From a roofing supply wholesaler in Wisconsin to an AI lab in San Francisco, some of America’s biggest companies were built by women who started with a small idea, a loan, or a basement office. Today, these women lead, or co-own businesses worth billions of dollars, and their products touch millions of lives every day.
What makes this list special is how different their paths are. Some built companies alongside their husbands over several decades, while others are immigrants who rose through the technology industry or founders of some of the newest and fastest-growing companies in the world.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top 10 businesswomen in the United States, based on their history, ownership, and the kind of business they are known for. The ranking covers self-made women and uses net worth estimates from Forbes’ 2026 lists.
Quick Comparison
| Rank | Businesswoman | Company & Role | Founded | US Headquarters | Core Industry | Net Worth (Forbes 2026) |
| 1 | Diane Hendricks | ABC Supply; co-founder and chair | 1982 | Beloit, Wisconsin | Building Materials | $21.7 billion |
| 2 | Daniela Amodei | Anthropic; co-founder and president | 2021 | San Francisco, California | Artificial Intelligence | $15.5 billion |
| 3 | Judy Faulkner | Epic Systems; founder and CEO | 1979 | Verona, Wisconsin | Healthcare Software | $9.6 billion |
| 4 | Peggy Cherng | Panda Restaurant Group; co-founder and co-chair | 1973 | Rosemead, California | Restaurants | $8.3 billion |
| 5 | Thai Lee | SHI International; CEO and president | 1989 | Somerset, New Jersey | IT Products & Services | $8.0 billion |
| 6 | Marian Ilitch | Little Caesars; co-founder | 1959 | Detroit, Michigan | Pizza & Sports Entertainment | $7.6 billion |
| 7 | Jayshree Ullal | Arista Networks; president and CEO | 2004 | Santa Clara, California | Cloud Networking | $7.2 billion |
| 8 | Johnelle Hunt | J.B. Hunt Transport; co-founder | 1961 | Lowell, Arkansas | Trucking & Logistics | $6.7 billion |
| 9 | Judy Love | Love’s Travel Stops; co-founder | 1964 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Travel Stops & Fuel | $6.0 billion |
| 10 | Lynda Resnick | The Wonderful Company; co-owner | 1970s (roots) | Los Angeles, California | Food, Farming & Beverages | $5.4 billion |
Diane Hendricks – The Roofing Supply Queen
Image Credit: Homes For Our Troops via PR Newswire
- Company: ABC Supply
- Role: Co-founder and chair
- Headquarters: Beloit, Wisconsin
- Net Worth: $21.7 billion
Diane Hendricks co-founded ABC Supply in 1982 with her husband, Ken Hendricks, in Beloit, Wisconsin. The company began by supplying roofing materials to contractors and grew by opening new branches across the country. After Ken passed away in 2007, Diane took a larger role in the business and led it through its next phase of growth.
ABC Supply is now the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and windows in North America. According to Forbes, Hendricks has been the richest self-made woman in America for nine years in a row, though her fortune dipped slightly in the latest ranking while newer technology fortunes rose.
What she does: Leads one of America’s largest building materials distributors.
Known for: ABC Supply, nationwide roofing and building product distribution, and long-running top ranking among self-made women.
Daniela Amodei – The AI Co-Founder
Image Credit: Anthropic (Official Website)
- Company: Anthropic
- Role: Co-founder and president
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Net Worth: $15.5 billion
Daniela Amodei co-founded Anthropic in 2021 with her brother, Dario Amodei, who serves as CEO. Before that, she worked at the payments company Stripe and later at OpenAI, where she held leadership roles in safety and policy. At Anthropic, she oversees the business and operations side of the company.
Anthropic builds large AI systems, including the Claude family of AI models. Forbes reports that the rapid growth of AI helped Amodei jump to second place on its 2026 self-made women list. At 38, she is also one of the youngest women in the top ten.
What she does: Runs the business and operations of an AI research and product company.
Known for: Co-founding Anthropic and leading its commercial growth.
