. Green Dot acquired it in March 2012 for $43.4 million.

Major League Baseball team based in Anaheim, California, in the Greater Los Angeles area. A member club of the American League West Division.

American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, playing in Major League Baseball's National League West.

American professional soccer club based in Los Angeles, competing in Major League Soccer. It began play in 2018 as an expansion team.

National Hockey League team founded in 1967. Philip Anschutz has been its principal owner since 1995, and it sits within Anschutz Entertainment Group.

American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, playing in the NBA's Pacific Division.

American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, competing in the WNBA's Western Conference.

California cannabis brand owned by Lowell Farms that sells packs of pre-rolled joints.

Chip company where Jensen Huang worked as a technical officer and later director of its CoreWare division before co-founding Nvidia.

American film and television production company founded by George Lucas in 1971 in Marin County, California. Best known for the Star Wars franchise; owned by The Walt Disney Studios since 2012.

Home wifi company co-founded by Paul Judge. It was acquired in 2018.

French luxury goods group formed in 1987 from the merger of Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton. Bernard Arnault is its chairman and CEO.

Ride-hailing company co-founded by Logan Green and John Zimmer, reincorporated as Lyft in May 2013. Green was chairman and CEO until April 2023.

Cosmetics and hair-care manufacturer incorporated in Indianapolis in 1910 by Madam C. J. Walker, selling to Black women. It operated until 1981.

Subscription wellness program of monthly habit kits, co-founded by Blake Mycoskie and Pat Dossett in 2020.

HVAC and air-quality maker controlled by Larry Gies through Madison Industries. Its April 2026 NYSE IPO prospectus sets the offering price at $27 a share.

Chicago holding company run by Larry Gies. Forbes traces it to Madison Capital Partners, started in 1994, and says it became a long-term holding company around 2012.

Investment company founded by Magic Johnson in 1987 and based in Beverly Hills, California.

Cybersecurity firm founded by Kevin Mandia as Red Cliff Consulting in 2004 and renamed Mandiant in 2006. FireEye bought it in December 2013 for $1 billion; Google has owned it since 2022.

American multinational maker of confectionery, pet food and other food products, and a provider of animal care services, founded on June 23, 1911 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Media and merchandising company founded by Martha Stewart in 1997 and listed on the NYSE from 1999 to 2015. Sequential Brands acquired it in December 2015 and agreed in 2019 to sell it to Marquee Brands.

Privately owned direct-selling cosmetics company founded by Mary Kay Ash in Dallas, Texas, on September 13, 1963.

New York media company founded in 1996 as a graffiti fanzine; relaunched in 2013 with investors including Nas, and now spans a magazine, film, television and a record label.

American infrastructure engineering and construction company in Coral Gables, Florida, founded in 1994 by Jorge Mas Canosa. His son Jorge Mas is chairman and a co-founder; Jose Mas is CEO.

American toy maker founded in a Los Angeles garage in January 1945 by Harold Matson and Ruth and Elliot Handler. Maker of the Barbie doll.

Biopharmaceutical company in Redwood City focused on improved versions of protein drugs using DNA shuffling. Alejandro Zaffaroni founded it in 1997. It was dissolved in 2013.

Private equity firm in Coral Gables, Florida, founded in 2005 by Mike Fernandez. It invests in healthcare service companies nationwide.

American stock car racing team based in Statesville, North Carolina, owned by Carl Long. Also fields entries as Garage 66.

Security software company founded as McAfee Associates by John McAfee. It agreed to buy Foundstone in August 2004 for $86 million; Intel bought it in 2011 and it was spun out of Intel in 2017.

Home sewing pattern maker founded in 1870. Reginald Lewis's TLC Group bought it from Esmark as its first major deal and later sold it at a roughly 90-to-1 return to investors.

Cellular carrier founded by Craig McCaw. The McCaw brothers sold it to AT&T Corporation in 1994 for $11.5 billion, and it was renamed AT&T Wireless.

American fast food chain founded in 1940 as a restaurant run by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. It had 45,356 restaurants in more than 100 countries at the end of 2025.

Management consultancy that advises corporations, governments and other organizations on strategy and management. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinsey.

New York-based cable TV provider founded by Rocco Commisso. Forbes calls it the fifth-largest cable provider in the US and says Catherine Commisso, his widow, is its owner.

American healthcare company founded in 1966 by brothers Jim and Jon Mills, headquartered in Northfield, Illinois. Acquired in a $34 billion leveraged buyout in 2021 and publicly listed afterward. Charlie Mills is chair.

Clinical research organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio, serving pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies. August Troendle founded it in July 1992 and remains CEO and chairman.

