Businesses
How these companies were built, how they make money, and the decisions that defined them.
Airbnb
Online marketplace for short-term lodging and experiences. Disrupted the $800B hotel industry.
Amazon
World's largest e-commerce and cloud computing (AWS) company. Started as an online bookstore.
Apple
World's most valuable company. Makes iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and runs a massive services ecosystem.
Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffett's holding company. Owns GEICO, BNSF, See's Candies, and major stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, and more.
Chanel
French luxury fashion house known for Chanel No. 5, the little black dress, tweed suits, and the double-C logo.
Coca-Cola
World's largest beverage company. The Coca-Cola brand is the most recognized in the world.
Facebook (Meta)
Social media conglomerate: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and the metaverse (Quest VR).
Ferrari
Italian luxury sports car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Icon of speed, design, and exclusivity.
Ford
American automaker that pioneered the assembly line and the $5 workday. Made cars affordable for the average American.
Goldman Sachs
Global investment bank and financial services company. Known as the most prestigious bank on Wall Street.
Google (Alphabet)
World's dominant search engine, plus YouTube, Android, Google Cloud, Waymo, and DeepMind.
Hermes
French luxury goods house known for Birkin bags, scarves, and leather goods. The most exclusive luxury brand in the world.
LEGO
Danish toy company and the world's most powerful brand. Makes the iconic interlocking plastic bricks.
LVMH
World's largest luxury goods conglomerate: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moet, Hennessy, Tiffany, Sephora, and 75 more brands.
McDonald's
World's largest fast-food chain with 40,000+ restaurants in 100+ countries. The franchise model pioneer.
Microsoft
Software giant. Windows, Office, Azure, Xbox.
Netflix
World's largest streaming entertainment service with 280M+ subscribers. Pioneered the streaming revolution.
Nike
World's largest athletic footwear and apparel company. Started as Blue Ribbon Sports importing Japanese running shoes.
NVIDIA
Semiconductor company that dominates GPU and AI chip markets. Powers most of the world's AI training.
Rolex
World's most iconic luxury watch brand. Known for the Oyster, Submariner, Daytona, and Perpetual movements.
SpaceX
Aerospace manufacturer and space transport company. Builds Falcon 9, Starship, and Starlink satellite internet.
Starbucks
World's largest coffeehouse chain with 35,000+ locations. Transformed coffee culture globally.
Stripe
Payment processing platform powering internet commerce. Processes hundreds of billions in payments annually.
The Walt Disney Company
Global entertainment conglomerate: theme parks, movies, streaming (Disney+), Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, ESPN.
Toyota
World's largest automaker by volume. Pioneered lean manufacturing (Toyota Production System) and the hybrid car (Prius).
Visa
World's largest payment network. Processes $15T+ in transactions annually.
Walmart
World's largest company by revenue ($600B+). Discount retail giant with 10,500+ stores worldwide.
Adidas
Second-largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. Born from a family feud that also created Puma.
Alibaba
China's largest e-commerce company (Taobao, Tmall). Also cloud computing, fintech (Ant Group), and logistics.
AMD
Semiconductor company making CPUs and GPUs. Lisa Su's turnaround from near-death to AI chip powerhouse.
American Express
Global financial services: charge cards, credit cards, travel, and payments. Premium brand in payments.
Anduril
Defense technology company building autonomous systems and AI for the military. The 'Silicon Valley meets Pentagon' story.
AT&T
Telecom giant tracing back to Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. Was broken up by the government, then reassembled.
Atlassian
Australian enterprise software company (Jira, Confluence, Trello). Built without a single salesperson.
Blackstone
World's largest alternative asset manager. $1T+ in assets under management.
Boeing
World's largest aerospace company. Makes commercial aircraft (737, 787), defense systems, and space vehicles.
Booking.com
World's largest online travel agency. Booking Holdings also owns Priceline, Kayak, and OpenTable.
Chipotle
Fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain with 3,500+ locations.
CostCo
Membership warehouse club: $1.50 hot dogs, Kirkland Signature, bulk buying. 900+ stores worldwide.
Craigslist
Online classified ads site with an intentionally ugly 1990s design. Destroyed newspaper classifieds.
Dell
PC and enterprise technology company. Michael Dell started it from his University of Texas dorm room at 19.
DoorDash
Food delivery platform and largest delivery service in the US. Expanded into grocery and retail delivery.
Duolingo
World's most popular language learning app (100M+ monthly users). Gamified education with an unhinged owl mascot.
Enron
Energy company whose massive accounting fraud led to the largest corporate bankruptcy in history (2001) and destroyed Arthur Andersen.
