Have you ever wondered who the big shots are in the startup world? Well, wonder no more! This blog post will introduce you to the top 10 startup influencers to follow in 2023.
From young entrepreneurs to veteran investors, these influencers have much to offer regarding inspiration, advice and insights. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the game for a while, be sure to add these influencers to your list. You won’t regret it!
1. Russell Brunson
Source: Forbes
If you’re an entrepreneur looking for some inspiration and direction in 2023, Russell Brunson is definitely somebody you should be following.
Over the past 19 years, he’s amassed a huge following of over a million entrepreneurs and continues to be one of the most popular and respected voices in the startup world.
His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, making him a New York Times Bestselling Author, and he’s also responsible for popularizing the concept of sales funnels.
He is co-founder of the software company ClickFunnels, which helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace.
Through his virtual conferences, coaching programs, and blog posts, he provides valuable advice and insight to help entrepreneurs succeed.
Russell Brunson has been in the growth marketing industry and sales since he was a kid. He would wait patiently for commercials to come on TV so he could study the art of direct response marketing.
As a young entrepreneur, he took advantage of every business opportunity that came his way. In high school, he was a state-champion wrestler and went on to compete in college. His years of wrestling taught him valuable lessons about hard work, dedication, and what it takes to be a winner.
Today, Russell is married to his college sweetheart, Collette Brunson. Together they have five children and live in Boise, Idaho.
He’s also responsible for some seriously groundbreaking marketing software. In 2003, he released ZipBrander, a tool that helped increase backend profits and drove laser-targeted website traffic. It was a huge success.
Two years later, he created a course teaching people how to make potato guns. It sounds weird, but it was popular.
People loved it so much that they started buying his potato gun kits as an upsell. That’s when Russell took off in the world of Internet marketing.
He quickly became one of the top minds in the industry and made his first million dollars within a year of graduating college. Russell Brunson is your man if you’re looking for someone who knows his stuff about marketing.
Follow Him On:
Blog: Marketing Secrets
Video: YouTube (267K Subscribers)
Podcast: The Marketing Secrets Show
Social: Facebook (811K Followers), Instagram (1.2M followers), LinkedIn (74K followers), TikTok (27K followers)
2. Neil Patel
Source: Neilpatel
Neil Patel is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is he an incredibly successful entrepreneur and investor, but he’s also a gifted writer and marketer.
He’s the founder of Crazy Egg and Hello Bar, and he’s sold several other successful companies, including Quicksprout.
Neil’s estimated net worth is between 7-10 million USD, and he has over a decade of experience in the field.
Patel’s ability to create content and distill complex concepts into easily digestible tips has made him a popular figure in the entrepreneurial world.
For anyone looking to start their own business, you need to read his blogs. But what makes Patel truly remarkable is his willingness to share his expertise with others.
Through his writing and speaking, Patel has helped countless entrepreneurs reach their potential and build successful businesses.
In an age where self-promotion is the norm, Patel stands out as a true keynote speaker and a generous individual, and that’s just one of the many reasons he’s respected by so many in the entrepreneurial community.
Follow Him On:
Blog: Neilpatel.com
Video: YouTube (1.11M Subscribers)
Podcast: Marketing School
Social: Facebook (1M Followers), Instagram (358K followers), LinkedIn (463K followers), TikTok (72.5K followers)
3. Jason Lemkin
Image Source: Techcrunch
Jason Lemkin is a tech entrepreneur and investor who knows more than a thing or two about startups and offers boundless learning to the willing parties. He co-founded SaaStr, a community for SaaS startups.
Jason Lemkin is best known as the co-founder and CEO of EchoSign, which Adobe acquired in 2011 for $400 million.
Jason is widely respected for his insights into the world of startups. He’s a prolific writer and speaker, and his advice has helped countless entrepreneurs take their companies to the next level.
He’s also known for his candor and ability to speak honestly about the challenges of entrepreneurship. He openly shares stories of failure and success, providing valuable insight into the realities of launching a successful business and consumer behavior.
He’s also on the boards of directors for Logik Systems, Inc., Rainforest QA, Inc., and Automile AB, among others.
In addition to his work in the tech industry, Lemkin is an active angel investor and advisor for several startups, including Retention Science, Convertro, Showpad, FrontApp, Influitive, AnyPerk, and Greenhouse.io. Jason Lemkin is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an honest and experienced mentor.
