"We've funded three wells and brought clean water to thousands of people."

Suzie Benson Gillies
CEO/Founder, African Promise Jewelry and Crafts

"Our business employs a bunch of friends and family."

Ashley Vannoy
CEO, Alexander Del Rossa

"We make a product that helps people celebrate life. That's enjoyable." 

Jerry Kozak
Co-Owner, Ann Arbor T-shirt Company

"We manufacture right here in the United States."
 

Sherri Yukel
Founder, Big Dot of Happiness

"Leaving astronomy was a scary transition, but I'm glad I did it."

Francesca DeMeo
Co-Founder, Cambridge Select

"I took my storytelling passion and put it into creating ideas related to jewelry." 

Ofer Azrielant
President, Jewelry.com

"It's a lot of fun. "
 

Ryan Craver
Retail & Digital Executive, Lamour Group

"I was looking for a way to make extra money at home."

Christine Krogue
Owner, Mama Moon Boutique

"My brother and I took what our parents had built and pivoted into retail online." 

Jin Chon
Co-Founder, Marlow's Mercantile

"I grew up in a tiny village in Crimea. "

Olga Kay
Founder, MooshWalks

"When that first sale comes in, there's nothing more exciting."

Kirt Moritz
President/Co-Founder, Nayked Apparel

"We didn't have enough budget to rent a physical store." 

Alfred Chow
Managing Director, PattyBoutik

"Owning my own business has given me better work-life balance."

Dayna Martin
CEO, Stand Steady

"We've been able to offer jobs to people, which is really exciting."

Regina Tseikhin
CEO/Founder, The Beauty Box

"It’s almost like a Cheers. Everyone knows your name."
 

Dean Grycan
Internet Sales Manager, Cardboard Legends

"We were definitely surprised by the growth."

Joseph Jaconi
Co-Founder, TechArmor

"I started in my dad’s woodshed with 600 bucks."

John Derringer
President, Driven Products

"I was literally trying to make beer money for the weekend." 

Steve Acree
Owner, Seismic Audio

"My role with the company is kinda the get-it-done guy."

Jeremy Navarre
Chief Sales Executive, Think Fast

"July first of 2011--that’s the day I officially left Google."

Steven Yang
Founder/CEO, Anker Technology

"Our company’s philosophy is to do well by doing good."

Fern Rutberg
Senior Marketplace Manager, World Wide Stereo

"I was a physician assistant working in trauma surgery."

Maggie Umlauf
CEO, VersaLiving

"The Captain Dave’s name comes from my history as a sailor."

David Reeder
President, Captain Dave, Inc.

"When I started, I was a killer ski salesman."

Tyler Conlin
Owner, Got Your Gear

"Could we bring a product to the United States? Would someone buy it?"

Paul Grey
Founder, ExportX

"Before I started Hospitology I was an ER physician at the Beth Israel Hospital."

Sujay Kapadia
President, Hospitology

"It’s a pretty awesome ride so far, you know?"

Jeh Lin
VP Corporate Development, Jackery

"...So kind of like Yoda and Luke Skywalker type stuff "

Matt Kubancik
Owner/President, StreetModa

"I was the kid in my neighborhood that had the lemonade stand."

Ryan Spahr
Founder/CEO, SupplyTiger

"We had two families to take care of."

Lisa Gineris
Co-Founder, Terrific Deal

"I started in a one-bedroom apartment with a credit card. I had no backing, nothing."

Elena Castaneda
CEO, Bling Jewelry

"First thing I ever sold was a battery. And it's probably going to be the last thing I sell."

Dale Petruzzi
CEO, Chrome Battery

"I did a quick Google and said, 'okay, okay--what does a CEO do?'"

Anna Nordlander
CEO, The Friendly Swede

"It was a weekend gig for a while. It was really kind of a garage project."

Dean Tzembelikos
Co-Founder, GripGear

"It’s the great niche product story."

Ray Nelson
General Manager, MPD Digital

"I started the company when I was 17 on $1,000"

Jeremy Segal
CEO, Lyons Trading Company

"I started at Morgan Stanley doing tech mergers and acquisitions in Silicon Valley."

Michael Hsu
Co-Founder, PERI

"Our question to ourselves was: could we build a better device company?"

Bernie Thompson
Founder, Plugable

"I was actually in 11th grade at the time. I was 15."
 

Jonathan Goldman
President, Quantum Networks