FedEx
Global shipping and logistics company. Pioneered overnight delivery. 'When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.'
Formula One
World's premier open-wheel auto racing series. Blends technology, speed, glamour, and global audiences.
General Electric
Once the most valuable company on Earth. Has split into GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE HealthCare.
Gillette
Dominant razor and grooming brand. Invented the disposable razor blade and the razor/blade business model.
GoPro
Action camera company that created the wearable camera category. Surfers, skydivers, and extreme sports.
Hershey
America's largest chocolate manufacturer. Built an entire town (Hershey, PA) around the factory.
IKEA
World's largest furniture retailer. Known for flat-pack furniture, Swedish meatballs, and democratic design.
Inditex (Zara)
World's largest fashion retailer (Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear). Pioneered fast fashion with 2-week design-to-shelf cycles.
Photo and video sharing app. Acquired by Facebook/Meta.
Intel
Invented the microchip and dominated PC processors for decades. Now struggling to compete in the AI era.
Johnson & Johnson
Healthcare conglomerate: pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products (Band-Aid, Tylenol, etc.).
Kellogg's
Cereal and snack giant: Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It.
Kering
French luxury group: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen.
KFC
Global fried chicken chain with 27,000+ restaurants in 150+ countries. Started when the founder was 65.
L'Oreal
World's largest cosmetics and beauty company. 36 brands including Lancome, Maybelline, Garnier, and Kiehl's.
Liquid Death
Canned water brand with punk rock marketing. 'Murder your thirst.' Turned water into a lifestyle brand.
Lululemon
Athletic apparel company that popularized yoga pants and athleisure culture. Premium brand with cult following.
Mars Inc.
World's largest candy and pet food company: M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Pedigree, Royal Canin, and more.
Mastercard
Second-largest payment processing network globally. Processes billions of transactions in 210+ countries.
Mercedes-Benz
German luxury automaker. Karl Benz invented the first automobile. The three-pointed star is globally recognized.
Monsanto
Agricultural biotech company known for Roundup herbicide and GMO seeds. One of the most controversial companies ever.
NBA
National Basketball Association. The most global of the US major sports leagues.
Nespresso
Premium single-serve coffee system. Pioneered the capsule coffee model. George Clooney ambassador.
Nestle
World's largest food and beverage company: Nescafe, KitKat, Purina, Perrier, Gerber, and hundreds more brands.
NFL
National Football League. Most valuable sports league in the world. Generates $18B+/year in revenue.
Nintendo
Japanese gaming company that created Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, the Game Boy, Wii, and Switch.
Novo Nordisk
Danish pharma company dominating the diabetes and obesity drug markets (Ozempic, Wegovy). Largest company in Europe.
Nutella (Ferrero)
Italian confectionery company making Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, and Tic Tac. World's most secretive food company.
Oracle
Database and enterprise cloud computing giant. Larry Ellison built it into one of the largest software companies ever.
Palantir
Data analytics company working with governments and enterprises. Named after the seeing stones in Lord of the Rings.
Panda Express
Largest Asian-American restaurant chain with 2,400+ locations. Known for orange chicken.
PayPal
Online payment platform that pioneered digital money transfers. The 'PayPal Mafia' spawned Tesla, YouTube, LinkedIn, Palantir, etc.
Pepsi
PepsiCo beverages and snacks. Pepsi, Gatorade, Quaker.
Porsche
German luxury sports car manufacturer. Iconic 911 design. Also parent company of Volkswagen Group.
Procter & Gamble
World's largest consumer goods company: Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Oral-B, and dozens more household brands.
Renaissance Technologies
Most successful quantitative hedge fund ever. The Medallion Fund averaged 66% annual returns over 30 years.
Roblox
Online platform where millions of users create and play games. Massive among Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Rolls-Royce
Aerospace engine maker and luxury car brand (cars now owned by BMW).
Salesforce
World's largest CRM company and pioneer of cloud SaaS (Software as a Service). 'No Software' revolution.
Samsung
South Korean conglomerate: smartphones, semiconductors, displays, appliances. Rival to Apple in mobile.
Shopify
E-commerce platform powering millions of online stores.
Sony
Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate: PlayStation, Sony Music, Columbia Pictures, cameras, and more.
Spanx
Shapewear company that Sara Blakely started with $5,000. She cut the feet off her pantyhose and built a brand.
Spotify
World's largest music streaming platform with 600M+ users. Changed how the world listens to music.
Standard Oil
Controlled 90% of US oil refining at peak. The trust that was broken up by the Supreme Court, spawning the modern oil industry.
Subway
Largest restaurant chain in the world by number of locations (37,000+). Sandwich shops everywhere.