Follow Him On:
Blog: SaaStr
Video: Jason Lemkin (4K Subscribers), SaaStr
Podcast: SaaStr Podcasts
Social: Facebook (8.8K), Instagram (1.5K followers), LinkedIn (221K followers), TikTok (182 followers)
4. Fred Wilson
Source: Inc Magzine
Fred Wilson has been a venture capitalist for over a decade, and in that time, he has made many people very rich.
He’s currently a partner at Union Square Ventures, which he founded in 2004, and he also has his own firm, Flatiron Partners. He’s helped to finance some of the biggest names in tech, including Twitter, Tumblr, and Zynga.
But it’s not just his business acumen that makes Fred Wilson so successful. He’s also an expert at making connections and networking.
He’s often called the “mayor of Silicon Valley” because he knows everyone worth knowing in the tech world. And his advice is highly sought-after – he’s been known to give sage counsel to some of the biggest names in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin.
But despite all his success, Fred remains down-to-earth and approachable. He’s married with three children and lives in New York City, where he is active in philanthropy, serving as Chairman of the NYC Department of Education’s CS4 All Capital Campaign and co-chairman of Tech: NYC.
So if you’re ever looking for a successful venture capitalist to invest in your latest startup idea or a marketing automation strategy, you know who to call!
Follow Him On:
Blog: avc.com
Social: Twitter (693K), Instagram (6.8K followers), LinkedIn (4.5K Followers)
5. Gary Vaynerchuk
Source: Entrepreneur
Some people are born entrepreneurs. They believe in their ability to make things happen and are always looking for new opportunities.
Gary Vaynerchuk is one of those people. Born into a family of immigrants, Vaynerchuk migrated to the states when he was three.
Gary Vaynerchuk is a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Internet personality.
He is best known for his work in digital strategy, marketing, and social media, as well as his Wine Library TV series, which helped to expand his family’s wine business. Vaynerchuk is now Chairman of the New York-based communications company VaynerX.
In addition to his work in the communications industry, Vaynerchuk co-founded the restaurant-reservation app Resy and winery Empathy Wines. Major corporations have acquired both companies in recent years – Resy by American Express and Empathy Wines by Constellation Brands.
Despite his success in the business world, Vaynerchuk remains down-to-earth and approachable, with a witty and Conversational writing style that has made him a popular figure in online marketing.
Follow Gary Vaynerchuk On:
Blog: Gary Vaynerchuk
Video: YouTube ( 4.05MSubscribers)
Podcast: AskGaryVee
Social: Facebook (5.5M Folowers), Twitter (3.1M Followers), Instagram (10M followers), LinkedIn (5.3M followers), TikTok (15M followers)
6. Alex Hormozi
Source: Forbes
Alex Hormozi’s story is the stuff of movies. He’s a growth marketer who turned his back on business school to pursue his passion for starting his gym. And boy, did it pay off.
He grew his business to six locations in just a few years. These days, he’s the founder of ALAN, a software company that helps brick-and-mortar businesses get more people in the door.
What we love about Alex is not just his story but his attitude. He’s a go-getter with a sense of humor, which makes him so successful.
He founded Gym Launch, which helped him transition from privately owning gyms to doing in-person turnarounds. He runs a licensing business today and has helped over 4500+ facilities transform their businesses.
Alex Hormozi is a serial entrepreneur and investor who specializes in service-based businesses. He founded Acquisition.com, an active value acceleration capital firm that invests in low-mid-market companies.
In 2021, he sold his majority stake in ALAN to a strategic partner and a 66% stake in Gym Launch and Prestige Labs to American Pacific Group.
The Acquisition.com fund allows him to participate as minority partners (20-33% typically) to provide what he calls “majority work for minority stakes.” He is married to Leila.
Follow Alex On:
Blog: Acquisition
Video: YouTube (598K subscribers )
Podcast: The Game
Social: Facebook (77K followers), Twitter (215 K Followers), Instagram (643K followers), LinkedIn (52K followers), TikTok (545.7K Followers)
7. Jason Fried
Source: Inc Magazine
Jason Fried is the co-founder and CEO of Basecamp, a project management software company. He’s also the author of several books on business, including Rework and Remote: Office Not Required.