High-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, based in Affalterbach, Germany. David MacNeil was its vice president of sales before founding WeatherTech.

Works Formula One team of Mercedes-Benz, based in Brackley, England. In 2025 Toto Wolff sold part of his shareholding to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, making him a co-owner.

Independent oil company T. Boone Pickens started in 1956 as Petroleum Exploration, Incorporated. It was renamed Mesa Petroleum when it went public in 1964.

Parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Founded as Facebook.

Professional American football team in the Miami area, playing in the NFL's AFC East at Hard Rock Stadium.

American professional basketball team based in Miami, playing in the NBA's Southeast Division. It has won three NBA championships.

American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It bought Yammer in 2012 and LinkedIn in 2016.

Systems integrator and software reseller co-founded by Mark Cuban. Per Wikipedia, he sold it to CompuServe in 1990.

NBA franchise in Minneapolis, an expansion team since 1989. Glen Taylor sold it to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore in 2025. In August 2026 Marc Stad agreed to become controlling owner, pending league approval.

Cannabis brand Carlos Santana launched in 2020, which he says honors the spiritual and ancient Latin heritage of the plant.

Real estate company co-founded in 1963 that bought 10,000 acres to develop the city of Mission Viejo, California. Donald Bren was its president from 1963 to 1967.

Texas oil and gas company led by George Mitchell, who took it public and worked out shale-gas fracturing in the Barnett Shale. He sold it to Devon Energy in 2002.

American biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on RNA therapeutics, mainly mRNA vaccines. Founded in 2010 as ModeRNA Therapeutics; Robert Langer is among its listed founders.

Ad-serving startup where Tom Brown was a founding engineer before moving into AI research.

Low-fare Utah airline that began as charter operator Morris Air Service in 1984, launched by June Morris and David Neeleman. Sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993.

Casino hotel in Detroit, opened on December 14, 1999. Marian Ilitch bought the 53.5% stake held by Mandalay Resort Group in April 2005 for $525 million and is listed as owner.

American telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, founded in Chicago in 1928 by the Galvin brothers. Indra Nooyi worked there in corporate strategy.

American record label founded by Berry Gordy as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959 and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in 1960. It is now owned by Universal Music Group.

Bodybuilding magazines Muscle & Fitness and Flex, owned by American Media Inc. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a monthly column for both and was named their executive editor.

Fast-fashion retailer for young women, founded in 2006 by Sophia Amoruso, who started it as an eBay vintage-clothing store.

American commercial broadcast television network, the flagship property of NBC Entertainment within NBCUniversal, a Comcast subsidiary.

Breast prosthesis that Ruth Handler developed after her mastectomy and manufactured through Ruthton Corp., with partner Peyton Massey.

Provider of rental construction and utility equipment that Jorge Mas co-founded in 1990. It was sold in 2005 for a reported $510 million.

Upmarket department store chain founded in Dallas in 1907 by Herbert Marcus, Carrie Marcus Neiman and Al Neiman. Stanley Marcus, Herbert's son, was its president from 1950.

Health-screening company co-founded by Daniel Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne in 2018. Ek chairs it but is not involved in daily operations.

Streaming and entertainment company. Reed Hastings co-founded it, was CEO from 1999 to 2023 and chairman until 2026.

Software company founded in 1994 as Mosaic Communications by Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark, best known for the Netscape web browser. AOL bought it in a deal that closed in 1999.

American neurotechnology company that designs brain implants for connecting the brain to computers. Co-founded by Elon Musk.

American Major League Soccer club in New York City, owned by City Football Group with minority stakes held by Yankee Global Enterprises and Marcelo Claure, who bought 10 percent in 2024.

Commodity futures exchange in New York City, founded in 1882 and now owned and operated by CME Group.

Major League Baseball team based in Queens, New York City, and a member club of the National League East.

American stock exchange in Lower Manhattan, the largest in the world by market capitalization. It is owned by Intercontinental Exchange.

Computer company Steve Jobs founded in 1985 after resigning from Apple.

American wireless service operator, founded as FleetCall and renamed Nextel Communications in 1993. Craig McCaw became a significant investor in 1995. It later merged into Sprint.

Athletic footwear and apparel company near Beaverton, Oregon, founded January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and renamed Nike in 1971.

American production company founded in 2001 by Jennifer Lopez and her manager Benny Medina. It has produced films and television for Lopez, including a Netflix deal signed in 2021.

Chip company co-founded in 1993; Jensen Huang has been president and CEO since the first day of operation.

Learning company that publishes technical books and runs an online learning platform. Tim O'Reilly founded it in 1978 as a technical writing consultancy; it launched Make: magazine in 2005 and Maker Faire in 2006.