Taco Bell
Mexican-inspired fast-food chain with 8,000+ restaurants. Known for creative menu items and late-night culture.
The Home Depot
World's largest home improvement retailer with 2,300+ stores. The co-founders were fired from their previous jobs.
The New York Times
America's newspaper of record. Successfully pivoted from print to digital with 10M+ subscribers.
TikTok
Short-form video platform with 1B+ users. Part of Chinese tech company ByteDance. Reshaped social media.
Trader Joe's
Beloved American grocery chain known for unique products, low prices, Hawaiian shirts, and no loyalty programs.
TSMC
World's largest semiconductor foundry. Makes chips for Apple, NVIDIA, AMD, and most of the tech industry.
X
Social media platform. Rebranded from Twitter to X after Elon Musk's $44B acquisition.
Uber
Ride-hailing and delivery platform operating in 70+ countries. Disrupted the global taxi industry.
Under Armour
Athletic apparel brand that started when the founder made moisture-wicking shirts for his college football teammates.
Unilever
Consumer goods giant: Dove, Ben & Jerry's, Vaseline, Hellmann's, Knorr, and 400+ other brands.
UPS
World's largest package delivery company. Brown trucks deliver 25M+ packages daily in 220+ countries.
Virgin
Global brand spanning 400+ companies: airlines, mobile, media, space tourism. Richard Branson's adventure empire.
WeWork
Co-working space company that peaked at $47B valuation before spectacular collapse. Now bankrupt.
Messaging app with 2B+ users worldwide. Acquired for $19B with only 55 employees.
YouTube
Video sharing platform. Acquired by Google 2006.
Zara
Spanish fast fashion. Flagship brand of Inditex.
Adobe
Creative software giant: Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Acrobat. Pioneered SaaS transition with Creative Cloud.
Afterpay
Buy-now-pay-later platform from Australia. Popularized BNPL among Gen Z consumers.
AG1 (Athletic Greens)
Powdered greens supplement that became ubiquitous in podcast advertising. The most-advertised health supplement.
AIG
Global insurance company. Nearly collapsed during 2008 financial crisis and received the largest government bailout in US history ($182B).
Aldi
German discount supermarket chain with 10,000+ stores in 20 countries. Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd.
Apollo
Global alternative asset manager ($600B+ AUM). Private equity, credit, and real estate.
AppLovin
Mobile app and gaming technology company. Its AI-powered ad engine drove one of the best stock performances of 2024.
ASML
Dutch company that makes the most advanced chip-making machines on Earth. No ASML, no modern chips.
Axon
Makes Tasers and body cameras for law enforcement. The company that arm police with technology.
Bacardi
World's largest privately held spirits company. Rum brand born in Cuba, exiled by Castro.
Basecamp
Project management software company and bastion of anti-hustle culture. Created Ruby on Rails.
Bayer
German pharma and life sciences. Aspirin, crop science, consumer health.
Benchmark Capital
Elite VC firm known for equal partnership structure and early investments in eBay, Twitter, Uber, and Snapchat.
Best Buy
US consumer electronics retailer. Sound of Music rebranded to Best Buy.
BHP Billiton
World's largest mining company. Iron ore, copper, nickel, and coal across 90+ locations worldwide.
BIC
Maker of disposable pens, lighters, and razors. Sells 30M+ products per day worldwide.
Block
Fintech company (formerly Square). Cash App, Square payments, Afterpay, Tidal. Jack Dorsey's other company.
Blockbuster
Video rental chain. Peak 2004; displaced by Netflix and streaming.
Bosch
German engineering and electronics. Mobility, consumer goods, industrial tech.
British American Tobacco
One of the world's largest tobacco companies. Makes Lucky Strike, Dunhill, Kent, and Pall Mall.
Burberry
British luxury fashion house known for the trench coat, the check pattern, and outerwear heritage.
CAA (Creative Artists Agency)
The most powerful talent agency in Hollywood. Represents A-list actors, directors, athletes, and musicians.
Calm
Meditation and sleep app with 100M+ downloads. Alex Tew previously created the Million Dollar Homepage.
Carnegie Steel
Steel producer. Sold in 1901 in one of the largest transactions; made Carnegie one of the richest.
Cartier
French luxury jewelry and watch house. Known as 'the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.'
Cava
Fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain. The 'next Chipotle' with 300+ locations.
Charles Schwab
Discount brokerage that democratized investing. Pioneered commission-free trading before Robinhood.
Chess.com
World's largest online chess platform with 150M+ members. Benefited massively from The Queen's Gambit effect.
