Communiqués about Japanese landings would get mixed up with messages about what officers had for breakfast. Politics plagued the military branches. Meanwhile, the U.S. faced a new and imposing threat from the Soviet Union. So, like any entrepreneur, President Eisenhower set to work finding a solution. In 1958, his administration created, within the Defense Department, the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, and sought the brightest minds in academia to solve its communication problems. They envisioned a future when computers talked to one another through a network-one that would enable military officials to trade tactical updates and scientists to share research. The project was called the Arpanet.
That network, the precursor to today's internet, inspired years of debate between military officials and academics about what its purpose should be and who should have access to it. Along the way, its pioneers designed the technology that now links, well, everything and ensures the security of the network worldwide. Inc. brings together six of those founders for the first time. True entrepreneurs, they took a new idea and created revolutionary change. And starting in June, on our Computer Freaks podcast, you can hear them tell their own stories.
LEONARD KLEINROCK
Smoothed the way for data
The 1960s was a good time to be a computer prof. And Leonard Kleinrock became an early beneficiary of the federal government's largess as it sought to create the network of tomorrow. "We're going to give you lots of money," he was told. "Do something great."
This story is from the May - June 2023 edition of Inc..
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This story is from the May - June 2023 edition of Inc..
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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SUCCESS often breeds success-but triumphs also arise out of necessity. Consider that Airbnb, Uber, and Rent the Runway started during the Great Recession. In many ways, the past year was defined by similar tumult. While the U.S. never technically entered a recession, the retrenchment in investment and ad spending paired with the psychological-if not direct-toll of tech layoffs yielded tough times indeed. But female founders are nothing if not resilient, and their achievements defied the conditions they faced, giving us cause to expand our list to 250 of them. They're not ranked, but they are organized around themes. In the pages that follow, you'll find snapshots of courage from women who've overcome trials-such as keeping the internet running in war zones, coping with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, or facing personal crises. You'll also learn how this year's top female founders grew their collective 2023 revenue to more than $8.86 billion, raised $6.2 billion in funding to date, and kept it together not just to survive, but to thrive.
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