Amber Venz Box

She Helped Launch the Modern Creator Economy

If you’ve purchased an item on TikTok or Instagram after perusing the feed of your favorite social media star, thank Amber Venz Box. Now one of the wealthiest self-made women in America, Box was working as a fashion blogger in her father’s house when she had an epiphany: Her readers were purchasing the styles she recommended, but she wasn’t making any money for her efforts. In 2011, together with her now-husband and company CEO, Box launched LTK, which enables content creators to earn a commission for the items they feature by directing their followers to more than 7,000 retail brands. The idea didn’t just pay off for Box, although LTK was last valued at $2 billion and now employs 800 people. (The remote-first company has been named a Great Place to Work.) It also helped give rise to the modern influencer economy. The company says it generated $5 billion in sales for brands in 2024 and has minted 240 women millionaires since it launched.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo