# List of entrepreneurs

This is a list of entrepreneurs by century. An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative. This list includes notable entrepreneurs.

## <18th-century entrepreneurs

* Regina Basilier (1572–1631), Swedish-German banker, trader and investor
* Birgitta Durell (1619–1683), Dutch-Swedish manufacturer-industrialist
* Louis De Geer (1587–1652), Walloon-born Dutch-Swedish businessman and industrialist; active mainly in the Dutch Republic and Sweden
* Isaac Le Maire (c.1558–1624), Walloon-born Dutch businessman and investor; active mainly in the Dutch Republic
* Johan Palmstruch (1611–1671), Latvian-born Dutch-Swedish businessman, investor, and financial innovator; active mainly in the Dutch Republic and Sweden
* Pierre-Paul Riquet (1609–1680), French entrepreneur, creator of the Canal du Midi

## 18th-century entrepreneurs

* Anna Elisabeth Baer 1878–1955 (shipping business), Finland
* Samuel Crompton 1753–1827 (spinning mule), Great Britain
* Caroline Gother 1761–1836 (banking), Sweden
* Johns Hopkins 1795–1873 (personal business), U.S.
* Anna Lohe 1654–1731 (banking business), Sweden
* Thomas Newcomen 1664–1729 (steam engine), Great Britain
* Charlotta Richardy 1751–1831 (manufacture), Sweden
* Brigitta Sahlgren 1694–1771 (sugar), Sweden
* James Watt 1736–1819 (tugboats), Great Britain
* Josiah Wedgwood 1730–1795 (pottery), Great Britain
* Robert Wood Johnson I 1845–1910 (medical device), U.S.

## 19th-century entrepreneurs

* John Jacob Astor (real estate), U.S.
* Augusta Björkenstam (transportation), Sweden
* George Cadbury (confectionery), UK
* Andrew Carnegie (steel), Pittsburgh, U.S. and Scotland
* James Buchanan Duke (tobacco), U.S.
* Thomas Alva Edison (film, telecommunication, technology, scientific research, energy), U.S.
* Charles T. Hinde (shipping, railroads, hotels), U.S.
* Quah Beng Kee (Ferry, Shipping), Penang, Malaysia
* Pryce Pryce-Jones (mail order pioneer), UK
* Biddy Mason (real estate), California, U.S.
* J. P. Morgan (finance), U.S.
* Antoinette Nording (perfume), Sweden
* John D. Rockefeller (oil), U.S.
* Joseph Rowntree (confectionery), UK
* Joseph Seligman (banking), U.S.
* Eugene Sharrer (plantations, retail, river steamers), Nyasaland (present-day Malawi)
* Claus Spreckels (sugar industry), Germany
* Leland Stanford (railroads), California, U.S.
* Levi Strauss (retail), U.S./Germany
* Jamsetji Tata (shipping, steel industry, hotels, education), India
* Nikola Tesla (AC induction motor), U.S., Yugoslavia (born in Austro-Hungarian Empire)
* Alessandro Torlonia (banking), Italy
* Richard Trevithick (mining and steam engines), Great Britain
* Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads), U.S.
* George Westinghouse (railroad braking, switching, and signalling systems; commercialization of natural gas; development, transmission and application of AC electricity), U.S.

## 20th-century entrepreneurs

* Agha Hasan Abedi (banking), Pakistan
* Paul Allen (computers, scientific research, real estate, media, education, entertainment, artificial intelligence, space, philanthropy), U.S.
* Dhirubhai Ambani (reliance industries), India
* Mary Kay Ash (cosmetics), U.S.
* Bang Si-hyuk (music), South Korea
* Otto Beisheim (retail), Germany
* William Boeing (aviation), U.S.
* Warren Buffett (investor), U.S.
* Richard Branson (media, transportation, space), UK
* Coco Chanel (fashion), France
* Jack Cohen (retail), UK
* Michael Dell (computers), U.S.
* Oscar Deutsch (cinemas), UK
* Richard M. DeVos, Sr. (multi-level marketing), U.S.
* Walt Disney (animation), U.S.
* James Dyson (vacuum cleaner), UK
* Larry Ellison (computers), U.S.
* Fan Hongwei (petrochemicals), China
* Enzo Ferrari (sports cars), Italy
* Henry Ford (automobile manufacturing), U.S.
* Bill Gates (computers, philanthropy, investments) U.S.
* Henry Hu (technology), Hong Kong
* Howard Hughes (aviation, film), U.S.
* John James (radio & TV retailing, manufacturing, philanthropy), U.K.
* Steve Jobs (computers, technology, animation), U.S.
* Dean Kamen (technology), U.S.
* Ingvar Kamprad (retail), Sweden
* Vinod Khosla (technology), U.S.
* Ferruccio Lamborghini (sports cars), Italy
* Estée Lauder (cosmetics), U.S.
* Jorge Loring Martinez (aviation), Spain
* Vijay Mallya (breweries), India
* Jim Marshall (music equipment), UK
* Terry Matthews (technology), Canada
* Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (biotechnology), India
* Vince McMahon (entertainment media), U.S.
* Sunil Mittal (telecommunication), India
* N. R. Narayana Murthy (information technology), India
* Nian Guangjiu (food), China
* Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu (transportation, manufacturing), Nigeria
* Qin Yinglin (agriculture), China
* Anita Roddick (retail), UK
* Michael J. Saylor (Internet), U.S.
* Magnús Scheving (entertainment, health), Iceland
* Carlos Slim (telecommunications), Mexico
* Alan Sugar (technology), UK
* J. R. D. Tata (steel, aviation, information technology, transportation, cosmetics, consumer products, education), France/India
* Ted Turner (entertainment media), U.S.
* Madam C.J. Walker (retail, philanthropy), U.S.
* Sam M. Walton (retail), US
* Oprah Winfrey (entertainment), U.S.
* Steve Wozniak (computers, technology, education, philanthropy), U.S.
* George Lucas (entertainment), U.S.
* Zhong Huijuan (pharmaceuticals), China

