1. Home
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Entrepreneurs

Famous Entrepreneurs

From Benjamin Franklin to Ben & Jerry, William Penn to Bill Gates, Eli Whitney to Oprah Winfrey, famous entrepreneurs, both historical and contemporary, offer insight and inspiration through their stories.

Articles & Resources


    Sort By : Recent | Alphabetical | Guide Picks Up a category

African American Entrepreneurs from 1600 to the Present
Profiles famous African American entrepreneurs in a historical context, including timelines, legislative issues, and historical background.

America's 100 Top Asian Entrepreneurs
The GoldSea 100 annually honors the most successful Asian American entrepreneurs. It now includes six billionaires, including a 32-year-old who also happens to be the youngest entrepreneur ever to make the top 10.

Famous Entrepreneurs from ScoresUp
ScoresUp profiles Bill Rosenbert (Dunkin' Donuts), William Lear (inventor of car radios, Learjet), Akio Morita (Sony), Ray Kroc (McDonald's), and James Naismith (inventor of basketball).

Famous Inventors
A complete resource for you to research any famous historical inventor from Inventors Guide Mary Bellis. Includes biographies, A to Z directory, timelines, sections on Australian, Chinese, Hispanic, Native American and more nationalities.

Gallery of Achievers: Hall of Business
Achievement.org profiles and interviews more than a dozen famous entrepreneurs and top executives, including Larry Ellison (Oracle), James Kimsey (AOL), Martha Stewart, and Oprah Winfrey.

5 more Articles & Resources below

Articles & Resources

more from your guide

Lesbians in Business, Entertainment, and Politics
Articles about lesbians who are out about their sexual orientation and successful in their careers.

LTBN Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame
Profiles of 20 or so famous entrepreneurs, including historical figures such as P.T. Barnum, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie, as well as contemporary tycoons Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Warren Buffet, and more. Also highlights women entrepreneurs Mary Kay Ash, Debbi Fields, and Anita Roddick.

The Famous 15: America's Most Fascinating Tycoons
Most of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list languish in relative obscurity, and only a handful of the Forbes Celebrity 100 are also on the Forbes 400 list. However, these 15 have managed to achieve both fame and fortune. Topping the list are Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jack Welch, and Ross Perot.

The Revolutionaries: Turning Inspiration into Innovation
San Jose Mercury News highlights eighteen of Silicon Valley's pioneers, including Gordon Moore (Intel), Bill Hewlett (Hewlett Packard), Steve Wozniak (Apple), Carol Bartz (Autodesk), and other famous entrepreneurs in the high-tech industry.

Top Five Famous Entrepreneurs
Liverpool John Moores University Careers Advisory Service profiles Bill Gates, four well-known British entrepreneurs (Richard Branson, Chris Evans, Anita Roddick, and Tom Bloxham), and one of their graduates, Jane Cohen.

Explore Entrepreneurs
About.com Special Features

Start your new business on the right foot with these helpful tips. More >

Easy steps to take control of your credit card debt. More >

  1. Home
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Entrepreneurs
  4. Case Studies & Interviews
  5. Famous Entrepreneurs

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.