Self-made women are sometimes called “Rising Tides.” They lift themselves, but they also lift many others with them. And that is a very good thing for the nation. Forbes just released its seventh annual ranking of America’s Richest Self-Made Women and it is clear that these women are going from strength to strength. The total net worth of this year’s list is $118 billion. That’s an increase of 31% jump over last year. Twenty-six women cut for the first time, including pop singer Rihanna and 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki. Twenty-three were on last year’s list. Twenty-six are billionaires, up from…
Author: lauren DeAlmeida
Malaysia is a diverse, South East Asian country with a lot of billionaires. It is known for busy shopping districts, skyscrapers, fashion, and diverse cultural influences. Aside from this, entrepreneurship is vast in the country. The economy of Malaysia, which contracted 5.6% in 2020 would be getting back on track this year according to many economists’ predictions! The turnaround in fortunes for the rich is especially apparent when you look at their combined wealth. After two years of decline, it has gone up 14% to nearly $90 billion and this number may reach even higher levels as we grapple with…
Milton Snavely Hershey was a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist born in 1857. He was the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company. In addition, Hershey was a great humanitarian and pioneered many new ideas in the food industry. The Early Life of Milton Hershey Milton Hershey was born on September 13th, 1857, near Derry Church, Pennsylvania. In fact, he is of French and German descent. Milton’s parents could not read or write, but his grandfather was a well-educated man. So Hershey’s learned to read and write from his grandfather. Milton Hershey attended the academy of the Reverend Samuel H. Cross in…
Mark Cuban is an American business magnate, investor, author, television personality, and philanthropist. He is the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and co-founder of AXS TV. Cuban has a net worth of USD 3.3 billion, making him one of the richest people in the world. He is known for his outspoken nature and willingness to share his opinions on various topics, both business-related and otherwise. In 2002, Cuban wrote an article for Inc. magazine entitled “How to Get Rich”. In it, he outlined his formula for achieving wealth: start your own business, invest in yourself and others, and be…
Robert S. Abbott is a well-known American publisher, founder of the “Chicago Defender” newspaper. The publication circulates mainly in Chicago, where Abbott was born on December 8, 1868. The first issue of the newspaper appeared on March 6, 1905, under the name “The Chicago Daily Defender”. It was first published by Robert S. Abbott for two reasons: to provide a voice for African Americans and to fight against racial discrimination and segregation issues in Illinois. At that time black people were often refused access to various types of employment and they were exposed to obtrusive abuse from whites (including police…
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google, one of the world’s most popular and successful companies. A computer scientist by training, Pichai has been with Google since 2004, where he started as a product manager. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming vice president of product management in 2008 and senior vice president of Chrome and Apps in 2013. In 2014, Pichai was appointed CEO of Google following the company’s restructuring under the holding company Alphabet. Since taking on the role of CEO, Pichai has overseen some major changes at Google. For example, he has pushed for greater integration of…
Steve Wynn is no stranger to the gaming industry. He established his own casino empire and helped create the American Gaming Association in 1994. Wynn is currently the CEO of Wynn Resorts, which was founded by him and is now one of the biggest names in the business, with seven casinos worldwide. However, his next project is not set to be just another resort for gamblers but a whole city that will contain an integrated resort, three golf courses, residential housing, schools, and much more. He expects it all to open its doors towards 2020’s end. The Early Life of…
Michael Bloomberg is a businessman and former politician who has served as the Mayor of New York City from 2002 until 2020. He is a Democrat. However, he has been known to cross the aisle and work with Republicans. Bloomberg is a very controversial figure. Some people love him, while others despise him. His policies have helped make New York City one of the most livable cities in the world but have also divided the people. Michael Bloomberg’s Early Life Michael Bloomberg was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1942. He is the son of William Henry Bloomberg, a bookkeeper for…
Adam D’Angelo is the founder and CEO of Quora, a question-and-answer website. He is also an entrepreneur and computer scientist who has been involved in startups since he was a teenager. The Early Life of Adam D’Angelo Adam D’Angelo was born in a Jewish family in New York. He studied at Greenwich Country Day School and later went to Phillips Exeter Academy for high school. There, he was a member of the mathematics honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon, and got an A* in his A-levels exam. Adam D’Angelo’s parents were both computer programmers. His father worked as a software engineer…
