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Mustafa Nuur was born in Somalia but fled after terrorists killed his entrepreneurial father. He eventually settled in Lancaster, Pa., where he launched a startup called . It hosts cross-cultural experiences — ­dinners, gatherings, and so on — so that immigrants, refugees, and locals can better understand each other. “There’s nothing that can replace sitting across from someone who’s different from you and hearing their story,” he tells me.

But something would have to replace it, of course. When COVID-19 swept through America, sitting across from someone wasn’t an option. Nuur was scared. Then he had an idea. The immigrants and refugees he works with could become essential workers, helping homebound residents. For example, he has a Syrian refugee family who, just days before the lockdown, hosted a dinner in their home. One attendee was an elderly woman who lives alone. When the lockdown began, the family began delivering this woman’s groceries, running her errands, and calling daily at 6 p.m. to check in.

Related: 5 Tips to Leading Your Company Through the Chaos

“It really made me think about how life should be every day,” Nuur says. “We should be having these relationships.”

I agree. And I think we can get there.

I have the privilege of meeting many entrepreneurs, which means I also witness their great collective irony. Even during good times, entrepreneurship feels lonely. We have chosen a path of self-determination, which can be maddening and isolating. And yet, here’s the crazy thing: We all deal with the same problems. Everyone has impostor syndrome. Everyone wrestles with management, or finances, or plans gone awry. We are alone together.

Now our barriers are coming down. We are all, for the first time in our lives, openly wrestling with the same problems at the same time. Confidence isn’t expected; clarity is impossible. We felt isolation and then doubled down on connectivity. We came to share openly with others and rely more heavily on them, too.

That’s what we wanted to honor in this issue, which has been a long time in the making. To understand it, here’s the backstory.

In March, as lockdowns began, the team here was preparing for our June issue. (We work months in advance.) Then June was canceled, a victim of uncertain economics. Our next issue would be in July — a time that seemed impossibly far away, in a world we couldn’t envision. We didn’t know where to begin, so we started with a question: Who should be on the cover? In normal times, our covers feature a celebrity…but that seemed like the wrong tone.

“Nobody wants to be the face of a pandemic,” someone on our team said.

Related: How to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed During the Coronavirus Pandemic

What could we predict about the future? We agreed on this: Â鶹Éçs would not give up. They’d join together and shift from panic to adaptation. By July, we figured, people would have plans. They’d find opportunity. They’d collectively carry the world forward.

So who should be on the cover? Â鶹Éçs should be on the cover. “Let’s fit as many people as we can,” I said, which turned out to be 137. We wanted them to be a representative sample of entrepreneurial ingenuity — people who work at every scale, at every experience level, running solo businesses to international powerhouses. Our sole filter: They had to have done something adaptive during the pandemic, whether it was helping their team, their community, their customers, or others. We’d include everyone who was quoted in the magazine, as well as people we’d simply heard about and admired. One day, for example, I read a local news story about Maya Gilliam, who saw no future in the spa she’d run for years — so she transformed it into a boutique farm and upscale hemp dispensary called Hempress Farms. I loved that. On the cover!

Does this sound messy and haphazard to you? I agree — but what else is there, really? Â鶹Éçship is also messy and haphazard, the product of envisioning a destination and then improvising your way there. We’d all prefer perfection, but we must settle for this instead: When we have an idea, and join with others to make it happen, we have a chance to create something meaningful. On any given day, that’s the best we can do.

Related: How to Make the Most of Your Ambition

The world we couldn’t imagine in March has now come into focus. New businesses are launching. Old ones pivoted. Just as we are sending this issue to the printer, many people are leaving their homes and joining a movement for racial equality —­ another seismic event that could pull us apart or create togetherness and hope for a better future.

I do not know what comes next. But I sure know this: We won’t get there without each other. We were never alone, even when we felt we were. Now we know it.

These 137 people represent the wide range of entrepreneurs adapting to COVID-19. Those interviewed in our July/August issue are linked to their corresponding stories; others are explained here, with more on Â鶹Éç.com and @Â鶹Éç on Instagram.

