List of German entrepreneurs

This is a list of German entrepreneurs, businesspeople of German nationality or with German citizenship.

A–M

Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz (1852–1921), founder of Berlitz Language Schools Carl Bertelsmann (1791–1850), founder of Bertelsmann, subsidiaries include Random House and BMG Johann Adam Birkenstock, in 1774 founded Birkenstock shoe company Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), in 1877, co-founder Blohm+Voss, manufacturers of ships Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963), founder of Borgward August Borsig (1804–1854), founder of Borsig Werke Robert Bosch (1861–1942), industrialist, engineer and inventor; founder of Robert Bosch GmbH Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer, founder of Hugo Boss Max Braun, founder of Braun GmbH, makers of personal care appliances, coffee makers and other home appliances Adolphus Busch (1839–1913), co-founder of Anheuser-Busch brewing company Adolph Coors (1847–1929), founder of the Adolph Coors Company brewery, now part of MillerCoors Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), inventor, engineer and industrialist; founder of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, now Daimler AG Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of sportswear company Adidas Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974), founder of sportwear company Puma Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck (1830–1916), founder of company Schlesische AG für Bergbau und Zinkhüttenbetrieb Friedrich Engelhorn (1821–1902), founder of the chemical company BASF Kaspar Faber (1730–1784), founder of Faber-Castell, manufacturers of office supplies, art supplies, writing instruments and leather goods Günther Fielmann (1939–2024), founder of Fielmann Wilhelm von Finck (1848–1924), co-founder of Munich Re and Allianz Eduard Fresenius (1874–1946), founder of Fresenius Jakob Fugger the Elder (1368–1469), founder of Fugger bank Marcus Goldman (1821–1904), co-founder of Goldman Sachs Max Grundig (1908–1989), founder of Grundig Franz Haniel (1779–1868), managing director of Franz Haniel & Cie. Karl Haniel (1877–1944), managing director of Franz Haniel & Cie. Edmund Heckler (1906–1960), co-founder Heckler & Koch, 1948 Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958), founder of Heinkel, manufacturers of airplanes Richard Hellmann (1876–1971), founder of Hellmann's Mayonnaise Johann Peter Henckels, founder of (Zwilling) J.A. Henckels, manufacturers of kitchen knives, scissors, cookware and flatware Friedrich Karl Henkel (1848–1930), founder of Henkel Max Herz (1905–1965), co-founder of Tchibo, 1949 Dietmar Hopp (born 1940), co-founder of SAP August Horch (1868–1951), founder of Audi automobile company in 1909 Helmut Horten (1909–1987), founder of Horten AG Georg Ferdinand Howaldt (1802–1883), founder of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1835 Carolus Magnus Hutschenreuther (1794–1845), founder of Hutschenreuther Christoph Ingenhoven (1960), founder of christoph ingenhoven architects Hugo Junkers (1859–1935), founder of Junkers in 1895, manufacturers of airplanes Rudolph Karstadt (1856–1944), founder of Karstadt Ernst Keil (1816–1878), founder and publisher of Die Gartenlaube Erich Kellerhals (1939–2017), co-founder of Media Markt Carl Kellner, founder of Ernst Leitz GmbH, which later became Leica Camera, Leica Geosystems, and Leica Microsystems, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment and microscopes Roman Kirsch, founder of Lesara Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr (1800–1875) founder of Knorr Georg Krauß (1826–1906), co-founder of Krauss-Maffei, 1838 Theodor Koch (1905–1976), co-founder of Heckler & Koch, 1948 Friedrich Krupp (1787–1826), steel manufacturer and founder of the steel producers ThyssenKrupp Heinrich Lanz (1838–1905), founder of Heinrich Lanz AG Henry Lehman (1822–1855), Emanuel Lehman (1827–1907) and Mayer Lehman (1830–1897), German-born bankers, co-founders of Lehman Brothers Ernst Leitz II (1871–1956), owner of Leitz Camera Louis Leitz (1846–1918), founder of Leitz Carl von Linde (1842–1934), founder of The Linde Group Henry Lomb (1828–1908), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb Friedrich Lürssen (1851–1916), founder of Lürssen in 1875, manufacturers of ships Joseph Anton von Maffei (1790–1870), founder of Maffei, later 1838 Krauss-Maffei Wolfgang Marguerre (born 1941), founder of Octapharma Carl Alexander von Martius (1838–1920), co-founder of Agfa Oscar Ferdinand Mayer (1859–1955), founder of the processed-meat firm Oscar Mayer Friedrich Jacob Merck (1621–1678), founder of Merck KGaA (Engel-Apotheke in Darmstadt) George Merck (1867–1926), founder of Merck & Co Joseph Mendelssohn (1770–1848), founder of former bank Mendelssohn & Co Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1841–1880), co-founder of Agfa Willy Messerschmitt (1898–1978), founder of Messerschmitt Heinrich Meyerfreund, founder of Garoto, chocolate company in Brazil Carl Miele (1869–1938), founder of Miele, manufacturer of domestic appliances Frederick Miller (born as Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller) (1824–1888), founder of the Miller Brewing Company in 1855

