2015 will be remembered for several exceptional entrepreneurship examples that impacted business, politics, media, philanthropy and much more.
It is accepted that women have the power to shape the world, and some of those turn out to be the most successful entrepreneurs; who built their status right from scratch. The examples are:
Melinda Gates: The co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses comprehensively on philanthropy and the reproductive health of women in developing countries.
During her trip to India in 2015, she wrote, “To unlock the progress for people, start investing in women and girls.”
Lucy Peng: One of the founders of Alibaba, the biggest e-commerce company of China; Peng sees her way through its Small & Micro Financial Services Group.
Oprah Winfrey: The legendary Afro-American continues to build success in 2015, vigorously spending her energy on “The Life You Want” tour around the country.
Folorunsho Alakija: The only female billionaire from Nigeria; Alakija founded “Supreme Stitches”, an upscale clothing bran. She also owns Famfa Oil, an oil mining firm that got license from country’s former first lady, Maryam Babangida.
Sofia Vergara: The celebrity actor from 2015 release “Hot Pursuit,” Vergara founded “Latin World Entertainment”; a media and talent management firm. She also launched social networking site “NuevoWorld”, to help Latino celebrities connect with fans.
Diane von Furstenberg: Furstenberg’s designs are a hot favorite in 55 countries. She started supporting organizations through the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation in 2015.
Arianna Huffington: The media tycoon got repute for the Pulitzer-Prize winning Huffington Post as editor-in-chief. She continues as a nationally syndicated columnist and radio host in 2016.
Zhang Xin: The well-known business magnate founded Soho China almost 20 years back and transformed it as one of China’s largest property developers.
Beyoncé Knowles: The top-ranked entertainer leading 2015’s Power Women list, Beyoncé’s “On The Run” tour has reportedly grossed over $100 million for 19 North American shows.
Shakira Mebarak: Pursuing her music career since the age of 13, Shakira has sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Lately, she joined hands with Fisher-Price to develop a web series and new line of toys.
Laurene Powell Jobs: Founder of Emerson Collective, Jobs helps under-resourced students and donated $50 million to help President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” program design better high school programs.
Tory Burch: Burch’s impact goes beyond ordinary. The influential billionaire launched Elizabeth Street Capital in association with Bank of America, to help women entrepreneurs get access to low-cost capital.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Popularly known as India’s first biotech entrepreneur, Shaw founded Biocon in 1978 and aims to double the company’s revenue to $1 billion by 2018.
Judy Faulkner: Controlling Epic System’s $1.8 billion private healthcare company; Faulkner coded the original software for Epic in 1979 and reserves her rank in top women billionaires.
Sara Blakely: Still owning 100% share at Spanx, Blakely added denim to its product line in 2014. In 2015, she clubbed with the ranks of investors who bought the Atlanta Hawks for approx $730 million.