Object storage startup for backup data, described by Wikipedia as launched by Ratmir Timashev and Andrei Baronov after the Veeam sale. Founding year is not established here.

Virtual reality company founded in 2012 by Palmer Luckey, Brendan Iribe, Michael Antonov, Nate Mitchell and Andrew Scott Reisse. Facebook agreed to buy it in March 2014 for about $2 billion; it is now part of Meta's Reality Labs.

Publicly traded nuclear power company in Santa Clara, California, developing the Aurora small modular reactor. Chris Wright served on its board until his February 2025 confirmation as Secretary of Energy.

Company founded by Lee Iacocca in 1993. Its signature product was an olive oil-based margarine, which Iacocca promoted in commercials.

International organization whose members give at least one percent of annual revenue to environmental causes. Founded in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies.

Touch-screen airline reservation and check-in systems company that David Neeleman ran as CEO after leaving Southwest. It was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1999.

AI research company that makes ChatGPT. Several of its early staff later left to start Anthropic.

American basic cable network that launched on January 1, 2011 in a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey's Harpo and Discovery. Skydance holds 95% and Harpo 5%, per Wikipedia.

Software company co-founded by Larry Ellison, who was CEO from 1977 to 2014 and is now chief technology officer and executive chairman.

French multinational telecommunications corporation, formerly known as France Télécom, founded in 1988 and headquartered near Paris.

Phoenix-based billboard company that bought Gannett's outdoor division in 1996 and 3M National in 1997. Infinity Broadcasting bought it on December 7, 1999; it is now part of Outfront Media.

Michael B. Jordan's production company. In February 2021 Amazon Studios expanded an existing deal with it to include an exclusive overall deal and a first-look film deal.

Canadian independent record label founded in 2009 by Drake, producer 40 and manager Oliver El-Khatib. It was a Warner Music Group subsidiary until 2022.

Investor-owned electric and natural gas utility headquartered in Oakland, California. Its holding company is PG&E Corporation.

Production company Reese Witherspoon co-founded with Bruna Papandrea in 2012 by merging their banners. It produced Gone Girl and Wild, and is now a subsidiary of Hello Sunshine.

Data analytics software company co-founded by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp.

Restaurant company of which Linda Alvarado is president, per Wikipedia. She is also reported to own many restaurant franchises in various states.

U.S. airline that was the largest international carrier for much of the 20th century. It began with a Key West to Havana airmail flight in October 1927, led by Juan Trippe, and ceased operations in December 1991.

Venture capital arm of Atlanta-based BIP Capital, relaunched under this name in 2021. It invests in seed to Series B rounds in B2B software, healthcare software, fintech, digital media and cybersecurity.

Management, production and entertainment company and record label founded by Beyonce in 2008. She is its chairwoman and CEO; subsidiaries include Ivy Park.

Visual-search startup for identifying parts, co-founded in 2013 by Jewel Burks Solomon and Jason Crain. Amazon acquired it in 2016.

Outdoor clothing, equipment and food retailer based in Ventura, California, founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973. In September 2022 Chouinard transferred its ownership to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective.

Premium tequila brand founded by John Paul DeJoria and Martin Crowley, introduced in 1989. Bacardi bought it in January 2018 for $5.1 billion.

Hair-care company for curly and textured hair, based in El Segundo, California. Tracee Ellis Ross is its founder and CEO.

American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City, started in 1875 by Samuel William Weiss and Julius Frank. Reginald Lewis was recruited there straight out of Harvard Law School.

Payroll and HR services company for small and mid-sized businesses, founded by Tom Golisano in Rochester, New York as Paymaster. It went public in 1983.

Online payments company. Many of its early staff went on to found or fund other companies.

Food company Daniel Lubetzky built from a sun-dried tomato product he found in 1994 while researching Arab-Israeli joint ventures. Its flagship brand, Meditalia, is made through cooperation among neighbours in the Middle East.

American Class I railroad established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia. It merged with New York Central in 1968 to form Penn Central. Andrew Carnegie worked for it from 1853 to 1865.

American multinational food and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York. Formed in 1965 by the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company and Frito-Lay.

Information technology services provider founded in 1988 by investors led by Ross Perot and based in Plano, Texas. Dell acquired it for about $3.9 billion in 2009.

Independent creative communications company in Los Angeles, founded and owned by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free. It works across music, film, television, advertising and publishing.

Art, architecture, design and cookery book publisher founded in Vienna in 1923 and now based in London and New York City. Leon Black acquired it in 2012.