Row A
1/
2/
3/ Eric Yuan, founder and CEO,
The videoconference platform became a social lifeline during the crisis, and Yuan formed a new advisory council to improve security and privacy.
4/ Tom Colicchio, chef/owner,
The Top Chef judge and restaurateur helped found the Independent Restaurant Coalition to advocate for the industry.
5/ Rebecca Minkoff, cofounder,
The designer launched, along with cofounder Ali Wyatt, a virtual training program to help entrepreneurs prep to raise capital.
6/ Sean “Diddy” Combs, founder,
The rapper created a platform to help minority entrepreneurs access relief capital during the pandemic.
7/
8/ Pierre Laguerre, founder and CEO,
Fleeting connects commercial drivers with on-demand jobs; once COVID-19 hit, it focused on getting supplies deployed, fast.
9/ Deepti Sharma, founder and CEO,
The catering service helps minority-owned food vendors grow their businesses. Lately, Sharma’s robust network has helped feed folks in need.
10/ Vanessa Braxton, CEO,
Braxton shifted her vodka distillery to produce hand sanitizer.
11/
12/
13/ Afton Vechery and 14/ Carly Leahy, cofounders,
The fertility startup collected and shared data on how the crisis is impacting women’s plans to have children.
15/

Row B
1/
2/ Christina Perla, cofounder and CEO,
The 3D-printing company pivoted from consumer products to face shields and custom-fit PPE.
3/ Michael Lastoria, cofounder and CEO,
The brand donated “hero pies” to local hospital workers and partnered with Citi to expand the program.
4/ Natalie Madeira Cofield, founder and CEO,
The entrepreneurship collective for women of color launched an emergency grant to help students displaced by the crisis.
5/ Javier Garcia Del Moral and 6/ Paco Vique, cofounders,
The Dallas bookstore said it was becoming a travel agency, but searches on its site for destinations returned related book suggestions. The prank saw sales jump 200 percent.
7/ Reshma Shetty, cofounder,
The biotech company offered $25 million worth of no-cost work on its platform to projects fighting the virus.
8/
9/ Ben Parsa, CEO,
The furniture company shifted to make face shields and masks, and made their designs open-source.
10/ Marie Kondo
11/ Guy Fieri, chef,
Fieri raised more than $20 million for the struggling restaurant industry.
12/ Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO,
The food-waste management company launched free grocery pop-ups in communities of need.
13/ Kent Yoshimura and 14/ Ryan Chen, cofounders,
The wellness-­focused gum brand had relied on in-­person fitness events to drum up business. To stay top of mind, the founders started creating at-home workouts to keep people healthy.
15/ Taraji P. Henson, founder,
The actress launched a campaign to provide free tele-therapy to African American communities.

Row C
1/ Paul Carrick Brunson, founder,
The serial entrepreneur has attracted thousands of viewers to his twice-weekly livestreams about navigating business challenges.
2/ Mariam Naficy, founder and CEO,
The stationery and wedding invitation company launched “Change the Date” products.
3/ Eric Yaverbaum
4/ Magic Johnson, CEO,
He provided $100 million in loans to minority- and women-owned businesses.
5/ Rick Stollmeyer, cofounder and CEO,
The management platform for fitness brands launched a free product to help clients easily shift to offer online classes.
6/
7/ Ethan Bechtel, CEO,
The platform lets doctors send HIPAA-encrypted texts to patients, and it was made free during the crisis.
8/
9/ Gregg Renfrew, founder and CEO,
The business saw a threefold increase in new independent makeup consultants at the brand, helping laid-off industry workers find new income.
10/ Pitbull, rapper
The Grammy-winning artist helped launch the to provide support to Latino entrepreneurs.
11/ Ava Duvernay, founder,
The filmmaker launched Array Grants to help crisis-impacted festivals and screening series that focus on narrative change by people of color and women.
12/
13/
14/ Ryan Roslansky, CEO,
The social network made job postings free for hospitals, disaster relief nonprofits, and medical device companies.
15/

Row D
1/ Achal Patel, cofounder and CEO,
The medicine startup launched in March and quickly started offering a “kit” with hand cleansers and drugs to manage COVID symptoms.
2/
14/
15/

Row E
1/ Shaan Sethi and 2/ Neela Sethi Young, cofounders,
The medical apparel brand pledged to donate 200,000 masks to Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that helps children in poverty.
14/ Mary Spio, founder and CEO,
The virtual reality company is working with entertainers to create live-performance experiences.
15/

Row F
1/
2/ Garry Cooper, CEO,
The asset-sharing platform provided its technology to help Illinois medical facilities share ventilators and supplies.
14/ Frank Yang, founder and CEO,
Sales soared for the brand’s touch-free garbage cans and soap dispensers, and the company distributed free products to caregivers.
15/

Row G
1/
2/
14/
15/ Tommey Walker, founder,
Walker launched “everybody vs covid-19” T-shirts; proceeds benefited Detroit businesses.

