Amos Hostetter Jr

Stockbroker's son invested $4,000 to set up cable company with frat brother 1963. Brought cable programming to rural cities. Continental Cablevision grew into nation's largest privately held cable firm; sold to US West for $11 billion in 1996. Bought back company, renamed MediaOne. Flipped to AT&T for $58 billion 3 years later. Today chairs investment firm Pilot House Associates; owns $125 million stake in Energy Transfer Equity. With partners, sold telecommunications firm Aloha Partners—then the largest owner of 700 megahertz radio frequency—for $2.5 billion in 2007.