#4 Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard

Company: Hewlett-Packard  (HP)

It is an American multinational information technology corporation which provides products, technologies, software, solutions and services. HP is the world’s leading (what) manufacturer.

Year Founded: 1939

How their partnership was formed: Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were classmates who hold degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Following the graduation both went on to a two week trip where their friendship grew thick. During the fellowship with Frederick Terman, a professor at Stanford, who was considered to be their mentor, the duo started Hewlett-Packard in a garage near by Palo Alto in 1939 with initial investment of $538. Hewlett and Packard tossed the coin to decide whether the company to be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett, Packard won the toss but named their company Hewlett-Packard.

Why their partnership worked: 

Both were best friends, almost having similar talents in tech sense and management styles. They used to openly involve in company projects and hence create a social, supportive work environment that was not a norm in those days. The innovative work ethic they introduced made the company and the people who were associated with company to thrive.