## 21st-century entrepreneurs

* Edwardo Esguerra (Real Estate)
* Brian Acton (Internet), U.S.
* Ritesh Agarwal (Internet), India
* Bhavish Aggarwal (Internet), India
* Charles T. Akre (securities), U.S.
* Folorunso Alakija (fashion, oil and gas), Nigeria
* Rod Aldridge (business process outsourcing, education), UK
* Pierre Andurand (investments), France
* Trishneet Arora (Cyber Security), India
* Sachin Bansal (Internet), India
* Eike Batista (mining, oil and gas exploration), Brazil
* Steve Baxter (Internet), Australia
* David Benaron (digital health), U.S.
* Jeff Bezos (Internet, space), U.S.
* Constantin Bisanz (Investor), U.S.
* Joe Blackman (events, entertainment), UK/U.S.
* Ryan Blair (multi-level marketing), U.S.
* Sara Blakely (retail), U.S.
* Hernán Botbol (Internet), Argentina
* Sergey Brin (Internet), U.S.
* Tory Burch (retail), U.S.
* Malcolm CasSelle (Internet), U.S./China
* Lee Chambers (psychologist) (healthcare), UK
* Sean "Diddy" Combs (music and entertainment), U.S.
* Simon Cowell (music and television), UK
* Nancy Cruickshank (Internet), UK
* Mark Cuban (Internet), U.S.
* Nick D'Aloisio (Internet), UK
* Aliko Dangote (manufacturing, real estate, oil and gas), Nigeria
* Jack Dorsey (Internet), U.S.
* Helmy Eltoukhy (genomics), U.S.
* Shawn Fanning (Internet), U.S.
* Rihanna (cosmetics), Barbados
* Dylan Field (Software), U.S.
* Jon Fisher (Internet), U.S.
* Simon Fuller (music and television), UK
* Peter Gilgan (construction), Canada
* Vishal Gondal (video gaming), India
* Reid Hoffman (Internet), U.S.
* Alex Hofmann (executive), U.S.
* Drew Houston (Internet), U.S.
* Arianna Huffington (Internet), U.S.
* Steve Huffman (Internet), U.S.
* Jessica Huie (greeting cards), UK
* Mohammed Ibrahim (telecommunication), Sudan
* Daymond John (clothing), U.S.
* Lisa S. Jones (technology), U.S.
* Elle Kaplan (finance), U.S.
* David Karp (Internet), U.S.
* Sal Khan (education), U.S.
* Jan Koum (Internet), U.S.
* Dominik Mate Kovacs (technology entrepreneur), U.S.
* Prescott Lee (technology industry), U.S.
* Jeremy Levitt (Internet), Australia
* Jack Ma (Internet), China
* Ana Maiques (healthcare), Spain
* Fadi Makki (trade), Middle East (Lebanon, Qatar)
* Strive Masiyiwa (telecommunication), Zimbabwe
* Rudy A. Mazzocchi (healthcare), U.S.
* Javier Moll (media), Spain/Australia
* Dave Morin (Internet), U.S.
* Rupert Murdoch (media, entertainment), UK/U.S.
* Elon Musk (Internet, space, energy, neurotechnology, transportation, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, electric cars), U.S./South Africa
* Carrie Rose (Internet), UK
* Andrew Nisbet (catering), UK
* Alexis Ohanian (Internet), U.S.
* Larry Page (Internet), U.S.
* Sean Parker (Internet), U.S.
* Melanie Perkins (Internet), Australia
* Stefano Pessina (healthcare), Italy
* Michelle Phan (Internet), U.S.
* Manny Phesto (music, cannabis/CBD), U.S.
* Azim Premji (information technology services), India
* Kelsey Ramsden (construction, children's toys), Canada
* Burton Rocks (Internet), U.S.
* Kevin Rose (Internet), U.S.
* Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Internet), India
* Param Singh (Internet, property), UK
* Masayoshi Son (Venture Capital), Japan
* Lane Sutton (Internet), U.S.
* Kevin Systrom (Internet), U.S.
* Motoaki Tanigo (Virtual Reality), Japan
* Lewis Raymond Taylor (internet), UK
* Rodrigo Teijeiro (Internet), Argentina/Brazil
* Tânia Tomé (Consultancy, Investment & training), Mozambique
* Wang Jianlin (real estate development), China
* Emily Weiss (beauty), U.S.
* Anne Wojcicki (personal genomics), U.S.
* Wu Yajun (property developer), China
* Malala Yousafzai (education), Pakistan
* Mark Zuckerberg (Internet), U.S.