CATEGORIES

CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH

With sustainable merino, Branwyn aims to build a brand that supports women and the planet.

Screen Play

Joe Thomas and his co-founders were two weeks away from running out of money for their software startup when, in 2016, they launched a new product and went all in on prerecorded videos as a workplace communication tool.

THE GUY WHO PUTS COPS IN THE SKY

BLAKE RESNICK, A 24-YEAR-OLD WITH FUNDING FROM SAM ALTMAN AND SAM BANKMAN-FRIED, IS ON A WILD RIDE TO REINVENT THE FUTURE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

AI Gets to Work

It's leading-edge, it's downright scary and it's here. Following AI's breakout year, we take a look under the hood at how entrepreneurs are applying the tech and what you need to know to stay competitive.

THE CRUSADING KOMBUCHA CEO AND 200 YEARS OF STARTUP-DESTROYING LEGAL DOCTRINE

Michael Peter wants to dismantle a longstanding legal precedent that can prevent entrepreneurs from getting their day in court. His not-so-secret weapon: A small-business superhero named Reverend Justice.

ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE FEMALE FOUNERS 250

SUCCESS often breeds success-but triumphs also arise out of necessity. Consider that Airbnb, Uber, and Rent the Runway started during the Great Recession. In many ways, the past year was defined by similar tumult. While the U.S. never technically entered a recession, the retrenchment in investment and ad spending paired with the psychological-if not direct-toll of tech layoffs yielded tough times indeed. But female founders are nothing if not resilient, and their achievements defied the conditions they faced, giving us cause to expand our list to 250 of them. They're not ranked, but they are organized around themes. In the pages that follow, you'll find snapshots of courage from women who've overcome trials-such as keeping the internet running in war zones, coping with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, or facing personal crises. You'll also learn how this year's top female founders grew their collective 2023 revenue to more than $8.86 billion, raised $6.2 billion in funding to date, and kept it together not just to survive, but to thrive.

Shelley Zalis

On that elusive work-life balance, her own version of perfection, and pivoting with positivity.

Steve Young Shares Lessons From the Private Equity Playbook With a First-Time Founder

The athlete-turned-investor helps Tessa Barton prepare to scale her bootstrapped photo-editing startup, Tezza.

AI in HR Tech: A New Era in Human Resources Technology

The next generation of HR software is here, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Now, your business can harness the transformative power of AI in HR tech.

Think Liberally and Deliberately

Why do I devote four weeks a year to reading and thinking? So I can supercharge all the other days.

At Board Meetings, the CEO Should Get Lost

Directors need to candidly discuss company leadership. They can't do that if the top manager is also the board chair.

Get Curious About the World Around You

Curiosity isn't a luxury of philosophers. It's a business and leadership essential.

The Burn of Slow Churn

Re/Max co-founder and chairman Dave Liniger saw his retention rate as a badge of honor. Truth is, it was hurting his reputation.

Family Office

Grace Na learned the ins and outs of the denim industry from her in-laws. Now, they're two of her top team members for her own brand, Pistola.

Beauty Filter

Countless companies have elevated everyday items to iconic: Apple upgraded the nerdy MP3 player, Nest turned thermostats into real estate selling points, and Aesop made hand soap a status symbol.

7 Ideas : Sheila Johnson

The iconic founder of BET and Salamander Collection draws inspiration from basketball courts and symphony halls.

What's Eating Steve Ells? What Steve Ells is Eating

The founder of Chipotle wants to shake up the restaurant industry again, this time with robot kitchens and plant-based food.

5 Team Player

How Stephen Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter ever, assembled an all-star business team that wins on social mission as much as money.

Regionals BLAZING A TRAIL TO THE INC. 5000

We're a nation of competitors. Always have been-from the sharp-elbowed scramble for land unleashed by the Homestead Act to the improbable televised spectacle that is the American Cornhole League.

The Cult of the Entrepreneur and How to Avoid It

Imperious, infallible, and fawned over by employees and customers: Don't fall for it. You can succeed without being an asshole.

Insta-Worthy RetailEverything, Everywhere, All at Once

How the designer behind some of today’s buzziest businesses lands in-person experiences that are too good not to gram.

Sallie Krawcheck

On battling burnout, insomnia, and the loneliness of being a WFH CEO.

Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia Is Betting on a New Wave of Design-Led Startups

The former chief product officer of Airbnb helps set the vision for Veeraj Chugh’s high-end webcam startup, Opal Camera.

Be Cool. Or Not

How the creators of one of the most influential brands of the past decade learned that cool is in the eye of the beholder.

Yes, You Can Break Free of Your Brand

People change. Interests evolve. The Cupcake Queen learned that firsthand.

Forget the Youthful Entrepreneur Stereotype

I've UNDERTAKEN MANY businesses in my life. In college, I sold calf-nursing bottles full of booze at football games.

A Brewmaster's Balancing Act

What I've learned from over 40 years of searching for work-life balance.

Master of Her Own Universe

If you know of Dany Garcia, it's likely because of her role as Dwayne "the Rock Johnson's ex-wife and business manager. But Garcia has a new game plan and she's putting herself front and center.

The Tech Founder Who Wants to Fix Small-Town America

Jamie Siminoff sold home-security company Ring to Amazon for a billion dollars, invested in an unlikely entrepreneur in rural Missouriand ended up falling in love with the place and buying a farm. Then things got interesting.

Go Fishing If You Want to Catch the Big One

Everything you need to know about scaling a business you'll learn from your first 1,000 customers.