Walt Disney was born in Chicago’s Hermosa community area in 1901. The American entrepreneur and film producer, with a net worth of around$5.2 billion in 2010, holds the title as the largest individual shareholder in The Walt Disney Company and his estate owns a 10% stake. In addition to his company’s theme parks and movie studio divisions, he was also famous for amassing a vast real estate holding that included th e large vacation complex in Florida called Walt Disney World. The Early Life of Walt Disney Disney’s father, Elias, was an Irish-Canadian immigrant who worked as a carpenter. When…
On November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland. He was the son of a weaver and came from a family of modest means. At age 13, he started working in a cotton mill, and at age 17, he moved to the United States to work in a railroad locomotive factory. In 1856, Carnegie started his own business, producing and selling steel rails for railroads. He soon became one of the leading manufacturers of steel in the country. By 1900, Carnegie Steel Corporation was the largest producer of steel in the world. Carnegie was a great philanthropist and…
Cher Wang is the chairperson and CEO of Taiwanese company HTC. She co-founded the predecessor to HTC, called High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), in 1997 with Phil Chen and H. T. Cho. The company started with $1.5 million in capital and a mission to develop user interfaces for mobile devices such as pocket PCs and personal digital assistants (PDAs). It also customizes existing technology for sale to consumers, including mobile phones from China’s Shanghai Huaqi Information Industry Development Bureau. In 2006, HTC introduced its product line consisting of Android smartphones that were marketed directly against the Droid by Motorola. She…
Jack Dorsey is the man behind Twitter. However, this was not the case back in the days when social media was still a science fiction concept. The idea of microblogging initially belonged to Evan Williams who later sold his creation to Jack Dorsey for $5 million. Let’s take a look at what happened behind the scenes after Twitter’s sale to Obvious Corporation (Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams). Jack Dorsey’s Early Life Jack Dorsey was born on November 19, 1976, in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the son of Tim and Marcia Dorsey. His father was a computer scientist…
Howard Schultz is a business magnate, best known as the former CEO of Starbucks. He is currently the executive chairman of the company. In December 2018, Schultz announced that he was “seriously considering” running for president in 2020 as a centrist independent. In January 2019, he announced that he was officially entering the race. Schultz has come under fire from the left for his stances on healthcare and taxes. He has proposed giving all Americans a $2,000 tax credit, which would be paid for by repealing the Trump tax cuts. He also supports expanding Medicare to all Americans. On healthcare,…
Sergey Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist who co-founded Google together with Larry Page in the year 1998, right after they finished studying at Stanford University. Even though he was not responsible for writing code or creating algorithms for search engines like Google, Sergey was always heavily involved in supervising how this project evolved over time. In fact, it can be said that Sergey Brin is one of the people with the most important role in Google since he brought to them his knowledge about technology and business which were crucial in helping this venture succeed from day one.…
Henry Ford is a famous entrepreneur known for many things including his innovative assembly line technique, right? He also popularized the use of cheap mass-produced automobiles. However, did you know that before he became a car manufacturer, Mr. Ford was an American industrialist who worked for Thomas Edison? Mr. Ford’s first positions were in Edison’s company where he had to work on powering streetcars with electricity. There is one story about him working at Edison Labs that has been making rounds along with the internet recently. It goes like this: One day Henry Ford took some parts home with him…
Tim Cook Draper is an American capital investor and legend of venture capital. He was born in 1958 in New York City. Cook is also an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist to various causes. Tim Draper has been investing in technologies since his mid-twenties. He co-founded the software company, Systems Two in his 20s. By age thirty, he had already set up a successful investment firm known as Venture Capital Management Company. In its early days, Venture Capital Management Company was a joint venture with other partners. Presently, it functions as a family business and is responsible for managing all…
