Top 15 Female Entrepreneurs Making Impact [2025 updated]

Looking for the most famous female entrepreneurs in the world? You’re in the right place.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, the field has traditionally been dominated by men, from Jeff Bezos to Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg, among many others.

But female entrepreneurs are not far behind; many women are making a significant impact on the world.

In this post, you’ll discover interesting things like:

• About the top famous women entrepreneurs
• Their brief biography
• Their current net worth
• What one can learn from their success and many more

So, are you ready? Let’s dive in!

15 Famous Female Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World

#	Name	Nationality	Net Worth
1	Oprah Winfrey	American	$3B
2	Sheryl Sandberg	American	$2.4B
3	Tory Burch	American	$1B
4	Arianna Huffington	Greek-American	$100M
5	Indra Nooyi	Indian	$350M
6	Melanie Perkins	Australian	$5.8B
7	Leah Busque	American	$17M
8	Caterina Fake	American	$25M
9	Cher Wang	Taiwanese	$850M
10	Sophia Amoruso	American	$280M
11	Lori Greiner	American	$150M
12	Folorunsho Alakija	Nigerian	$1B
13	Susan Wojcicki	Polish-American	$800M
14	Judy Faulkner	American	$7.8B
15	Lynda Resnick	American	$6.3B

1. Oprah Winfrey 

• Oprah Winfrey Age: 71 years old
• Birth Date: 29 January 1954
• Birth Place: Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States
• Nationality: American
• Winfrey’s net worth is $3 billion

Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host (The Oprah Winfrey Show), actress, author, and philanthropist. 

She was known as America’s “first lady of talk shows,” and her program ran for 24 consecutive seasons, during which she interviewed numerous celebrities.

Oprah is also the author of some of the best-selling books, including;

• What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
• What I Know for Sure
• The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose
• The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights and Inspirational Conversations

What can we learn from Oprah Winfrey?

Take risks. If there’s only one lesson we can all learn from Oprah’s massive success, it is this: “Don’t be afraid to try something new and take risks”. 

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2. Sheryl Sandberg

• Sheryl Sandberg Age: 56 years old
• Birth Date: 28 August 1969
• Birth Place: Washington, D.C., United States
• Nationality: American
• Sheryl Sandberg Net Worth: $2.4 billion

Sheryl Sandberg has been the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook since 2008 and has helped the Company grow to profitability, becoming the $900 billion company it is today.

Sheryl is also the founder of LeanIn.Org and the co-author of two books: “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead”, and “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy”.

What can we learn from Sheryl Sandberg?

Make opportunities. Sheryl was elected to Facebook’s board of directors and became the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board. She always created opportunities. 

Don’t wait for the next big thing to do. The key to leading a successful business life is to either seize opportunities or create them. 

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3. Tory Burch

• Tory Burch Age: 59 years old
• Birth Date: 17 June 1966
• Birth Place: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, United States
• Nationality: American
• Burch has an estimated net worth of $1 billion

Tory Burch is an American fashion designer, businesswoman, and CEO of her own fashion brand Tory Burch. 

Tory was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020, and she mostly sells lifestyle apparel, including women’s clothing, designer handbags, women’s shoes & more. Her fashion brand generates over 1 billion dollars in annual revenue.

What can we learn from Tory Burch?

Learn to enjoy the journey. Success in life and business requires hard work and dedication for years. If you don’t enjoy the process of building your business, you’ll regret it later.

You’ll be happy when you have achieved what you want to achieve if you enjoy the journey. So make sure to enjoy the ride to make your business journey a more pleasant experience.

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4. Arianna Huffington 

• Arianna Huffington Age: 75 years old
• Birth Date: 15 July 1950
• Birth Place: Athens, Greece
• Nationality: Greek-American
• Arianna Huffington has a net worth of $100 million.

Arianna Huffington was the founder of The Huffington Post, which was later acquired by AOL in 2011 for a whopping amount of $315 million. 

She’s currently the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and has published 15 books so far. Arianna is one of the influential female entrepreneurs and has been named to Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. 

Arianna is the author of some of the best-selling books that include;

• Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
• The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
• Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream
• On Becoming Fearless: A road map for women

What can we learn from Arianna Huffington?

Follow one thing until it succeeds. Many people I know launch too many things at once. They don’t focus on ONE thing at a time. 

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur like Arianna, focus on one thing: follow one course until success. That’s exactly what Arianna did when she founded the Huffington post.

That’s exactly what she’s doing now with her new business Thrive Global which is now valued at $120 million.

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5. Indra Nooyi 

• Indra Nooyi Age: 69 years old
• Birth Date: 28 October 1955
• Birth Place: Tamil Nadu, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Indra Nooyi’s net worth: $350 million

Indra Nooyi has to be described as one of the most powerful and famous female entrepreneurs in the world. 