Row H
1/
2/
14/
15/

Row I
1/ Katie Sturino, founder,
Demand for the brand’s hand sanitizer soared; the company prioritized donations to those most in need.
2/
14/ John foley, founder and CEO,
Sales spiked when people panic-bought at-home bikes, and Peloton shifted production to its instructors’ homes.
15/ Jaime Schmidt, cofounder,
Schmidt launched , a grant and mentorship program for new businesses building during the crisis.

Row J
1/
2/
14/ Michelle Kennedy, cofounder and CEO,
The social app for women launched new features to help users with pandemic fatigue and anxiety avoid COVID-19 conversations.
15/ Raj Kapoor, chief strategy officer,
After recovering from COVID-19, Kapoor helped launch to connect interested citizens to clinical trials for vaccine discovery.

Row K
1/
2/
14/ Yancey Spruill, CEO,
The cloud provider launched the to help developers share tools and build projects to aid the crisis.
15/ Troy Parker, CEO,
Some people with criminal records, including Parker, are ineligible for relief loans. Now he’s working with senators to advocate to the SBA.

Row L
1/ Jacquelyn De jesu Center, founder and CEO,
The founder donated the brand’s waterproof, washable, antibacterial shower caps to labor and delivery units as PPE.
2/
14/
15/

Row M
1/
2/ Temie Giwa-Tubosun, founder and CEO,
The medical-­delivery company launched drive-through mobile COVID-19 testing centers in Nigeria.
14/ Michelle Ng, founder,
Ng pivoted to create a platform to help small businesses sell their products online, building a digital destination for artisanal goods.
15/ Randy Dewitt, founder,
DeWitt created to distribute free meals out of his shut-down restaurants, and shared branding and operations info to encourage other restaurateurs to do the same.

Row N
1/
2/
14/
15/ Mustafa Nuur, founder,
Bridge helps refugees and immigrants connect with local communities. During the crisis, they’re helping care for local senior citizens.

Row O
1/
2/
3/
4/ Lori Coulter and 5/ Reshma Chamberlin, cofounders,
The swimwear brand launched Joycast, a text hotline that sends heartwarming videos or funny memes to people.
6/
7/ Shan-Lyn Ma, cofounder and CEO,
The wedding-planning site helped users navigate postponements with guidance, expert advice, and support initiatives.
8/
9/
10/
11/
12/ Romy Newman and 13/ Georgene Huang, cofounders,
The online career community for women offered free résumé reviews during the crisis.
14/
15/

Row P
5/ Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
Google launched features to help small businesses easily communicate new hours and preferred delivery partners, and promote gift card sales.
6/
7/ Jerry Orans, founder,
The 16-year-old created a network of makers to 3D-print face shields for hospitals.
8/ Hamza Mudassir
9/ Kelly Mcculloch, chief people officer, Taco Bell
The brand committed to hiring 30,000 new team members during the summer months.
10/ Mahi de Silva, cofounder and CEO,
The AI chatbot was deployed pro bono to government health organizations to help them share vital information.
11/ Matt Higgins
12/ Daniel Lubetzky, founder,
The snack-bar brand has committed $1 million and helped launch the to donate food to frontline workers.
13/
14/ Keba Konte, founder,
When the coffee roaster closed its stores, its mobile coffee van grabbed attention — and helped boost e-com sales 350 percent.
15/

Row Q
5/ Pina Ciotoli and 6/ Adriano Ciotoli, co-owners,
The events business pivoted to create specialty deliveries (like boxes of local beer and wine) that support community businesses.
7/
8/
9/
10/
11/ Aziz Hashim
12/
13/ Kulveer Taggar, CEO,
The company previously arranged long-term housing for business travelers; it pivoted to help displaced college students find housing.
14/ Chriselle Lim and 15/ Joan Nguyen, cofounders,
The education-based childcare center found a long-term opportunity as it shifted to digital amid the crisis. The interactive preschool now has a 2,000-person waitlist.

Row R
5/
6/
7/
8/ Danny Cattan
9/ James Vitrano
10/
11/ Maya Gilliam, founder,
When her spa had to close, Gilliam pivoted and rebranded to become a hemp dispensary and remain open for business.
12/ Tariq Farid, founder and CEO, Edible Arrangements
The company started offering fresh produce deliveries in addition to their signature bouquets and saw sales soar.
13/
14/
15/ Alfonso Olvera, cofounder,
The organization helped redesign an anti-aerosol box to keep doctors safe from contaminated air during intubations.