Judy Faulkner – The Healthcare Software Pioneer
Image Credit: UTHealth Houston – McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
- Company: Epic Systems
- Role: Founder and CEO
- Headquarters: Verona, Wisconsin
- Net Worth: $9.6 billion
Judy Faulkner founded Epic Systems in 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin, long before electronic medical records became common in hospitals. She had studied computer science and mathematics and built the company slowly, without selling it or taking it public. Epic stayed privately owned, and Faulkner has remained in control throughout.
Today, Epic’s software holds medical records for a large share of patients in the United States, and its MyChart app lets patients view test results and book appointments. Forbes has called Faulkner one of the most powerful women in healthcare technology.
What she does: Leads a privately held healthcare software company used by hospitals across the country.
Known for: Epic’s electronic health records system and the MyChart patient app.
Peggy Cherng – The Co-Founder of Panda Express
Image Credit: Brinson Banks / Wikimedia Commons
- Company: Panda Restaurant Group
- Role: Co-founder and co-chair
- Headquarters: Rosemead, California
- Net Worth: $8.3 billion
Peggy Cherng and her husband, Andrew Cherng, are immigrants who opened their first restaurant, Panda Inn, in Pasadena, California, in 1973. A decade later, they opened the first Panda Express in a shopping mall, a fast-casual format that would later spread across the country.
Panda Restaurant Group is now the largest Asian-American restaurant company in the United States, with over 2,000 locations. Peggy has played a key role in the company’s technology and operations, and the couple has also given millions of dollars to causes such as cancer research and education.
What she does: Co-leads America’s biggest Chinese-American restaurant chain.
Known for: Panda Express, Panda Inn, and the Panda Cares charity foundation.
Thai Lee – The IT Industry Leader
Image Courtesy: Thai Lee via LinkedIn
- Company: SHI International
- Role: CEO and president
- Headquarters: Somerset, New Jersey
- Net Worth: $8.0 billion
Thai Lee was born in South Korea and moved to the United States as a young woman. In 1989, she took over SHI, then a small software reseller, with her husband and went on to become its CEO. Under her leadership, the company grew steadily by focusing on service and long-term customer relationships.
SHI is now one of the largest IT providers in North America, serving corporate and government clients. It is also one of the country’s biggest woman- and minority-owned businesses, and Lee owns the company outright.
What she does: Leads a major provider of software, hardware, and cloud services.
Known for: Building SHI from a small reseller into a multi-billion-dollar technology company.
Marian Ilitch – The Little Caesars Co-Founder
Image Credit: Ilitch Holdings via Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
- Company: Little Caesars Pizza
- Role: Co-founder
- Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
- Net Worth: $7.6 billion
Marian Ilitch and her husband, Mike Ilitch, opened the first Little Caesars in 1959 in Garden City, Michigan. Marian handled much of the day-to-day work early on, and the business grew into a franchise with thousands of stores. Its “Pizza! Pizza!” deal helped make it famous for low prices.
Little Caesars is now one of the world’s largest pizza chains, and the Ilitch family has also expanded into sports and entertainment. The family owns the Detroit Red Wings and runs Ilitch Holdings, which also owns casinos and theaters. At 93, Marian is among the oldest women on Forbes’ list.
What she does: Leads a family business empire spanning food, sports, and entertainment.
Known for: Little Caesars pizza, the Detroit Red Wings, and Ilitch Holdings.
Jayshree Ullal – The Networking Leader
Image Credit: Arista Networks (Official Website)
- Company: Arista Networks
- Role: President and CEO
- Headquarters: Santa Clara, California
- Net Worth: $7.2 billion
Jayshree Ullal was born in London and raised in New Delhi, India, before moving to the United States for her studies. She built a long career in Silicon Valley, including a senior role at Cisco, before joining Arista Networks as CEO in 2008, a few years after the company was started.
Under her leadership, Arista grew into a leading supplier of high-speed networking equipment for cloud data centers, serving major technology companies. The company is publicly listed, and demand for AI data centers has boosted its business further.
What she does: Leads a company that makes high-speed networking switches for cloud and AI data centers.
Known for: Turning Arista into a major rival to older networking giants.