Chewy
Online pet food and supplies retailer known for exceptional customer service (hand-painted pet portraits).
Cinnabon
Chain famous for its cinnamon rolls. The smell of airports and malls everywhere.
Cisco
Largest networking company. Hardware, telecom equipment, IoT.
Colgate
Oral care, personal care, and pet nutrition company. Colgate toothpaste is in more homes than any other brand.
Constellation Software
Acquires and manages vertical market software companies. Has made 800+ acquisitions. Canada's Berkshire Hathaway.
Convoy
Digital freight network that aimed to be the 'Uber for trucking.' Shut down after burning through $900M.
Copart
Online vehicle auction company specializing in salvage and used cars. The 'eBay of wrecked cars.'
Coupang
South Korea's largest e-commerce company. Known as 'Korea's Amazon' with same-day delivery.
CrowdStrike
Cybersecurity company. Their global outage in July 2024 crashed 8.5M Windows computers worldwide.
Deel
Global HR and payroll platform enabling companies to hire anyone, anywhere. Grew from $0 to $500M+ ARR in 4 years.
Dolby
Audio and cinema technology company. Dolby sound is in every major movie theater and most devices.
Dollar Shave Club
Subscription razor and grooming delivery. Acquired by Unilever.
Dropbox
Cloud storage and file sync. Y Combinator-backed.
DuPont
Chemical company that invented nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, and Lycra. 220+ years of innovation.
eBay
Online auction and shopping platform. Pierre Omidyar created it to sell a broken laser pointer (for $14).
Electronic Arts
Major video game publisher: FIFA/EA FC, Madden, The Sims, Apex Legends, Battlefield.
Epic Games
Creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine. Tim Sweeney vs. Apple antitrust battle.
Epic Systems
Largest electronic health records company in the US, holding data for 300M+ patients. Never went public.
Equifax
One of the Big Three credit bureaus. Infamous for the 2017 data breach exposing 147M Americans' data.
EssilorLuxottica
World's largest eyewear company. Makes Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples and owns LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut.
Exor
Agnelli family holding company: Ferrari, Stellantis, The Economist, Juventus FC.
Exxon Mobil
World's largest publicly traded oil and gas company. Direct descendant of Rockefeller's Standard Oil.
Faire
Online wholesale marketplace connecting independent retailers with brands. The 'Amazon for local shops.'
Fanatics
Sports merchandise, trading cards, and sports betting platform. Owns all major US sports licensing.
Fastenal
Industrial distribution company selling nuts, bolts, and fasteners. Started with a vending machine concept.
FC Bayern Munich
Germany's most successful football club. 50+1 member ownership model. 33 Bundesliga titles.
Ferretti
Italian luxury yacht manufacturer: Riva, Pershing, Custom Line, Wally. Makes some of the world's most beautiful boats.
FICO
Created the FICO credit score used by 90%+ of US lenders. Your credit score is their product.
First Citizens Bank
Regional bank that acquired Silicon Valley Bank out of FDIC receivership in 2023.
Games Workshop
Creator of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. Tabletop gaming empire with fanatical community.
GE Aerospace
World's leading jet engine manufacturer. Makes engines for 75% of commercial flights.
GitHub
World's largest platform for software development and version control. Where 100M+ developers collaborate on code.
Google Maps
The world's most-used mapping application. Powers navigation for billions of people daily.
H&M
Swedish fast-fashion retailer. Second-largest global clothing retailer.
Harley Davidson
American motorcycle manufacturer. Iconic brand.
Hewlett-Packard
Tech company. PCs, printers (HP Inc.) and enterprise (HPE).
Huawei
Chinese telecom giant. World's largest telecom equipment maker. US sanctions over national security concerns.
IBM
Tech and consulting. Mainframes, software, cloud, research.
Interactive Brokers
Electronic brokerage firm pioneering automated trading. Thomas Peterffy literally built his own trading terminal.
Intuit
Financial software company: TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Credit Karma. Makes tax season bearable.
Intuitive Surgical
Maker of the da Vinci surgical robot system. Pioneered robotic surgery. Installed base of 9,000+ systems.
Invisalign (Align Technology)
Clear dental aligners that revolutionized orthodontics. Stanford MBA project turned dental disruption.
IPL (Indian Premier League)
World's richest cricket league. Combines Bollywood, sports, and business in India's most-watched event.
IPSY
Beauty subscription box service delivering personalized makeup samples monthly.
John Deere
World's largest agricultural machinery manufacturer. The green tractor is as iconic as the golden arches.
Kaspi.kz
Kazakhstan's super-app: payments, e-commerce, banking. Used by 70%+ of the country's population.
