World Of Forbes: Stories Of Entrepreneurial Capitalism Across Our 44 International Editions

Across the planet, our 44 licensed editions span six continents, 26 languages and 15 time zones. They all share the same mission: celebrating entrepreneurial capitalism in all its forms.

ARGENTINA

In early 2021, Accenture bought Agustina Fainguersch’s business software startup, Wolox. In March 2022, Meta tapped the Buenos Aires entrepreneur, 32, for a regional director role—optimizing Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp tools used by 94% of small- and medium-size companies in Argentina.

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AUSTRALIA

Collaboration software company Atlassian, cofounded and co-led by Aussie billionaire Scott Farquhar, introduced a “Team Anywhere” program in August 2020. As a result, the percentage of the company’s Australian employees living outside Sydney has increased from 7% to 22%.

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AUSTRIA

Norbert Haslacher heads Vienna-based Frequentis. Its air traffic control system for drone flights across Austria is scheduled to launch by early 2023 in partnership with the country’s airspace regulator, Austro Control.

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BRAZIL

As the face of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issue, Forbes Brasil features Ana Fontes, who founded Rede Mulher Empreendedora in 2010. The support network for female entrepreneurs in Brazil counts some 300,000 members.

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BULGARIA

“There’s always a streak of craziness and naiveté when you start something of your own. The important thing is to believe that no one else can solve this problem.”

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CHILE

Emerging from a pandemic-induced bankruptcy, LATAM Airlines, based in Santiago, completed Chapter 11 proceedings in November with an injection of about $10.3 billion in equity and $6.8 billion in debt.

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CHINA

Su Yiming fronts Forbes China’s 30 Under 30 issue after winning the country’s first gold medal in the men’s snowboard big air event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, just three days shy of his 18th birthday.

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COLOMBIA

Newly elected President Gustavo Petro attempted—and failed—to repeal tax incentives that have propelled Colombian film and TV production and have attracted American streaming giants. Camilo Vega (far right) produced the 2022 thriller Pálpito, which spent seven weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10 most-watched non-English series.

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CYPRUS

Nearly $1.2 billion has been earmarked to renovate the marina and port of Cyprus’s third-most-populous city, Larnaca, among the island nation’s largest development projects approved in 2022. The upgrade will include cargo and passenger terminals and berths for 600 yachts.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

Michaela Franeková appears on Forbes Czech’s list of Top CEOs. She joined consumer goods brand Unilever in 2003 while still an MBA student and today manages the business across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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ECUADOR

Francisco Naranjo Martinez joined Banco Internacional de Ecuador as an intern at age 20. Now 58, he has climbed to executive president, overseeing 73 banking branches nationwide and more than 500,000 clients.

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EGYPT

Forbes Middle East’s 30 Under 30 list features Egyptian novelist and astrophysicist Maryam Haytham Esmat, 24, who worked on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, researching dark matter detection.

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FRANCE

Stanislas Niox-Chateau fronts Forbes France’s annual list of 20 favorite French entrepreneurs. He cofounded and heads Paris-based Doctolib, which partnered with the national government in 2021 to help vaccinate 50 million people against Covid-19.

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GEORGIA

Zviad Abuladze started Nova with four friends in 2006, importing and selling construction materials. Last year, the Tbilisi company generated some $60 million in sales and now employs more than 900 people, with business lines including manufacturing and retailing household wares.

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GREECE

Dimitris Andriopoulos heads Dimand, the developer constructing the new headquarters of PwC Greece. The 242,000-square-foot, LEED-certied space located in Marousi, northeast of Athens, is expected to open in early 2024.

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HONDURAS

As textile production in Central America rebounds and exceeds pre-pandemic levels, Honduras recently announced a $250 million investment by fabric and garments manufacturer Caracol Knits to build the Americas’ largest cotton-spinning mill.

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HUNGARY

Macroeconomist György Surányi, the two-time former head of the Hungarian Central Bank, suggests that his country, an EU member, should adopt the euro to replace its weakened forint currency, saying “Europe is moving toward integration, whether you like it or not.”

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INDIA

Indian startups’ borrowing nearly doubled to $538 million in 2021 compared to 2019. One investor projects the 2022 total may exceed $1 billion, as the equity market dries up and founders better understand the nuances of venture debt.

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ISRAEL

Forbes Israel’s ninth annual Best Doctors in Israel issue reviews 1,428 professionals in 177 fields and analyzes health insurance reform scheduled to take effect in February, which will require all providers to offer a uniform basic policy with uniform coverage.

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ITALY

“Wealth is creating wealth around you, having many people around you who have become wealthy thanks to you.”

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JAPAN

In April, Taro Fujie took on the CEO position at 113-year-old Tokyo company Ajinomoto, which manufactures some 100 brands of seasoning, condiments, supplements and food. Annual sales have climbed to about $10 billion.

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KAZAKHSTAN

Forbes Kazakhstan features Alibek Narimbay, a 37-year-old multipreneur whose ventures include a VC fund that invests in Kazakh startups, an app for drivers to track and resolve traffic tickets, and facial-recognition software that confirms the identity of ATM users and of students taking exams.

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MEXICO

GE HealthCare Intercontinental, led by Elie Chaillot, maintains factories in Ciudad Juárez and Monterrey that manufacture medical devices sold around the world. The CEO anticipates more agility in 2023, when GE begins its spin off into three independent companies focused on energy, health care and aviation.

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ROMANIA

Forbes Romania’s 30 Under 30 list recognizes (from left) Horia Stupu, Ciprian Dudulea and Şerban Buliga as cofounders of The Outfit. The website handles online shopping for nearly 100,000 users, recommending clothing from 70 brands based on individuals’ style, budget and size.

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SLOVAKIA

Marián Vajda, longtime coach of tennis great Novak Djokovic, today leads a Bratislava center for young Slovak athletes. He shares with Forbes Slovakia his first impression of the young Serb in 2006: an excellent but flawed player who could adjust his game to the weaknesses of the opponent.

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SOUTH AFRICA

In 2012, Delphine Govender (second from left) founded Perpetua, an investment management firm based in Cape Town. With 24 years of industry experience, she expects to see increasing numbers of high-net-worth women across Africa as they take on entrepreneurship and assume corporate leadership roles.

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SOUTH KOREA

DY Corporation, based in Incheon and founded by Cho Byung-ho 45 years ago as Dongyang Hydraulics, today does about $750 million in sales across three divisions: hydraulic equipment, auto parts manufacturing and industrial machinery. Customers include Hyundai-Kia Motors, General Motors and Ford.

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SPAIN

Billionaire art collector Carmen Thyssen fronts Forbes Spain’s issue of the country’s 100 most influential women. The list also features Banco de Santander Executive Chairman Ana Botín and triple-jump record holder Ana Peleteiro, among others.

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UKRAINE

Ajax Systems, a maker of home security devices sold in more than 130 countries, was able to meet its 2022 goals, thanks to 36-year-old CEO Aleksandr Konotopskyi’s decision to quickly move operations from Kyiv to undisclosed locations following Russia’s February invasion.

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VIETNAM

In 2021, Vietnamese venture capital reached a new high—$1.4 billion worth of investments made—and 2022 is expected to be higher still. The country is home to an estimated 3,800 startups and four unicorns, with e-commerce businesses a favorite among investors.

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