Digital fashion platform co-founded in January 2023 by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, her former Stanford roommate.

American professional basketball team in the Philadelphia area, competing in the NBA. Known colloquially as the Sixers.

Philadelphia electronics maker, begun as a battery company, known for radios, televisions and appliances and for early transistorized computers. Robert Noyce's first industry job.

American oil company incorporated in 1917 that merged with Conoco in 2002 to form ConocoPhillips. T. Boone Pickens worked there as a geologist before starting his own firm.

Health plan company that Mike Fernandez launched in Tampa, Florida in 1993 and sold to AmeriGroup in 2002.

Information security company that scores the risk of phone calls to detect fraud and authenticate callers. Founders include Paul Judge, Vijay Balasubramaniyan and Mustaque Ahamad.

Provider of information technology and workforce solutions in the US and Canada, founded in 1996 by Nina Vaca, who is its chairperson and CEO.

Company founded by Chris Wright in 1992 that developed and commercialized tiltmeter and microseismic hydraulic fracture mapping.

American technology company best known for postage meters and other mailing equipment, founded by Arthur Pitney and Walter Bowes as the Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Company.

Animation studio Steve Jobs bought in 1986, becoming its chairman and majority shareholder until 2007.

Detroit-based commercial design firm, founded in 2013 by Jennifer Gilbert, who Forbes says is its founder and creative director.

Hair-care business of Annie Turnbo Malone in St. Louis, selling through trained agents; Madam C. J. Walker sold for it on commission around 1904. Malone opened Poro College there in 1918.

Social commerce marketplace where users buy and sell new and second-hand fashion, home goods and electronics. Acquired in January 2023.

Warehouse club chain founded by Sol Price in San Diego in 1976. It merged with Costco in 1993.

Investment company co-founded by Daniel Ek and Shakil Khan in February 2021, pledging $1 billion into European moonshots.

Trucking company based in Springfield, Missouri, founded in 1970 in Urbana, Missouri by Robert E. Low. It runs refrigerated, flatbed, tanker and intermodal freight across the U.S. and Canada.

US multinational selling everyday consumer products, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It acquired Walker & Company Brands in 2018.

Production company founded in 2018 by Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. It produced Sinners and signed a five-year exclusive television deal with Disney in 2021.

Web-security company co-founded by Paul Judge, who was its chief technology officer. Barracuda Networks acquired it in 2009.

Early-stage venture fund launched in 2014 and named after the Queensbridge Houses, co-founded by Nas and Anthony Saleh. Its portfolio includes Coinbase, Ring, Robinhood, Dropbox and Lyft.

Enterprise software company that bought Aelita Software in 2004. Ratmir Timashev ran its Windows Enterprise Management unit until the start of 2005.

Short-form mobile video service founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg in August 2018 as NewTV. Meg Whitman served as CEO; the platform shut down on or around December 1, 2020.

Hedge fund where Vivek Ramaswamy worked from 2007 to 2014. It supplied nearly $100 million of start-up capital, with other investors, for Roivant Sciences.

U.S. telecommunications carrier founded by Philip Anschutz, who built its fiber-optic network on rights-of-way from his railroad holdings. He chaired its board and hired Joseph Nacchio as CEO in 1997.

Privately held chicken-finger restaurant chain headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Todd Graves and Craig Silvey opened the first location near LSU in 1996; Forbes puts it at about 900 locations.

American fashion company founded by Ralph Lauren, formerly Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. Lauren is executive chairman and chief creative officer. It went public in June 1997.

CAPTCHA service first released in May 2007, developed at Carnegie Mellon University by a team including Luis von Ahn and Manuel Blum. Google acquired it in September 2009.

Online forum company that went public in 2024. Sam Altman was briefly its CEO in 2014 and sat on its board until 2022.

Long Island hedge fund that trades with quantitative models. It began as Monemetrics, founded in 1978 by mathematician Jim Simons, and took its current name in 1982.

Restaurant reservation app co-founded by Gary Vaynerchuk, acquired by American Express in 2019.

American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008 as a successor to Roc-A-Fella Records, covering music, management and sports representation.

American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by Damon Dash, Jay-Z and Kareem Burke. It released Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt and was dissolved in 2013.

American clothing brand founded in 1999 by Roc-A-Fella co-founders Damon Dash and Jay-Z. Jay-Z sold the brand rights to Iconix Brand Group in 2007.

Detroit-based US mortgage lender and homeownership services company, publicly traded since 2020. Its flagship is Rocket Mortgage; the predecessor firm was Rock Financial.

Menlo Park maker of electrical-safety test equipment, founded in 1977 by Roy Clay Sr.