Krispy Kreme
Iconic doughnut chain known for the 'Hot Now' sign and glazed doughnuts. 1,400+ shops in 35+ countries.
Lamborghini
Italian luxury sports cars. Owned by Audi/VW.
Levi's
American denim and apparel. Levi's jeans.
Professional network. Jobs, recruiting, B2B sales.
Lockheed Martin
World's largest defense contractor. Makes F-35, stealth bombers, satellites, and missile defense systems.
Lyft
Ride-hailing platform and Uber's main US competitor. The friendly pink mustache alternative.
Mailchimp
Email marketing platform that grew from a side project into a $12B company — entirely bootstrapped.
Marriott International
Largest hotel chain. 6,500+ properties, 1.2M+ rooms.
Match Group
Owns Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid, and dozens of dating apps. The monopoly of love.
McKinsey & Company
World's most prestigious management consulting firm. Advises 80% of Fortune 500 companies.
Meituan
China's largest food delivery and local services platform. Combines DoorDash + Groupon + Yelp.
Mercado Libre
Latin America's largest e-commerce and fintech platform. The 'Amazon + PayPal of Latin America.'
Merck & Co
Global pharmaceutical company. Maker of Keytruda (cancer), Gardasil (HPV vaccine), and many more.
Mitsubishi Corporation
Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha). Interests in everything from coal to KFC Japan.
Moderna
mRNA technology company that developed a COVID vaccine in just 2 days. Pioneering mRNA therapeutics.
Mojang
Creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time (300M+ copies sold).
Moncler
Italian luxury fashion brand famous for premium down jackets. From mountaineering gear to luxury fashion.
Moody's
One of the 'Big Three' credit rating agencies. Their ratings can move markets and sink countries.
MyProtein
Europe's #1 online sports nutrition brand. Protein supplements and fitness nutrition.
Napster
P2P file sharing. Revolutionized music; legal issues. Later brand sold.
Nestlé Nespresso
Premium capsule coffee. Nespresso machines and pods.
Nubank
World's largest digital bank with 100M+ customers, mostly in Brazil. No branches, no fees.
Olympic Games (IOC)
International Olympic Committee. Organizes the Summer and Winter Olympics, the world's biggest sporting event.
Patek Philippe
Swiss luxury watchmaker. The most prestigious watch brand. 'You never actually own a Patek Philippe.'
Peloton
Connected fitness company: bikes, treadmills, and streaming workouts. COVID darling that crashed 95% from peak.
Pernod Ricard
World's second-largest wine and spirits company: Absolut, Jameson, Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, Malibu.
PGA Tour
Premier professional golf tour. Currently battling LIV Golf (Saudi-backed rival).
Pinduoduo
Chinese e-commerce platform that gamified shopping. Briefly surpassed Alibaba in market cap.
Visual discovery and bookmarking platform. 480M+ monthly users saving ideas for everything.
Play-Doh (Hasbro)
Modeling compound originally invented as wallpaper cleaner. Became one of the most iconic children's toys.
Polaroid
Invented instant photography. Edwin Land, Steve Jobs' hero, created the iconic instant camera.
Qantas
Australia's flag carrier airline. One of the oldest and safest airlines in the world. Never had a fatal jet crash.
Qualcomm
Designs mobile phone chips (Snapdragon) and holds essential wireless technology patents (CDMA, 5G).
Qualtrics
Experience management platform. Family basement startup sold to SAP for $8B, taken public, then private again.
Rakuten
Japan's largest e-commerce platform. Also mobile carrier, fintech, and Viber messaging.
Ramp
Corporate card and spend management platform that saves companies money. The anti-rewards credit card.
Red Bull
Energy drink. Highest market share globally; extreme sports and media.
Restoration Hardware (RH)
Luxury home furnishings company. Gary Friedman transformed it from a catalog retailer into a luxury brand.
Robinhood
Commission-free stock trading app that democratized investing. Central to the GameStop/meme stock saga.
Ryanair
Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers. Ultra-low-cost carrier that charges for everything.
SAP
Enterprise software. ERP, CRM, cloud. European tech giant.
Scale AI
AI data labeling and infrastructure company. Provides training data for AI models used by OpenAI, Meta, and the US military.
Sequoia Capital
Legendary VC firm that backed Apple, Google, Oracle, Cisco, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and many more.
Shell
Oil and gas supermajor. British-Dutch.
Sherwin-Williams
Largest paint and coatings company in the world. 'Cover the Earth' with 4,700+ company-owned stores.
Shutterstock
Stock photography and media platform. Jon Oringer started by photographing everything himself (30,000 photos).
