Fearless. Audacious. Bold. These are some of the characteristics we use to describe entrepreneurs. So, then, who are the most audacious, the bravest, and the boldest? Which entrepreneurs are inspiring to other entrepreneurs?
Elon Musk
Sure, he’s got production and regulatory trouble. His well-documented meltdowns and string of PR crises are now legendary. Still. It remains clear that Musk is a genius with remarkable grit and vision. SpaceX successfully launched and landed a giant rocket. Perhaps Steve Jobs said it best: “Bold, daring entrepreneurship is messy. It’s complex. But the crazy ones will get [stuff] done.”
Mary T. Barra
General Motors was established 115 years ago, but Barra is pushing GM like a moonshot startup. Her focus is on autonomous driving and car sharing. She plans to eliminate all automobile crashes, emissions, and congestion. Rather than stodgily trailing behind the upstarts, Barra is pushing GM into the future and taking her customers along for the ride.
Anne Wojcicki
Wojcicki is the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe. They are the first company to receive FDA approval to directly sell genetic cancer-testing kits that do not require a doctor’s prescription. Additionally, she has also announced plans for 23andMe to study the genetics of depression and bipolar disorder. Further, she is partnering with GSK to develop new treatments based on genetic insights. Her goal is to upend the current medical model. Right now, healthcare players make money off illness, and there is “very little incentive for preventing illness.” Wojcicki says, “When people have access to their information, they can mitigate risk.”
These are just five of the dozens of bold entrepreneurs we could have featured, and not meant to be a definitive list. Instead, it is meant to begin a conversation. The real question is this: Who inspires you?