Indra Nooyi is the former chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo. Indra Nooyi was ranked at #13 on the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014 and in 2021, she was listed in the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

What can we learn from Indra Nooyi?

Love your job. Be passionate about your work. In one of the interviews, Nooyi said, “most of your life will be spent while doing a job or work; make sure that it fills your heart with joy”. 

The main reason for Indra Nooyi’s huge success is that she’s passionate about her job. That’s why she was able to become the CEO of a massive company like PepsiCo. 

If you don’t find what you love, consider moving to another career or profession. But make sure to do what you’re passionate about and find happiness in whatever you do.

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6. Melanie Perkins 

• Melanie Perkins Age: 38 years old
• Birth Date:1987
• Birth Place: Perth, Australia
• Nationality: Australian
• Melanie Perkins Net Worth: $5.8 billion

Melanie Perkins is one of the youngest entrepreneurs, currently serving as the CEO and co-founder of Canva.

In case you’re curious, Canva is one of the most popular graphic design platforms that’s used to create blog post images, infographics, social media graphics, and more. Her company, Canva, is currently valued at over $40 billion.  

Canva currently has over 60 million monthly users and more than 500K paying subscriptions from all over the world.

What can we learn from Melanie Perkins?

Always work on your dreams. Melanie is just 38 years old, and her company, Canva, is worth billions of dollars. The reason she was able to build such a huge business is that she knew what she was passionate about.

She always wanted to help others create designs and graphics with ease (without having to learn a lot of stuff). That’s how Canva was born, as it’s an extremely easy-to-use tool that anyone can use to create stunning graphics, including logos, banners, etc.

Must-Read: Get inspired by these leading female bloggers who have turned blogging into successful businesses.

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7. Leah Busque

• Leah Busque Age: 45 years old
• Birth Date: 15 November 1979
• Birth Place: Unavailable
• Nationality: American
• Net Worth $17 Million

Leah Busque is a pioneering female technology entrepreneur who founded TaskRabbit in 2008.

TaskRabbit’s annual revenue exceeds $140 million, and the company helps customers find instant assistance with everyday tasks.

What can we learn from Leah Busque?

Learn how you can save others’ time. One of the best ways to become wealthy as an entrepreneur is to help people save time. That’s what Leah Busque did when she founded “TaskRabbit”.

Her company, TaskRabbit, is a platform where one can find freelance labor to help with day-to-day tasks such as cleaning, furniture repair, plumbing, moving, and more.

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8. Caterina Fake

• Caterina Fake Age: 56 years old
• Birth Date: 13 June 1969
• Birth Place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Nationality: American
• Caterina Fake Net Worth $25 million

Caterina Fake is an American female entrepreneur who co-founded the most popular image and video hosting service, “Flickr” in 2004. Flickr has over 112 million users worldwide.

What can we learn from Caterina Fake?

Invest as much as you can. Caterina is one of the most innovative female entrepreneurs who has known the value of investing since the beginning of her career.

Whether you know it or not, she invested in a ton of successful companies, including Etsy, Cloudera, Blue Bottle Coffee, Kickstarter, Hipcamp, and many more.

She’s also the founder of popular websites such as Flickr, Hunch, and Sesame Street School, among others. Caterina is also the host of the podcast “Should this Exist?”, which is one of the best Tech Podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

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9. Cher Wang 

• Cher Wang Age: 67 years old
• Birth Date: 14 September 1958
• Birth Place: Taipei, Taiwan
• Nationality: Taiwanese
• Cher Wang’s Net Worth: $850 million

Cher Wang is one of the most powerful female entrepreneurs in the world, who founded the HTC Corporation in 1997. 

If you’re not aware, HTC Corporation is a smartphone manufacturer that’s based in Taiwan. Cher Wang is listed as the 54th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2014.

What can we learn from Cher Wang?

Step out of your comfort zone. No matter what industry you’re in, you’ll grow only when you come out of your comfort zone. Do things that scare you. That’s how you grow.

Cher Wang has always wanted to make mobile phones, which is what led her to become the co-founder and CEO of one of the world’s most popular smartphone makers, HTC.

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10. Sophia Amoruso

• Sophia Amoruso Age: 41
• Birth Date: 20 April 1984
• Birth Place: San Diego, California, United States
• Nationality: American
• Sophia Amoruso’s Net Worth: $280 million

Sophia Christina Amoruso is an American female entrepreneur, a New York Times bestselling author, and the founder of Nasty Gal.

In case you’re not familiar, Nasty Gal is an American retail company that specializes in selling lifestyle products for young women. It was founded in 2006 and currently has customers from over 50 countries.

What can we learn from Sophia Amoruso?

Be bold. The best way to realize your true potential is to take bold risks. Sophia launched Nasty Gal in 2006, and due to her risk-taking mindset, she grew that company into one of the fastest-growing businesses.