Slack
Workplace messaging platform that replaced email for millions. Born from a failed video game.
SmileDirectClub
Direct-to-consumer clear aligners. Went from $9B IPO to bankruptcy in 4 years.
Spotter
YouTube content licensing company. Buys catalog rights from creators, paying upfront for future ad revenue.
Standard Oil Company
Oil monopoly. Broken up by Supreme Court; legacy companies include Exxon, Chevron.
Take-Two Interactive
Video game publisher: Grand Theft Auto (Rockstar Games), NBA 2K, Red Dead Redemption, Civilization.
Union Pacific
One of the largest railroad companies in North America. Operates 32,000+ miles of track across 23 states.
UnitedHealth Group
Largest healthcare company in the US by revenue ($370B+). Insurance (UnitedHealthcare) and health services (Optum).
Universal Music Group
World's largest music company: Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, The Beatles, and hundreds more artists.
Valve Corporation
Steam platform, Half-Life, Portal. Bellevue game company.
Vanguard
World's largest mutual fund company. John Bogle invented the index fund and democratized investing.
Verizon Communications
US telecom. Wireless, Fios, enterprise.
Vespa (Piaggio)
Italian scooter manufacturer. The Vespa is an icon of Italian style, featured in Roman Holiday and pop culture.
ViacomCBS (Paramount)
Media conglomerate: CBS, Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime. Declining legacy media.
Virgin Galactic
Space tourism company offering suborbital flights. Branson's dream of civilian spaceflight.
Vitol
World's largest independent oil trader. Most people have never heard of this $400B+ revenue company.
Wayfair
Online furniture and home goods retailer. Built 250+ niche websites before consolidating into Wayfair.
WeChat (Tencent)
China's super-app: messaging, payments, social media, mini-programs. 1.3B users. Everything app.
Wikipedia
Free, editable encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
Xiaomi
Chinese electronics company making smartphones, smart home devices, and now EVs. Known as 'China's Apple.'
Y Combinator
World's most influential startup accelerator. Alumni include Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Reddit, and DoorDash.
Zoho
Indian SaaS company offering 55+ business apps. Bootstrapped, profitable, headquartered in a village.
Zoom
Video conferencing platform that became a verb during COVID-19. 'You're on mute.'
Adyen
Dutch payment processing platform for enterprise businesses (Uber, Spotify, Microsoft are clients).
Amadeus IT
Travel technology company. The invisible backbone behind airline and hotel booking systems worldwide.
American Airlines
World's largest airline by fleet size and destinations. Major US carrier.
American Tower
Owns and operates 225,000+ cell towers worldwide. The landlord of the wireless age.
Anchorage Digital
Federally chartered crypto bank offering custody, trading, and staking for institutions.
Applied Materials
Largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Makes the machines that make chips.
Aravind Eye Care System
Indian hospital chain. World's largest eye-care provider; millions of low-cost or free surgeries.
Archaea Energy
Renewable natural gas company converting landfill methane into pipeline-quality gas.
Argenx
Belgian biotech company developing antibody therapies for autoimmune diseases. Vyvgart is their breakthrough drug.
ARM
British semiconductor and software design company. ARM processors dominate mobile and tablet CPUs.
AutoZone
Largest auto parts retailer in the US with 7,000+ stores. Legendary capital allocator.
Bajaj Finance
India's largest non-banking financial company. Consumer lending, mortgages, and insurance.
BASF
Largest chemical producer in the world. German multinational.
Basic-Fit
Europe's largest low-cost fitness chain with 1,400+ gyms across 6 countries.
Bertelsmann
German media, services and education. RTL, Penguin Random House, BMG, Arvato.
Bird
Electric scooter rental company. App-based, scan-and-ride in cities.
Brookfield Asset Management
Canadian alternative asset manager ($900B+ AUM). Real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy, and PE.
Cadence
Electronic design automation (EDA) software for designing semiconductors. Critical to every chip ever made.
Car2Go
Carsharing with Smart and Mercedes. By-the-minute, app-based.
Casey's General Stores
Third-largest convenience store chain in the US (2,600+ stores). Biggest pizza chain you've never heard of.
Charter Communications
Second-largest cable operator in the US (Spectrum brand). 30M+ customers.
Chemed
Healthcare services: hospice care (VITAS) and plumbing (Roto-Rooter). Unusual combination.
Cintas
Largest uniform rental company in North America. Also provides facility services, first aid, and fire protection.
CME Group
World's largest financial derivatives exchange. Trades futures and options on everything from corn to bitcoin.
Compass
Real estate brokerage using technology to empower agents. Controversial growth-at-all-costs approach.