Healthcare company that builds subsidiary life-science and health-technology companies. Founded in 2014 by Vivek Ramaswamy, who stepped down as CEO in January 2021.

Compton, California hip-hop label founded by Eazy-E and Jerry Heller that released albums by N.W.A and Eazy-E. Dr. Dre produced for it in the late 1980s.

Clothing line launched by Serena Williams in fall 2019, inspired by 1990s street wear and designed for a range of body types and sizes.

Enterprise software company known for customer relationship management software sold as a subscription service. Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff and Frank Dominguez founded it; it bought Slack in 2021.

American investment bank in New York City, founded in 1910 and acquired by Phibro Corporation in 1981. Citigroup dropped the name in 2003. Michael Bloomberg worked there from 1966 until 1981.

Membership-only warehouse club chain, a Walmart subsidiary, founded in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton.

Major League Baseball team in the National League West, founded in 1969 as an expansion franchise and based in San Diego. The team plays its home games at Petco Park.

Film and television production company launched in 1986 by Dolly Parton and her former manager Sandy Gallin. Its first production was A Smoky Mountain Christmas.

Lingerie brand founded by Rihanna in 2018, selling bras, underwear, sleepwear and loungewear. Based in El Segundo, California.

San Francisco AI data and infrastructure company founded by Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo through Y Combinator. In 2025 Meta agreed to buy a non-voting 49% stake.

WNBA team in Seattle. Howard Schultz led an investor group that bought it along with the SuperSonics in 2001.

Former NBA team founded in 1967. A group chaired by Howard Schultz owned it from 2001 to 2006, and it later moved to Oklahoma City.

Early internet-security company co-founded by Jay Chaudhry and his wife Jyoti in 1996. VeriSign acquired it in 1998.

Maker of two-wheeled personal transporters, chiefly the Segway PT, founded by Dean Kamen in 1999. Now Chinese-owned.

Not-for-profit research consortium of chipmakers, suppliers and government partners aimed at advancing chip manufacturing. Formed in 1987 and based in Austin, Texas, from 1988.

Venture capital firm founded by Serena Williams in 2014 that invests in start-ups whose perspectives and innovations level the playing field for women and people of color.

American production company in film, television and digital media, founded in 2012 by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. The name refers to the money Johnson had after being released by the CFL in 1995.

Venture capital firm founded and led by Alexis Ohanian, announced in 2021 and still active as of 2025.

American business reality series that premiered on ABC on August 9, 2009. Entrepreneurs pitch a panel of angel investors called Sharks. It is the American version of the format Dragons' Den.

Shannon Sharpe's media company, described in one report as the umbrella over a growing network of shows.

Global online fast-fashion retailer founded in Nanjing, China, in 2008 and now based in Singapore. Marcelo Claure became chair of its Latin American operations in 2023 and group vice chairman in October 2023.

Early silicon semiconductor company founded by William Shockley in Mountain View, California. Noyce and Moore worked there before leaving with six others in 1957 to found Fairchild Semiconductor.

Television production company founded by Shonda Rhimes in 2005. Its first series was Grey's Anatomy, and its shows anchored ABC's Thursday-night block.

German publicly traded energy company formed through the spin-off of the former Gas and Power division of Siemens. It fully owns Siemens Gamesa.

American nonprofit founded in 2018 by Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton that oversees Signal Messenger, developer of the Signal app.

Healthcare company among those Mike Fernandez founded or held a majority stake in. He sold it to Anthem in 2015.

Los Angeles shapewear and clothing brand co-founded in June 2019 by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede. Reported to be valued at over $5 billion as of 2025.

Workplace messaging company that began as Tiny Speck, maker of the game Glitch, led by Stewart Butterfield. Salesforce announced its purchase on December 1, 2020; the deal closed on July 21, 2021.

Concrete maker that Mike Hollingshead started with his wife in 1999. Forbes calls it the largest producer of ready mix concrete in the U.S., at 18.7 million cubic yards in 2025.

Company behind Snapchat, which began as the Picaboo prototype in 2011. Evan Spiegel co-founded it with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown and is its CEO.

Japanese technology investment holding company founded in 1981 and led by Masayoshi Son. Marcelo Claure was its chief operating officer from 2018 until early 2022.

Music publisher that grew out of ATV Music (1972), which held most of the Beatles' songs. Michael Jackson bought ATV in 1985, and in 1995 merged it with Sony's publishing arm into Sony/ATV, keeping half.

Low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Dallas. Established in 1967 as Air Southwest Co. by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, and renamed Southwest Airlines in 1971.

