12 Famous Startup Founders and Their Entrepreneurial Success

Aspiring start-up founders and entrepreneurs are putting in the work, hoping for riches, business success, and adulation. Unfortunately, the vast majority won’t arrive to the destination they’re hoping for. It requires a lot of hard work, relentless determination, and a significant amount of business financing in order to succeed in the start-up world.

In tribute to the few successes and many failures of hubs like Silicon Valley where start-ups are so common, we look to the most famous startup founders in the world for wisdom.

1. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon ($150 billion net worth)

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon way back when in 1994, originally as an online bookstore. Now eCommerce’s biggest name in the game, Jeff Bezos has also founded aerospace manufacturing and sub-orbital spaceflight services company Blue Origin in 2000 with plans to begin human spaceflights later this year. Bezos’ current net worth is believed to be over $150 billion.

2. Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter ($5.1 billion net worth)

Jack Dorsey is one of the most famous startup founders in the world. You may know him as the guy who helped launch Twitter in 2006 and roughly four years later, the platform grew to 105 million users eventually bringing its initial public offering a few years after that.

One can only assume where Twitter may end up a decade from now, as popularity has recently slightly declined. Jack Dorsey currently maintains a net worth of $5.1 billion.

3. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist ($1.3 billion net worth)

After a 17-year career at IBM, Craig Newmark founded Craigslist in the mid-1990s as a free marketplace where exchange of information could take place. Although not as public as some of the other entrepreneurs and founders on this list, Newmark’s a passionate philanthropist, donating to various causes from Wikipedia to journalism stakeholders. Craig Newmark’s current net worth is valued at $1.3 billion.

4. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook ($81.6 billion net worth)

The very recognizable Mark Zuckerberg is a controversial figure in the tech and social media industries, well known for creating Facebook however also rumoured to have stolen intellectual property to create it and subsequently, with numerous privacy concerns arising in recent years. Zuckerberg’s massive net worth is currently estimated at $81.6 billion.

5. Anne Wojcicki, founder of 23andMe ($440 million net worth)

Co-founder of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki helped build the company from the ground up. Since 2006, the company’s encountered many challenges including in 2013 when the US FDA concluded that genomic testing like this was not clinically validated. Since 2015, 23andMe’s authorization to market genetic reports has resulted in big success for Wojcicki and her company. Her net worth currently is valued at $440 million.

6. Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber ($3.8 billion net worth)

Co-founder of Scour, Red Swoosh, and Uber, Travis Kalanick has a very impressive body of entrepreneurship work and experience at building multi-billion dollar companies. In 2017, he resigned from Uber after accusations of ignoring sexual harassment reports and an unethical culture. Kalanick has not seen much time in the public eye since then. He maintains a net worth of $3.8 billion.

7. Brian Chesky, founder of Airbnb ($3.8 billion net worth)

Having co-founded Airbnb in 2007, it wasn’t long before Airbnb was the go-to for unique travel accommodations. Strapped for cash, he created an app to rent out his apartment. By 2015, Chesky’s company had grown to $20 billion and he’s not even 40 years of age yet. Chesky’s complete net worth is valued at $3.8 billion.

8. Elon Musk, founder of Tesla ($19.4 billion net worth)

Controversial, inspiring, and always headling-making, Elon Musk founded the companies Tesla, SpaceX, Neurolink, The Boring Company, OpenAI, and co-founded PayPal. Musk is without question one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and founders that there is. He is consistently ranked as one of the most powerful people in the world, with a net worth of $19.4 billion.

9. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple ($10.2 billion net worth)

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, today’s most successful tech company in the world. Innovations such as the Macintosh, iPhone, iPod, and iPad all came from him. Steve Jobs’ reputation is not that of a ruthless business manager but rather, he’s known for his design inventions and entrepreneurial mindset. He grew his net worth from nothing to $10.2 billion.

10. Daniel Ek, founder of Spotify ($800 million net worth)

Daniel Ek created Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service. Spotify discouraged online music piracy, acts as a low-cost alternative to stealing music from other sources, and currently amounts to an estimated value of $4 billion. Spotify’s success comes from its access, affordability, and ‘fear of missing out’ marketing messages. Daniel Ek’s value is at $800 million.

11. Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn ($1.8 billion net worth)

Reid Hoffman is another company founder that flies under the radar as he’s not as public or outspoken as others on this list. Also a venture capitalist, author, and Internet entrepreneur,

Hoffman is one of the most famous startup founders, well-known for co-founding LinkedIn and maintains a net worth of $1.8 billion. Continuing on as Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, he also is a partner at venture capital firm Greylock and is a board member of Microsoft among other responsibilities.

12. Katrina Lake, founder of Stitch Fix ($500 million net worth)

Katrina Lake created the fashion-based subscription service known as Stitch Fix. Lake is an example of one of the world’s most successful female entrepreneurs and company founders. She’s also been a key voice in the #metoo movement in the business world, going public after having been previously coerced into silence over sexual harassment. Lake’s net worth is $500 million.