Fried is known for his unconventional management style, emphasizing focus, simplicity, and transparency. He’s also a big proponent of remote work, which he believes can lead to better work-life balance and increased productivity.
In addition to his work at Basecamp, Fried is an angel investor and advisor to several digital content marketing startups. He’s a thought leader in the tech community and is frequently interviewed on business and technology topics.
Jason Fried is worth following if you’re looking for someone who knows something about a startup boot camp.
Follow Jason On:
Blog: 37signals.com
Podcast: Love Your Work
Social: Twitter (288.4 K Followers), LinkedIn (86.5K followers)
8. Steve Blank
Source: Inc
Steve Blank is best known for creating the customer development method, which launched the lean startup movement. This methodology recognized that startups are not simply smaller versions of large companies but require their own processes and tools to succeed.
Blank was born to immigrant parents in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. In 2016, he co-created the first of a series of mission-driven entrepreneurship classes based on the Lean Method – Hacking for Defense – at Stanford University.
This course teaches students to work with Defense and Intelligence communities on national security problems and develop solutions using the Lean Startup method.
Since then, Blank has advocated for the Lean Startup approach, helping countless startups achieve their goals.
He is currently a professor at Stanford University, where he teaches Hacking for Climate and Sustainability. Thanks to Steve Blank, the startup world has been forever changed – and we are probably all the better for it.
Get in Touch with Steve via:
Blog: steveblank.com
Video: YouTube (11.3K subscribers )
Podcast: Steve Blank Podcast
Social: Facebook, Twitter (239 K Followers), LinkedIn (663.5K followers)
9. Andrew Chen
Source: Businessinsider
There’s a saying in the startup world that “you’re only as good as your last deal” and by that metric, Andrew Chen is crushing it.
Chen is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most respected venture firms in Silicon Valley.
He’s also an advisor and early-stage investor for several high-profile startups, including AngelList, Barkbox, Boba Guys, Dropbox, Front, Gusto, Kiva, Product Hunt, Tinder, and Workato.
So what’s his secret? Well, for one thing, Chen knows how to pick them. He has a keen eye for spotting breakout companies and has a track record of investing in some of the most successful startups in recent years. But beyond that, he brings something unique to the table: a deep understanding of how to grow and scale a business.
Chen is a numbers guy – he studied applied mathematics with a focus on economics at the University of Washington – but he also knows how to translate complex data into actionable insights.
He’s helped countless startups navigate the often murky waters of growth hacking and user acquisition, and his advice is sought after by entrepreneurs across the globe.
In short, Andrew Chen is among the most talented and well-connected people in the tech world today. If you’re lucky enough to have him on your team, consider yourself lucky.
Follow Andrew On:
Blog: andrewchen.com
Social: Twitter (262 K Followers), LinkedIn (469.9K followers)
10. Grant Cardone
Source: Swishsalescoaching
Grant Cardone might be described as something of an enigma. On the one hand, he’s a bestselling author and world-renowned sales trainer. On the other hand, he’s a real estate mogul with a $5 billion portfolio of properties. And then there’s the fact that Forbes Magazine named him the #1 marketer to watch in 2017.
So, what’s the story behind this mysterious figure? Well, for starters, Grant Cardone is a man who knows how to spot an opportunity. Whether in the real estate market or the auto industry, Grant has never been afraid to seize an opportunity and make it his own.
And that’s precisely what he did when he started his company, Cardone Enterprises. With a mission to help people achieve their 10X goals, Cardone Enterprises has helped countless individuals reach new levels of success.
If you’re ever feeling lost or stuck in your career, remember: there’s always someone out there who knows something about getting ahead – and that person is probably named Grant Cardone.
Follow Grant On:
Blog: GrantCardone.com
Video: YouTube (2.28M subscribers)
Podcast: Podcast zone
Social: Facebook (6.7M followers), Twitter (628.8K Followers), Instagram (4.1M followers), LinkedIn (538K followers)
Wrap Up
These ten influencers are great sources of inspiration if you’re looking for someone to follow in the startup world. With their mix of experience, knowledge, and engaging social media presence, they each offer something unique that can help you on your journey as an entrepreneur. So check them out and see who speaks to you – and don’t forget to give them a follow!