Builds rockets and spacecraft and runs the Starlink satellite internet network. Founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

Atlanta shapewear company founded in 2000 by Sara Blakely. Blackstone bought a majority stake in 2021, valuing it at $1.2 billion.

Switzerland-based sports technology company providing sports data services to federations, media outlets and bookmakers, plus streaming and integrity services.

Music streaming company co-founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in 2006. Ek was CEO, then moved to executive chairman.

Entertainment development and production company founded in 2020 by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, uniting SpringHill Entertainment, the Robot Company and Uninterrupted.

American wireless carrier, the fourth largest in the US before T-Mobile US acquired it on April 1, 2020. Marcelo Claure joined its board in 2014 and served as CEO and then executive chairman.

Internet incubator led by founder and CEO Alberto Perlman before he co-founded Zumba.

Petroleum company that grew from the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. It became a corporate trust in 1882 and was broken up into 34 companies after a 1911 US Supreme Court ruling.

Home-products direct seller whose representatives sold through home shows at customers' houses. Mary Kay Ash worked for it before leaving in 1959.

Coffeehouse chain headquartered in Seattle, founded in 1971 at Pike Place Market. It became a coffee-shop business under Howard Schultz, who was CEO from 1986 to 2000.

Private investment firm focused on global real estate, headquartered in Miami Beach. Barry Sternlicht and Robert Faith co-founded it in 1991, and Sternlicht is chairman and CEO.

Hotel and resort company, founded in 1969 as the REIT Hotel Investors Trust. Barry Sternlicht acquired and reorganized it in 1995 and was chairman until 2005. Marriott International acquired it in 2016.

NYSE-listed diversified finance company (ticker STWD). Barry Sternlicht serves as its chairman and CEO alongside leading Starwood Capital Group.

Online payments company founded by Patrick and John Collison.

American investment management firm co-founded in early 2022 by Vivek Ramaswamy and Anson Frericks. It operates funds, exchange-traded products and wealth management services.

Early shale-gas producer chaired by Chris Wright from 2000 to 2006; sold to Range Resources in 2006.

Insurance company where John H. Johnson began as an office boy in 1936 and later edited its in-house magazine, the job that led to Negro Digest.

American software-as-a-service company offering online survey and form tools. Founded in 1999 by Ryan and Chris Finley; known as Momentive Global from 2021 to 2023.

Security software company. John W. Thompson was its chairman, president and CEO from 1999 until he retired as CEO on April 4, 2009.

Company specializing in informatics and automation products for scientific research, including combinatorial chemistry tools. Alejandro Zaffaroni founded it in 1994. It merged with Dassault Systemes in 2014.

Publicly listed contract research and development organization that is a subsidiary of Biocon. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is its executive chairperson.

Pharmaceutical company formed in Mexico City in 1944 to make therapeutic steroids from Mexican yams. Alejandro Zaffaroni joined in 1951 and became president of its U.S. subsidiary in 1962.

American wireless carrier headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom. It acquired Sprint in 2020, and Marcelo Claure sits on its board.

Portugal's flag carrier, based at Lisbon. The Atlantic Gateway consortium of David Neeleman and Humberto Pedrosa bought into it in the 2015 privatisation and held 45% from 2016 until the 2020 renationalisation.

Taylor Swift's in-house visual media production company, founded in 2008. It has produced all of her films and documentaries since 2018, including The Eras Tour concert film.

American stock car racing team owned by Josh Reaume and based in Mooresville, North Carolina, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Formerly Reaume Brothers Racing.

Startup venture studio that Paul Judge co-founded and where he is listed as a partner.

Company founded in the 1990s to build a commercial broadband satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit. Its 1994 proposal had initial investments from Bill Gates and Craig McCaw.

Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City, the dominant fixed-line carrier in Mexico. Carlos Slim led the consortium that bought it from the government in 1990.

Mexican-American media company, formerly Univision Communications, that owns the Spanish-language Univision network in the U.S. and free-to-air channels in Mexico.

Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates networks and markets related products and services. It is Australia's largest telecommunications company by market share.

Public relations and advisory company offering strategic communications, financial advisory, restructuring and management consulting. Founded in 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary and Doug Band.

Tequila brand launched by Dwayne Johnson in March 2020. Wikipedia's profile of Johnson says it sold 600,000 nine-litre cases in its first year.

Electric vehicle and clean energy company, incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk led its 2004 funding round and became CEO in 2008.

Dallas-based chipmaker whose roots trace to a 1930 seismic services firm; it took its current name in 1951.

American nonprofit that operates a federally funded research and development center providing technical oversight and analysis for U.S. national security space programs.

