Ron Burkle founded the private equity firm Yucaipa Companies, which invests in retail, manufacturing and distribution, after starting off as a bag boy at his father’s grocery store. He has recently been investing in start-up companies through A-Grade Investments, his venture capital fund with Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, of which include SoundCloud, SeatGeek and Airbnb. He is also a partial owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and was instrumental in ending the NHL lockout.