When entrepreneurs get together, they inevitably start trading war stories—the times they did not think they would make it, and the times they kept going when everyone told them to give up. The reality is that it is incredibly difficult to start, sustain, and grow a business. Of the half million or so new businesses started each year in the United States, only 45% will last five years, only 30% will last 10 years, and between 65-75% will have no growth in headcount after getting established.1 However, there is a narrow set of superstars within these new companies that will not only survive but thrive. A handful will even change the way we work, eat, shop, learn, and play. The founders and CEOs of these highgrowth, high-impact firms are the subjects of this paper.