N–Z Josef Neckermann (1912–1992), founder of the company Neckermann August Oetker (1862–1918), founder of the company Dr Oetker Adam Opel (1837–1895), founder of the automobile company Opel Franz Oppenheim (1852–1929), chemist, industrialist and entrepreneur Salomon Oppenheim (1772–1828), founder of bank Sal. Oppenheim Ernest Oppenheimer (1880–1957), diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Werner Otto (1909–2011), founder of Otto GmbH, now Otto Group, a mail order company Hasso Plattner (born 1944), co-founder of SAP Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), designer and founder of Porsche Günther Quandt (1881–1954), industrial, entrepreneur of different companies (today includes BMW and Altana (chemicals) Karl Friedrich Rapp (1882–1962), co-founder of Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH, which later became BMW Emil Rathenau (1838–1915), founder of AEG Paul Reuter (1816–1899), pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting; founder of Reuters news agency Hans Riegel Sr. (1893–1945), founder of Haribo, the manufacturer of gummi and jelly sweets Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), founder of British company N M Rothschild & Sons Hugo Sack (1860-1909), cofounder of Sack & Kiesselbach and founder of Sack, GmbH Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering (1824–1889), founder of the pharmaceutical company Schering AG Gustav Schickedanz (1895–1977), founder of Quelle Anton Schlecker (born 1944), founder of Schlecker Ernst Schmidt and Wilhelm Schmidt-Ruthenbeck (1906–1988), founders of Metro AG Dieter Schwarz (born 1939), owner of Schwarz Gruppe Alex Seidel (1909–1989), co-founder of Heckler & Koch, 1948 Fritz Sennheiser (1912–2010), founder of Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG, specializing in high-fidelity products Georg von Siemens (1839–1901), co-founder of Deutsche Bank Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, founder of Siemens, the electronics and electrical engineering company Friedrich Soennecken (1848–1919), founder of Soennecken J.S. Staedtler, in 1835 founded Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG, suppliers of writing, artist, and engineering drawing instruments Bruno Steinhoff (born 1937), founder of Steinhoff Henry E. Steinway (1797–1871), founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons Hugo Stinnes (1870–1924), co-founder of Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk AG August Storck-Oberwelland, in 1903 founder of Werther's Sugar Confectionery Factory, now Storck Franz Ströher (c. 1854–1936), in 1880 founded cosmetics company Wella Carl Tchilinghiryan (1910–1987), in 1949, co-founder of company Tchibo Carl von Thieme (1844–1924), founder of Allianz, a financial services company August Thyssen (1842–1926), founder of Walzwerk Thyssen & Co. in Mülheim an der Ruhr Friedrich Thyssen (1804–1877), founder of Draht-Fabrik-Compagnie in Aachen Hermann Tietz (1837–1907), founder of Hertie, a department store Klaus Tschira (1940–2015), co-founder of SAP Leopold Ullstein (1826–1899), founder of publishing company Ullstein Verlag Ernst Voss (1842–1920), in 1877, co-founder of Blohm+Voss, manufacturers of ships Carl Walther (1858–1915), founder of company Carl Walther, manufacturer of guns Moses Marcus Warburg and Gerson Warburg, co-founder of M. M. Warburg & Co., German bank Siegmund Warburg, founder of S. G. Warburg & Co., British bank Claus Wellenreuther (1935–2026), co-founder of SAP Bartholomeus V. Welser (1484–1561), Welser brothers bank Georg Wertheim (1857–1939), founder of Wertheim, a department store Aloys Wobben (1952–2021), founder of Enercon Reinhold Würth (born 1935), company Würth Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), founder of Zeiss, a maker of optical instruments Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838–1917), inventor of the Zeppelin; founder of the Zeppelin Airship company

References