CompoSecure
Makes premium metal credit cards (the heavy ones) for banks like JPMorgan Chase.
D.R. Horton
Largest homebuilder in the US by volume. Builds more homes than any other company in America.
Databricks
Unified data analytics and AI platform. Created Apache Spark. The data lakehouse pioneer.
Datadog
Cloud monitoring and analytics platform. Essential infrastructure for modern software development.
Deutsche Post
World's largest postal and courier company. DHL Express subsidiary.
Dexcom
Continuous glucose monitoring systems for diabetes management. Revolutionary medical device.
Dino Polska
Polish supermarket chain with 2,300+ stores. One of the fastest-growing retailers in Europe.
Doximity
Professional network for physicians. 80%+ of US doctors are on the platform.
Ecolab
Water, hygiene, and infection prevention company. Cleans everything from hotel rooms to hospitals.
Embraer
Brazilian aerospace company. Third-largest commercial aircraft manufacturer. Regional jet leader.
EQT
Swedish private equity firm with Nordic roots. Thematic investing in healthcare, tech, and services.
Foxconn
Largest contract electronics manufacturer. Makes iPhone, iPad, and much of consumer electronics.
Freitag lab.ag
Bags and accessories from recycled truck tarps and materials. Zurich.
Gartner
World's leading IT research and advisory company. Publishes the famous 'Magic Quadrant' reports.
Gensler
World's largest architecture and design firm with 53 offices across the globe.
Groupon
Deals and local commerce marketplace. Daily deals model.
Harvard Business Publishing
Publisher of Harvard Business Review, HBS case studies, and business education content.
HEICO
Aerospace and electronic components maker. 'The Berkshire Hathaway of aerospace parts.'
HelloFresh
World's largest meal kit delivery company. Sends pre-portioned ingredients with recipes to your door.
Hindustan Unilever
Indian consumer goods. Subsidiary of Unilever.
Hotmail
Early webmail. Acquired by Microsoft; became Outlook.com.
Humble Bundle
Pay-what-you-want game bundles. Often charity component.
Logitech
PC and mobile peripherals. Keyboards, mice, webcams, speakers.
London Stock Exchange Group
Operates the London Stock Exchange, owns Refinitiv (financial data), and FTSE Russell (indexes).
LSEG
London Stock Exchange Group. Operates the LSE and provides financial data (Refinitiv).
Lufthansa
Largest German airline. Star Alliance founding member.
Markel
Specialty insurance and investment holding company often called 'the baby Berkshire Hathaway.'
Mineral Resources
Australian mining services and lithium producer. Supplies materials for the EV battery revolution.
MongoDB
NoSQL database platform used by 47,000+ companies. Challenged Oracle's relational database dominance.
Motorola Solutions
Communication equipment for first responders and public safety. The 'other Motorola' (not phones).
Mozilla
Firefox browser, open source. Mozilla Foundation and Corp.
MTN Group
Africa's largest mobile telecom operator with 290M+ subscribers across 19 countries.
Nexstar Media
Largest local TV station owner in the US. Owns 200+ stations reaching 68% of US households.
NextEra Energy
World's largest generator of renewable energy (wind and solar). Also owns Florida Power & Light.
Nokia
Finnish telecom and tech. Phones, networks, licensing.
Novocure
Oncology company using electrical fields (TTFields) to treat cancer. Revolutionary approach to tumor treatment.
Orangetheory Fitness
Boutique fitness franchise based on heart rate-based interval training. 1,500+ studios worldwide.
Panasonic
Japanese electronics and industrial. Consumer electronics, batteries, automotive, appliances.
Panera Bread Bakery
Bakery-cafe fast casual. 2,000+ locations in US and Canada.
Pebble Technology
Smartwatch. Record Kickstarter; later acquired, brand discontinued.
Petco
Pet supplies and services retailer with 1,500+ stores. Part of the $300B US pet industry.
Rec Room
Social gaming platform where users build and play games together in VR and on other platforms.
Renault
French automaker. Alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi.
Roku
Streaming device and platform company. Powers the connected TV advertising ecosystem.
Roper Technologies
Diversified technology company that acquires niche software businesses. The 'Constellation Software of the US.'
Sega
Video game developer and publisher. Sonic, arcade heritage.
Siemens Energy
Energy technology company making gas turbines, wind turbines, and grid infrastructure.
Skype
Voice and video calls over internet. Acquired by Microsoft.
Snap-on
Premium tools and equipment for professional mechanics. The iconic tool truck visits shops weekly.
Swatch
Swiss watch brand. Response to quartz crisis; accessible Swiss.
