Kara Goldin

Hint is now a decade old, but Goldin has pushed the unsweetened flavored water company into new territories as consumers search for alternatives to soda. In the last year, she’s cracked the college market and is now sold on about 100 campuses—no easy feat considering Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s big contracts with these institutions. Hint is also the largest beverage by volume among Silicon Valley firms, Goldin says. In August, the company rolled out a new product, Hint Kick, an all-natural caffeinated drink with the tech firms it services in mind. She’s also shaking up how her product is sold, taking the unusual step of selling directly to consumers through the Hint website. By the end of the year, that channel will approach close to 40% of its sales volume. Goldin, who wants the company to be an authority on healthy lifestyles, says she’ll eventually expand into products beyond water.