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.
 * 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

 * Annisul Huq (Business and television)
 * 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 Combs (music and entertainment), U.S.
 * Simon Cowell (music and television), UK
 * Nancy Cruickshank (Internet), UK
 * Jaypanee Singh Rajpoot (IT), IN
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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
 * Phiwa Nkambule (Internet), South Africa
 * 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
 * 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 YoU.S.fzai (education), Pakistan
 * Mark Zuckerberg (Internet), U.S.