RS
Russel Simmons
Co-founder and Former CTO of Yelp
Russel Simmons is an American software engineer and technology entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Yelp. Simmons attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy before studying computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he befriended fellow technology entrepreneur Jeremy Stoppelman. In late 1998, he left graduate studies to join PayPal as an early engineer and lead software architect, contributing to the foundational design of its online payment infrastructure and earning recognition as a member of the PayPal Mafia. Following PayPal's acquisition by eBay in 2002, Simmons joined MRL Ventures, an incubator created by former PayPal CTO Max Levchin. In 2004, Simmons and Stoppelman co-founded Yelp, where Simmons served as Chief Technology Officer and oversaw the development of the platform's social networking and local review engine until 2010. After leaving Yelp, Simmons turned his focus toward educational technology, founding Learnirvana and developing digital learning platforms including Delvin Language.
Technology
Person
Tesla
Electric Vehicle & Clean Energy Company
American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Founded 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined as chairman in 2004 and CEO in 2008. Produces electric vehicles, battery storage, and solar energy products.
Technology
Organization
Amazon
E-Commerce & Cloud Computing Company
American multinational technology company founded by Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994 in Bellevue, Washington. World's largest online retailer and cloud computing provider through Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Business
Organization
Meta Platforms
Social Media & Technology Company
American multinational technology company founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 as Facebook, Inc. Renamed Meta Platforms in October 2021. Operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Developing AR/VR products under the Metaverse initiative.
Technology
Organization
Palantir Technologies
Data Analytics & Intelligence Platform
American software company specializing in big data analytics. Co-founded by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Joe Lonsdale, Stephen Cohen, and Nathan Gettings in 2003. Went public in 2020. Works with government intelligence agencies and large enterprises.
Technology
Organization
Blue Origin
Aerospace & Space Tourism Company
American privately funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000. Known for New Shepard suborbital vehicle and New Glenn orbital rocket. Based in Kent, Washington.
Technology
Organization
Founders Fund
Venture Capital Firm
American venture capital firm founded in 2005 by Peter Thiel, Ken Howery, and Luke Nosek — all PayPal alumni. Has invested in SpaceX, Facebook, Airbnb, Stripe, Lyft, and many other technology companies.
Media
Organization
Reliance Industries
Reliance Commercial Corporation was set up in 1958 by Dhirubhai Ambani as a small venture firm trading commodities, especially spices and polyester yarn.
Reliance Industries Limited traces its origins to 1958 when Dhirubhai Ambani started a small commodity and yarn trading venture called Reliance Commercial Corporation in Mumbai. The core manufacturing operations began in 1966 with the setup of a synthetic fabrics mill in Naroda, Gujarat. The company was formally incorporated on May 8, 1973
Political
Organization
JD
Jack Dorsey
Jack Patrick Dorsey is an American tech entrepreneur and businessman who co-founded Twitter, Inc., which operated social media service Twitter; financial technology company Block, Inc., which owns and operates Square, Cash App, Afterpay, Bitkey, and Tida
Dorsey was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. His father is Timothy G. Dorsey and his mother is Marcia A. Dorsey (née Smith).Jack Dorsey is partly of Italian descent on his mother's side. His father worked for a company that developed mass spectrometers and his mother was a homemaker. He was raised Catholic
Technology
Person
