October is LGBTQ+ History month and there is so much to celebrate. LGBTQ+ people have always contributed through creativity and innovation. Here are five entrepreneurs and innovators who have helped shape the world we live in today.

George Washington Carver (c. 1864 – January 5, 1943) 

George Washington Carver was a Black American agricultural scientist who advocated for alternative crops to cotton and developed techniques to prevent soil depletion. Although he may not have been a traditional businessman, his crop rotation techniques improved cotton yields and gave farmers alternative cash crops. He is often credited with inventing peanut butter, but that is untrue. However, he created many peanut products, such as milk, flour, ink, dyes, and plastics. When Black farmers faced competition from Chinese peanut imports, Carver advocated for tariffs on Chinese peanuts, helping to protect and sustain American farmers.

Carver never married, and there is ongoing debate about whether he was gay or bisexual. He had a close relationship with his research assistant, Austin W. Curtis Jr., from 1935 until he died in 1943. He even granted Curtis one-quarter of the royalties from selling his authorized biography published that same year.

John Maynard Keynes (June 5, 1883 – April 21, 1946)

John Maynard Keynes was an English economist and philosopher whose ideas significantly transformed macroeconomic theory and government economic policies. He is the father of Keynesianism, which refers to the range of macroeconomic theories and models that emphasize how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) significantly affects economic output and inflation.

Keynes's early romantic and sexual relationships were exclusively with men, but later in life, he developed relationships with women.

Andy Warhol -1928-1987

Warhol once said, "I started as a commercial artist and I want to finish as a business artist." As the father of the pop art movement, he used his art to make social commentary on America's blossoming mass consumerism of the 1960s. He leaned heavily into celebrity culture, partnered with brands, and worked his art into fashion, film, and music.  Warhol's "The Factory" was a business operation because other artists who worked with him mass-produced his work, which would, in turn, create more sales and profit. He also founded an art and fashion magazine, Interview.

Warhol's sexuality was often debated, but he was a gay man who had several partners throughout his life. His boyfriends, such as Edward Wallowitch, John Giorno, and Jed Johnson, were also his collaborators, playing critical roles in shaping his career as an artist.

Tim Cook 1960 - Present

Not only is Tim Cook the chief executive officer of Apple Inc., but he is also an LGBTQ+ trailblazer within the business world. In 2014, Cook came out as gay in a Bloomberg opinion piece, historically becoming the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Cook has said that he wanted to show kids that it's okay to be gay and that he values his privacy, but he felt he was valuing it too much above what he could do for people.

Since taking over Apple in 2011, Tim Cook doubled its revenue and profit by 2020, with its market value jumping from $348 billion to $1.9 trillion. As of 2023, Apple was the most significant technology company by revenue, generating $394.33 billion. Cook also serves on Nike, Inc. and the National Football Foundation boards and is a trustee at Duke University.

Arlan Hamilton 1980 - Present

Arlan Hamilton is a Black, queer venture capitalist and the founder of Backstage Capital, a fund that invests in underrepresented entrepreneurs, specifically women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ founders. She defied all odds, breaking into the VC world as someone who had no experience and was experiencing homelessness. In May 2020, Hamilton released her first book from Penguin Random House entitled It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage, which is based on her career in venture capital.

In 2019, Hamilton married German composer and actress Anna Eichenauer.