Private holding company in Denver, started in 1958 by oil wildcatter Fred Anschutz. His son Philip took control in 1962 and diversified it into entertainment, real estate and other holdings.

American brewery founded in 1984 by Jim Koch and Rhonda Kallman. Its first brand was Samuel Adams, and it listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995 under the ticker SAM.

Homebuilding company Donald Bren founded in 1958 to build houses in Orange County, California, later expanding into commercial properties.

American financial services company founded by Charles Schwab in 1971 as Charles Schwab & Co. It offers banking, investing and wealth management services to retail and institutional clients.

American multinational beverage company founded in January 1892 and based in Atlanta. It makes and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, plus other non-alcoholic concentrates and syrups.

New York City real estate brokerage that Barbara Corcoran founded in 1973 with a $1,000 loan and sold to NRT for $66 million in 2001. It is now a division of Compass, Inc.

Public relations firm Ava DuVernay opened in 1999. It provided marketing and PR for entertainment and lifestyle clients, including campaigns for films and television shows.

Public cosmetics company founded in New York City in 1946 by Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder. Barry Sternlicht sits on its board of directors.

American home improvement retailer, the largest in the United States, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Cobb County, Georgia. Ken Langone organized the financing for founders Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank.

Los Angeles consumer goods company selling baby, personal-care and household products, co-founded by actress Jessica Alba. It trades on Nasdaq as HNST.

Private real estate development company based in Newport Beach, California, and the main developer of the planned city of Irvine. Founded by the Irvine family, it is wholly owned by Donald Bren.

Privately owned Miami real estate developer launched in 1979 as an affordable-housing builder by Jorge Pérez and New York developer Stephen Ross. It later moved into luxury condominiums, hotels and rentals.

Brand management and consulting firm headquartered in South Beach, Miami. Per Daymond John's Wikipedia page he is its CEO and founder, and the firm manages celebrity brands, Shark Tank investments and his public speaking business.

Sports media company founded by Colin Cowherd that hosts podcasts and produces video content for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

American entertainment company founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. It operated as Walt Disney Productions from 1929 until it took its current name in 1986.

Newspaper Jeff Bezos agreed to buy for $250 million in August 2013, a deal that closed on October 1, 2013.

Restaurant company formed in 2006 when chef José Andrés partnered with Robert Wilder, making Andrés a co-owner of his restaurants. It grew from Washington, D.C. to Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico.

Private equity and growth capital firm focused on software and tech-enabled business services, formed in 2008 by Carl Thoma and Orlando Bravo. It uses a buy-and-build strategy.

Music streaming service launched in 2014 by Aspiro. Jay-Z's company bought Aspiro in 2015, and Block took majority ownership in 2021.

News magazine founded in 1923 by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden. In October 2018 Meredith Corporation sold it to Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne for $190 million.

American media conglomerate that merged with Turner Broadcasting System in 1996 and with America Online in 2001. Ted Turner was its vice chairman and its largest individual shareholder.

Online dating and geosocial networking platform launched in 2012 and owned by Match Group, available through a website and mobile app.

American sports and entertainment company formed on September 12, 2023 by the merger of UFC parent Zuffa and WWE. Dwayne Johnson joined its board in January 2024.

Company created in 1987 when Reginald Lewis bought Beatrice's international food operations for $985 million. It became the largest business owned by an African American and the first to reach a billion dollars in sales.

Private equity firm Reginald Lewis created in 1983 after about fifteen years as a corporate lawyer. Its first major deal was the purchase of the McCall Pattern Company.

Company founded by Mike Black, described by Snopes as an internet-based recruiting company. Other coverage describes it as a software development agency.

Footwear and eyewear company founded by Blake Mycoskie on a one-for-one giving model. Bain Capital bought 50% in 2014; creditors led by Jefferies, Nexus and Brookfield took over in December 2019.

Independent record label in Carson, California, founded in 2004 by Anthony Tiffith. Kendrick Lamar was signed to it from 2005 to 2022 and bought a minority stake on signing.

American women's fashion label based in Manhattan, founded by Tory Burch in February 2004 with a Nolita boutique. Pierre-Yves Roussel has been CEO since 2019; Burch is executive chairman and chief creative officer.

Beauty brand listed on Sofía Vergara's Wikipedia page as her own, dated 2023.

Private equity firm, formerly Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1992 by David Bonderman, James Coulter and William S. Price III.

Venture capital firm investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups; Sophia Amoruso is its founder and managing partner.

Non-profit led by Anne Wojcicki that regained control of 23andMe in 2025 through a $305 million purchase of nearly all of the company's assets out of Chapter 11.