Whatever you want to do or dream about doing, start taking action. Don’t hold back. No matter what field you’re in, dream big, take significant risks, and be fearless.

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11. Lori Greiner

• Lori Greiner Age: 55 years old
• Birth Date: 9 December 1969
• Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois, United States
• Nationality: American
• Lori Greiner’s net worth: $150 million

Lori Greiner is an American jewelry designer, inventor, and entrepreneur. She’s also famous for being a judge on the American reality television show “Shark Tank”.

What can we learn from Lori Greiner?

Always invest in and launch new products. Did you know that Lori Greiner has created over 500 products and holds more than 120 patents? Yes, Lori always launches new products to make the world a better place.

If you want to be as successful as Lori, stop being a perfectionist and create as many products as you can. Ensure that you continually improve with every product you launch.

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12. Folorunsho Alakija

• Folorunsho Alakija Age: 74 years old
• Birth Date: 15 July 1951
• Birth Place: Ikorodu, Nigeria
• Nationality: Nigerian
• Folorunsho Alakija Net Worth: $1 billion

Folorunsho Alakija is a Nigerian billionaire businesswoman and one of the successful black female entrepreneurs. She is currently the Group MD of The Rose of Sharon Group and is involved in the fashion, oil, real estate, and printing industries.

Folorunsho Alakija was listed as the 96th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2014 and Benson Idahosa University gave her an honorary Doctorate Degree in 2021.

What can we learn from Folorunsho Alakija?

There are no overnight success stories. Stop looking for shortcuts as you need to work extremely hard for years (if not decades) to be a successful entrepreneur like Alakija. 

Remember, every step is a struggle in business. When you look for shortcuts, you’ll miss so many opportunities to build a long-lasting business. 

Alakija knew from the beginning that nothing is handed to you and she worked really hard to reach where she’s now. Success is a marathon, not an event or a sprint. If you work really hard for several years with consistency and dedication, you’ll also achieve great things like Alakija. 

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13. Susan Wojcicki

• Susan Wojcicki Age: 53 years old
• Birth Date: 5 July 1968
• Birth Place: Santa Clara County, California, United States
• Nationality: Polish-American
• Susan Wojcicki has a Net Worth: $800 Million

Susan Wojcicki is the former CEO of YouTube. She was graduated with (BA) from Harvard University and started her first business by selling “spice ropes” door-to-door when she was only 11 years.

Here’s an interesting fact about Susan: Did you know that Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in a garage back in 1998? 

It was Susan’s garage as she was involved in the founding of Google and became Google’s first marketing manager a year later in 1999.

What can we learn from Susan Wojcicki?

Surround yourself with the right people. One of the biggest reasons for Susan’s success is that she is surrounded by people like Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

If you want to be successful in business, do everything you can to have a supportive group of people around you. 

Psychologists say that “When you surround yourself with successful people, they consciously challenge you to live the best version of yourself”. Want to succeed in life and business? Do what Susan did: network with successful people around you. It’s as simple as that.

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14. Judy Faulkner

• Judy Faulkner Age: 82 years old
• Birth Date: August 1943 
• Birth Place: New Jersey, United States
• Nationality: American
• Judy Faulkner Net Worth: $7.8 billion

Judy Faulkner is one of the richest female entrepreneurs in the world. She’s also the CEO and founder of Epic Systems which is a popular healthcare software company. 

What can we learn from Judy Faulkner?

Always do your best and prepare for the worst. After achieving the first few goals, most entrepreneurs face numerous challenges that are difficult to overcome. Here’s where you need to stay strong and believe in yourself to achieve your goals. 

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15. Lynda Resnick

• Lynda Resnick Age: 82 years old
• Birth Date: 1943
• Birth Place: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• Nationality: American
• Lynda Resnick’s net worth: $6.3 billion

Lynda Resnick is an American businesswoman, billionaire, and philanthropist. She’s the one behind The Wonderful Company.

What can we learn from Lynda Resnick?

Embrace your failures. In her decades of experience in business and life, Lynda has experienced a ton of failures but she never gave up. In fact, she began her business journey at the age of 19, founding an advertising agency called Lynda Limited.

Since then, she has been launching and developing new companies and businesses and growing their revenues multifold. If you want to be as successful as Lynda, 

Read: Best Digital Marketing Quotes That Will Motivate You More in 2025
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Final thoughts on the top female entrepreneurs 

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster ride. You must face numerous challenges and overcome them to succeed.

All the female entrepreneurs featured on this page have faced numerous challenges, created life-changing products, and built sustainable businesses.

So what are your views on the famous women entrepreneurs mentioned here? Who’s your favorite? Did we miss any of your favorite entrepreneurs on the list? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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FAQs | Women Entrepreneurs Worldwide to follow in 2025

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about women entrepreneurs.