Titan Company
India's largest watch and jewelry company.
Toast
Restaurant management platform: POS, online ordering, payroll, and marketing for restaurants.
Trane Technologies
Climate technology company making HVAC systems, refrigeration, and building management solutions.
Twilio
Cloud communications platform. APIs that let developers add calling, messaging, and video to apps.
Vistra Corp
Electricity generation company. Largest competitive power producer in the US. AI data center power demand play.
Warby Parker
Online and retail prescription glasses. Disruptive eyewear.
Watsco
Largest distributor of HVAC equipment in North America. Albert Nahmad's quiet compounding machine.
Wise
International money transfer service using peer-to-peer matching to offer real exchange rates.
Wix
Website builder platform used by 250M+ users. Israeli-founded drag-and-drop web design tool.
Xerox
Print and document technology. Invented photocopier.
Abbot Downing
Wells Fargo brand serving ultra-high-net-worth clients (investable assets over $50M).
Abril
Fashion brand created via Open Business model from a consortium of small textile companies in Costa Rica.
Agilent
Life sciences and diagnostics company. Lab instruments for pharma, chemical, and food analysis.
Amphenol
Connector and sensor manufacturer for military, telecom, and industrial applications.
Arthur J. Gallagher
Fourth-largest insurance broker in the world. Aggressive acquirer (60+ deals per year).
Atlas Copco
Swedish industrial company making compressors, vacuum solutions, and power tools.
Blacksocks
European sock subscription service. Three pairs three times a year.
Brainpool
German TV production company. Crowdfunded film Stromberg.
Brilliance China Auto
Chinese automobile manufacturer. Passenger cars and automotive components.
CDnow
Online music retailer. Dot-com bubble; acquired by Bertelsmann, later Amazon.
CEWE Color
Leading European photo service and online printing. Photo gifts and photofinishing.
Denner
Swiss discount supermarket. Third-largest chain; owned by Migros.
DigitalBridge
Digital infrastructure investment firm. Manages cell towers, data centers, and fiber networks.
DUFL
Ship, clean, and store business clothing for travelers. Virtual closet.
Easy Smart Grid
Smart grid solution for integrating renewable generation and flexibility markets.
Entegris
Semiconductor materials and contamination control. Essential to chip manufacturing purity.
FELFEL
Fresh food delivery to companies via on-site fridges. Good Food at Work.
Floor & Decor
Specialty hard-surface flooring retailer. Warehouse-format stores with wide selection and low prices.
Flyeralarm
Large European online printing. Flyers, brochures, 24h delivery.
Hilti
Construction and building maintenance products. Power tools, anchors, software.
HomeBuy
UK government shared-equity home ownership schemes.
Informa
Events, research, and publishing company. Runs major trade shows and owns academic publishers.
InterDigital
Wireless and video technology research company. Holds patents essential to 3G/4G/5G and HEVC.
JCDecaux
Largest outdoor advertising company. Street furniture, bus shelters, bikes.
Kingspan
Irish building materials company specializing in insulation. Climate-friendly construction.
Lifco
Swedish serial acquirer of niche businesses in dental, demolition, and systems solutions.
Max Havelaar
Fairtrade International / Fairtrade certification mark.
McFit
Largest low-cost gym chain in Germany and Europe. No-frills fitness.
Miele
German high-end domestic appliances. Laundry, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, connected devices.
Mobility Carsharing
Swiss carsharing cooperative. 2,900+ vehicles, 1,500 sites.
Payback
India's largest multi-brand loyalty program. 100M+ members.
Renishaw
Precision measurement and healthcare equipment maker. British engineering excellence.
Richelieu Foods
Private label food manufacturing. Frozen pizza, dressings, sauces.
SBB
Swiss national railway. SBB CFF FFS.
Shiprocket
India's largest e-commerce logistics platform. Enables shipping for D2C brands across India.
SlideShare
Hosting for presentations and documents. Now LinkedIn SlideShare.
Somfy
Motorized systems for blinds, gates, awnings. Home automation.
Streetline
Smart parking and urban management. Sensor-based.
Tchibo
German coffee retailer. Weekly changing non-coffee products.
Tetra Pak
Food packaging and processing. Cartons, filling machines.
Ubitricity
EV charging solutions. Lamppost charging; acquired by Shell.
Vulcan Materials
Largest US producer of construction aggregates (crushed stone, sand, gravel). Supplies the stuff roads are made of.
Wyndham Hotels
World's largest hotel franchisor with 9,200+ hotels (Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, La Quinta).
Würth
German B2B assembly and fastening materials. Screws, tools, chemical products, 125,000+ products.