American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965 and based in Atlanta. It merged with Time Warner on October 10, 1996, and its assets were later absorbed into Warner Bros. Discovery.

Microblogging and social networking service founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. Elon Musk bought it in 2022 and renamed it X in 2023.

Film studio in Atlanta founded by Tyler Perry in 2006. In 2015 Perry acquired the 330-acre former Fort McPherson army base and converted it to studios.

Cabinet department that oversees national energy policy, the National Laboratories and the nuclear weapons program. Chris Wright has been its Secretary since February 2025.

Ride-hailing company co-founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. Kalanick was CEO from 2010 to 2017, when Dara Khosrowshahi succeeded him.

Energy technology company led by Jessica O. Matthews, which began as Uncharted Play around the Soccket energy-generating soccer ball and raised a $7 million Series A in 2016.

Baltimore sportswear, footwear and apparel company founded on September 25, 1996 by Kevin Plank. Plank was CEO until 2020 and returned as CEO on April 1, 2024.

U.S. railroad holding company. Philip Anschutz became its vice-chairman when it merged with his Southern Pacific in 1996 and was later its largest shareholder, at about 6 percent.

Aviation holding company formed in 1929 by William Boeing and Frederick Rentschler, based in Hartford. It was broken up in 1934 into United Aircraft, Boeing Airplane Company and United Air Lines.

Major U.S. airline headquartered in Chicago, founded in 1931 as a subsidiary of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. Oscar Munoz was its CEO from 2015 to 2020.

American spring football league formed by the merger of the XFL and the USFL, playing since 2024. Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital bought the XFL in 2020 and own 50% of the UFL through XFL Properties LLC.

Anti-spam software company started by Matthew Prince and Lee Holloway. Its Project Honey Pot community later led to Cloudflare.

One of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies created in 1983 under the antitrust breakup of AT&T, providing local telephone and related services in a group of western and midwestern U.S. states.

Chicago growth equity firm run by Antonio Gracias. Forbes traces it to his MG Capital, started in 1995; it was an early institutional investor in Tesla and has backed SpaceX since about 2008.

Social-media-focused digital agency founded in 2009 by Gary Vaynerchuk and his brother AJ. It provides social media and strategy services to Fortune 500 companies.

Communications company that holds media properties and technology companies. Gary Vaynerchuk is its chairman.

Backup and data-protection software company founded in 2006 by Ratmir Timashev and Andrei Baronov. Insight Partners agreed to buy it for about $5 billion in January 2020.

Telecommunications and digital services holding company, formerly known as VimpelCom. Its chair, Ursula Burns, was appointed CEO in December 2018 while remaining chair.

Fashion brand that began as a bridal salon at the Carlyle Hotel in New York in 1990. In December 2024 WHP Global agreed to acquire its IP; Vera Wang stayed on as founder and chief creative officer.

New York hiring marketplace founded in 2013 by Brett Adcock and Adam Goldstein. Adecco Group bought it in February 2018; it was later combined with Hired and rebranded under that name.

Santa Clara software company incorporated in May 1982 by Jerry Lawson after he left Fairchild. It made software for the Atari 2600 and closed about five years later.

British airline with its head office in Crawley, West Sussex, started in 1984. Virgin Group owns 51 percent and Delta Air Lines 49 percent, per its Wikipedia infobox.

British-American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, which retains an 11.9 percent stake. It flies suborbital spaceplanes and listed on the NYSE in 2019.

British private conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell. The Virgin brand began with a mail-order record business and grew into airlines, rail, telecoms, space travel and more.

British record label founded in 1972 by Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell and Tom Newman. Branson sold it to Thorn EMI in June 1992; it is now owned by Universal Music Group.

American electronic market-making company based in Manhattan, founded in 2008 by Vincent Viola, Douglas Cifu and Graham Free. It listed on Nasdaq in April 2015 as VIRT.

US private equity firm focused on software, headquartered in Austin, Texas, with more than $103 billion in assets under management. Founded by Robert F. Smith.

Palo Alto virtualization and cloud computing software company, bought by EMC in 2004 and later part of Dell Technologies. Broadcom completed its roughly $69 billion acquisition in November 2023.

Monthly fashion magazine founded in 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, part of Condé Nast. Vera Wang worked there for 17 years before leaving in 1987.

Grooming and beauty company started in 2013 by Tristan Walker, maker of the Bevel line. Procter & Gamble acquired it in 2018 and it operates as a P&G subsidiary.

American retailer. Kevin Systrom sat on its board from 2014 to 2018.

American media conglomerate, named WarnerMedia in 2018 after AT&T acquired Time Warner. It was later spun off from AT&T and merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery.