#3. Warren Lichtenstein
Executive Chairman & Founder, Steel Partners Holdings L.P.
As one of the world’s top strategic investors, Warren Lichtenstein wears many hats: He’s the executive chairman and founder of the multi-billion-dollar hedge fund Steel Partners Holdings L.P.; the CEO and a founder of Steel Partners LLC; a co-founder of Steel Partners Japan Strategic Fund (Offshore), L.P., a private investment partnership investing in Japan; and a co-founder of Steel Partners China Access I LP, a private equity partnership investing in China. From July 2009 to February 2013, he served as chairman and CEO of the general partner of Steel Holdings L.P. Lichtenstein personifies diversity. Steel Excel, one of Steel Partners’ holdings, has two business segments: Steel Sports Inc., a network of branded businesses engaged in sports, training, entertainment and consumer lifestyle; and Steel Energy Services, Ltd., which provides services to the oil and gas industry. WebBank, a small Utah-chartered online venture his company controls, has become a highly profitable player in peer-to-peer lending, generating 44 percent return on equity in 2015 that reportedly dwarfed Goldman Sachs’ 33 percent. Lichtenstein began his career as an analyst at Para Partners, L.P., a private investment partnership, after graduating with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1990 Lichtenstein co-founded Steel Partners, L.P., an investment partnership. Three years later, he co-founded Steel Partners II (“SPII), a private investment partnership and a wholly owned subsidiary of SPLP. Beginning in 1996, he was at WebFinancial, a consumer and commercial lender, where he ultimately became chairman, CEO and president. Lichtenstein has served as a director of more than 20 public companies. His reputation as an aggressive investor determined to unlock significant value in the companies he’s acquired is well deserved.
#20. Brock Blake - CEO & Founder, Lendio
#19. Peter Renton - Founder, Lend Academy Media; Co-founder, LendIt Conference
#18. Jason Fritton - CEO & Co-founder, Patch of Land
#17. Jeffrey Rogers - President & CEO, LiftForward, Inc.
#16. Doug Naidus - CEO & Founder, World Business Lenders (WBL)
#15. Al Goldstein - CEO & Founder, Avant
#14. Marc Glazer - President & CEO, BFS Capital
#13. Samir Desai - CEO & Founder, Funding Circle
#12. Richard Levy - CEO & Founder, Victory Park Capital Advisors LLC
#11. Sen. Elizabeth Warren - (D-Mass.), Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs
#10. Kenneth Lin - CEO & Founder, Credit Karma
#9. Kathryn Petralia - COO & Co-founder, Kabbage
#8. Noah Breslow - CEO, On Deck Capital, Inc.
#7. Brayden McCarthy - Head of Policy & Advocacy, Fundera
#6. Jamie Dimon - Chairman & CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
#5. Aaron Vermut - CEO, Prosper
#4. Mike Cagney - CEO, Chairman & Co-founder, SoFi
#3. Warren Lichtenstein - Executive Chairman & Founder, Steel Partners Holdings L.P.
#2. Frank Rotman - Founding Partner, QED Investors
#1. Renaud Laplanche - CEO & Founder, LendingClub