Howard Schultz grew up in a Brooklyn housing project, and after snagging a football scholarship from Northern Michigan, he became the first in his family to graduate from college. He landed a marketing gig at a small coffee bean store called Starbucks, traveled to Italy and wanted to open an espresso bar back home. His Starbucks bosses dismissed his idea, so he started a rival store in 1985, making his java with Starbucks beans. Two years later, Schultz bought Starbucks from his bosses two years later for $3.8 million. This is Schultz’s second time running Starbucks—he left in 2000 for eight years—and he has dramatically reversed the company’s slide. Starbucks’ market cap has nearly quadrupled since his return. Through Schultz’s VC firm, Maveron, he holds stakes in Groupon, eBay and Pinkberry frozen yogurt. Schultz’s plan to pay for all his employees to get a degree has grabbed headlines; his name has been pushed forward as a dark-horse presidential candidate in 2016, though he has made no official noises about a campaign. Pal David Geffen, the record label billionaire, is reportedly a strong supporter of the idea.