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One Founder's Second Act in Hollywood

How VSS Capital Partners helped GreenSlate become the go-to payroll software provider for film and TV productions.

Truff's Founders Want to Be the Ciroq of Hot Sauce. Daniel Lubetzky Advises:- The founder of the multibillion-dollar snack company Kind is helping Truff co-founder Nick Ajluni turn his condiment brand into a market leader.

Nick Ajluni's first company was fueled by partying 20-somethings. As a college student, he launched a line of powdered beverages meant to be mixers and chasers for alcohol. The product never took off, but after graduating, Ajluni teamed up with a former classmate who was claiming Instagram handles that might come in handy for businesses. One of them, @sauce, amassed tens of thousands of followers, prompting the pair to start their own sauce company. They drew inspiration from Ciroq vodka, a wildly popular brand thanks in part to its promotion by hip-hop artists.

Karen Dillon Congratulations on Your Company's Big Success. So Now, Let Me Ask- Are You Happy? - Happiness is actually contagious. The Framingham Heart Study-the longest ongoing study of heart health in the world, which has tracked aspects of participants' lives for more than 75 years-found that being in the presence of someone who is happy is likely to spur happiness in yourself.

For Jeremy Kasler, founder and CEO of CaskX, the pandemic offered an unexpected opportunity to reset his life. Having sold his previous company, Hong Kong-based Art Futures Group, which paired midcareer artists with investors, the native Brit planned to spend some time reconnecting with family in Australia as he got his new startup off the ground. The new business, which helps individual investors purchase barrels (or casks) of bourbon and Scotch from distilleries in the U.S. and Scotland, was still in its early days when Kasler arrived in Sydney just a day before the country went into lockdown. I kind of got stuck there, he recalls. But in hindsight, it was one of the best things that could have happened to him-and his new company.

AI Is in Its Awkward Era - Companies on this year's Inc. 5000 detail their growing pains, as investors expand their understanding of AI beyond chatbots and generative art.

For AI entrepreneurs, the enthusiasm is doubleedged. Interest in their tools has never been greater, as nearly half of the Inc. 5000 honorees who took our CEO Survey (see page 49) cite the use of at least one AI service. OpenAI was the top provider. But genAI hype has also led to misconceptions about what these tools actually do. As AI zips to the top of investors' portfolios, founders say the biggest factor limiting their growth isn't fundraising; it's overcoming a towering knowledge gap.

Meet the Inc. 5000- Moving the Goalposts - Religion of Sports believes it has the strategy for docuseries success in a suddenly cost-conscious Hollywood.

Religion of Sports believes it has the strategy for docuseries success in a suddenly cost-conscious Hollywood. When it comes to understanding athletes, Gotham Chopra has learned some lessons: Losses are more interesting than victories, the old guard has more enlightening things to say than up-and-coming phenoms, and success doesn't typically happen overnight. It was Serena Williams who served that last point to him after he rallied for seven years to try to get her to do a documentary with his production company, Religion of Sports. "Boy, you're persistent," he remembers she said to him.

Chip Conley Human wisdom is more valuable than ever. But true wisdom requires these six skills- When management theorist Peter Drucker coined the term knowledge workers in 1959, most people had no idea what he was talking about.

When management theorist Peter Drucker coined the term knowledge workers in 1959, most people had no idea what he was talking about. Since then, knowledge workers have come to rule the world. Today, seven of the world's 10 most valuable companies are tech companies, the ultimate workplace for knowledge workers.

Managing the Future of Work Isn't an Easy Job

Hirings and firings, layoffs and resignations. The workforce is experiencing never-ending upheaval, and HR professionals are pivoting fast.

Power Players

The future of energy is greenand smells like oil. Whatever the political fights, our demand for juice is rising fast, and Inc. 5000 companies are ready to meet it.

"WE HAD 10 EMPLOYEES, AND 25 LAWSUITS"

Hoan Ton-That, the controversial co-founder and CEO of Clearview Al, is confident that past scrutiny won't stop his company from netting $2 billion a year in revenue.

Marketers Hope the Odds Are Ever in Their Favor

Against industry headwinds, the country's fastest-growing advertising and marketing companies are nimble, specific, and good at what they do.

How I Used AI to Solve a Pharmaceutical Puzzle

Yoona Kim, 44, wanted to help people access health care.

My Brand's Facials Are Great. Our Real Estate Strategy Is Even Better

There is no shortage of competition in the $144 billion skin care industry.

How I Scaled My Pup's Raw Food Diet Into a Healthy Brand

Katie Spies, 32, doesn't know how to live without a pet.

How I Found a Way to Ease the Pain of Health Insurance Costs

How can something so vital to human life feel so lifeless? That's the question Alex Cyriac found himself asking about the health insurance industry after medical complications left his mother struggling with years of chronic pain.

BURSTING AT THE SEAMS

KIM KARDASHIAN'S SKIMS IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY, FUELING RUMORS OF AN IPO. BUT CAN THE COMPANY EVER REALLY OUTGROW ITS REALITY-TV CO-FOUNDER?

KICK STARTERS

A serial inventor, a first-time CEO, and alumni of some of the biggest sneaker brands in the world are ready to grow Kizik into the next billion-dollar shoe company.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

This year's Inc. 5000 companies managed to grow quickly through a period of high inflation the likes of which we haven't seen in over 40 years. Here's how it shaped these businesses for the better.

When Tiny Changes Reap Enormous Results

Amer Alnajar and Faris Ghawi aimed to create a primary-care clinic that produced better results at lower costs. They ended up reframing American and landed at the medicine top of the Inc. 5000.

CRAFTING THEIR OWN CAREERS

How The Woobles transformed a teeny-tiny hobby into into an empire of cute.

WHEN THE MINNOW SWALLOWS THE WHALE

No sooner had Jay McKee led Lessen to a billion-dollar valuation than he set his sights on a massive deal.

HOW YOUR OFFICE SALAD CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

For Sharebite's Dilip Rao, eliminating food insecurity isn't an empty marketing goal. It's his calling.

IS DEI DEAD, OR DOES IT JUST NEED TO EVOLVE?

In the face of corporate backtracking, Praxis Labs is using AI to foster inclusivity.

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.