Johnelle Hunt – The Trucking Pioneer
Image Credit: Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners (Official Website)
- Company: J.B. Hunt Transport Services
- Role: Co-founder
- Headquarters: Lowell, Arkansas
- Net Worth: $6.7 billion
Johnelle Hunt and her husband, J.B. Hunt, started their trucking company in 1961 in Arkansas with a small fleet of used trucks. Johnelle handled the paperwork and bookkeeping in the early years, while J.B. focused on growing the business.
J.B. Hunt Transport is now one of the largest freight and logistics companies in the country. At 94, Johnelle Hunt is the oldest woman on Forbes’ 2026 self-made list.
What she does: Co-founded and helped build one of America’s largest trucking and logistics firms.
Known for: J.B. Hunt Transport Services and its nationwide freight and delivery network.
Judy Love – The Love’s Travel Stops Co-Founder
Image Credit: Love’s Travel Stops (Official Website)
- Company: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
- Role: Co-founder
- Headquarters: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Net Worth: $6.0 billion
Judy Love and her husband, Tom Love, started their business in 1964 with a leased gas station in Watonga, Oklahoma, using a $5,000 loan from Tom’s parents. They built it up one station at a time, opening new locations across the Midwest and Southwest.
Today, Love’s operates hundreds of travel stops across the country and is still privately owned by the Love family. Judy has also been involved in philanthropy through the family’s charitable fund.
What she does: Helped build a privately held chain of travel stops and fuel stations.
Known for: Love’s Travel Stops, the Love family’s long-running business, and charity work.
Lynda Resnick – The Marketing Mind Behind Wonderful
Image Credit: The Wonderful Company (Official Website)
- Company: The Wonderful Company
- Role: Co-owner and vice chair
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
- Net Worth: $5.4 billion
Lynda Resnick began her career in advertising and later built a business empire with her husband, Stewart Resnick. Together, they acquired companies and grew them into The Wonderful Company, one of the largest farming and branding businesses in the United States.
The company is known for brands such as POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Halos mandarins, and Fiji Water. Lynda oversees marketing and product development, and she is known for turning ordinary farm products into well-known consumer brands.
What she does: Leads marketing and branding for one of America’s largest agricultural companies.
Known for: POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Halos, and Fiji Water.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is the richest businesswoman in the USA?
Among self-made women, Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply is the richest, according to Forbes’ 2026 list. Across all women, heiresses such as members of the Walton and Koch families have larger fortunes.
Why are the Waltons and Kochs not on this list?
This list focuses on self-made women who built their own wealth, not those who inherited it.
Who is the richest woman in technology?
Daniela Amodei of Anthropic is the highest-ranked woman in technology on Forbes’ 2026 self-made list, with an estimated $15.5 billion.
Which businesswoman founded a healthcare software company?
Judy Faulkner founded Epic Systems in 1979, and it is now one of the most widely used electronic health records providers in the US.
Which businesswoman is known for a famous restaurant chain?
Peggy Cherng co-founded Panda Express with her husband Andrew, and Marian Ilitch co-founded Little Caesars with her husband Mike.
Which of these women is an immigrant?
Thai Lee was born in South Korea, Jayshree Ullal was born in London and raised in India, and Peggy Cherng is also an immigrant who built her business in California.
Who is the youngest woman on the list?
Daniela Amodei, at 38, is the youngest among the ten, according to Forbes.
Who is the oldest woman on the list?
Johnelle Hunt, at 94, is the oldest woman on Forbes’ 2026 self-made list.
How many self-made women billionaires are there in the USA?
Forbes counted 43 self-made women billionaires in its 2026 ranking, a record high.
Why do these ten women matter to everyday people?
Their companies provide products and services people use daily, from healthcare software and food to trucking, networking, and AI tools, and they employ hundreds of thousands of workers.
Conclusion
America’s most successful businesswomen are multi-industry and multi-generational. Diane Hendricks, Judy Faulkner, and Marian Ilitch built their business experience and fortunes over several decades. Newer players, however, such as Daniela Amodei and Jayshree Ullal, have been able to leverage the rise of AI and cloud technologies to found and grow extremely successful companies.
This list of ten businesswomen highlights America’s most successful women business owners. With a growing number of female-founded organizations, some of which are capitalizing on the rising importance of technology, it is safe to assume that this list will continue to expand for years to come.
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