Jack Cowin was born on the 13th of July 1942, in Montreal, Canada. Cowin is a successful Australian-Canadian businessman and entrepreneur who built his empire on pizzas, burgers and fried chicken. Since 1982, he has served as chairman of the board of Competitive Foods Australia. Personal Life Married to Sharon Cowin, Jack has four children. Jack is currently living in Sydney, Australia with his wife Sharon and two of the couple’s children. Though from Canada, Jack has been an Australian citizen since the 1980s. He also has Canadian citizenship and holds permanent residency status in both countries. When he was…
Amancio Ortega Gaona is born 28 March 1936. Ortega was born in Busdongo de Arbas, León, Spain. He spent his childhood in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. Amancio is the youngest of four children. His father was a railway worker. The Spanish billionaire businessman is the founder and former chairman of Inditex fashion group. He is famously for Zara clothing and accessories shops which is a chain of Inditex fashion group. Here is a fun fact: Amancio Ortega usually likes to dress. He refuses to wear a tie and typically prefers to wear a simple blue blazer, white shirt, and gray trousers, none…
Born in February 1949, Duncan Walker Bannatyne is now a philanthropist, author, and Scottish entrepreneur. Duncan’s business interests include spas, TV, property, media hotels, and health clubs. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC program Dragons’ Den. He was appointed an OBE for his contribution to charity. He has written seven books. He currently lives in Portugal. Glasgow Caledonian University awarded Bannatyne an honorary doctorate of science on 5 July 2006 for services to business and charity. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of business administration from Teesside University on 6 February 2009. Duncan’s early…
Timothy D. Cook is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. Timothy graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Later on, Crook attained an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. After that, he worked for 12 years at IBM. After that, Tim Cook headed Intelligent Electronics and Comp then, in. Finally, in 1998, he joined Apple Inc. He was named the CEO of Apple Inc. after the death of Steve Jobs. Tim’s early life and educational background Tim Cook was born on November 1, 1960, in the small town of Robertsdale, Alabama. The…
Austin Russell, the founder of Luminar Technologies was born in 1995 and attended the University of Virginia before dropping out to pursue his vision for this start up. Luminar Technologies is an American company that focuses on developing Lidar sensors for self driving cars . It also helps self driving cars “see” where they are, what’s around them and helps these vehicles avoid collisions. The company has raised $36 million to date and is run by a team of 19 employees. Lidar is like radar, but with light as opposed to radio waves. Lidar is used in everything from archaeology…
Famously known as J.K Rowling, Joanne Rowling is known for her amazing book and series of Harry Potter. J.K Rowling is her pen name. She chose the name as her publishers asked that she use two initials rather than her full name, anticipating the possibility of the target audience of young boys not wanting to read a book written by a woman. As she had no middle name, she chose K (for Kathleen) as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother. In fact, she calls herself Jo. Joanne Rowling was born on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, to…
Ma Huateng is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Tencent Holdings Limited. Tencent is one of the largest Internet and technology companies, and one of the biggest investment, gaming, and entertainment conglomerates in the world. Commonly, Ma Huateng is also known as Pony Ma. Ma uses the nickname Pony. The name was derived from the English translation of his family name Ma which means “horse.” The Chinese billionaire business magnate was born on October 29, 1971. Ma was born in Chaoyang, Shantou, Guangdong. Ma Chenshu, his father, was a port manager in Shenzhen. At times, Ma Huateng used…
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is an art collector, French investor, and businessman. Actually, Sir Bernard Jean is the chairman and chief executive of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE. According to Forbes 2021 report, Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is one of the wealthiest men in the world. Louis Vuitton is one of the world’s largest luxury goods companies. Today, he is a centibillionaire. The early life of Bernard Jean Arnault Bernard Arnault was born on the 5th of March 1949 in Roubaix, France. Marie-Josèphe Savinel, his mother was a massive fan of Dior. On the other hand, his father,…
Warren Edward Buffet is an American investor, business tycoon, and philanthropist. He is one of the most successful investors in the world. Moreover, he is also the CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born on August 30, 1930. His father, Howard, is a stockbroker-turned-Congressman. Warren’s mother’s name is Leila. He has two sisters, and Warren is the second born. In 1952, Buffett married Susan Thompson at Dundee Presbyterian Church. In 1953, they had their first child, Susan Alice. His second child was born in 1956, Howard Graham. In 1958 the Buffetts’ third…
Larry Ellison is the billionaire founder of Oracle Corp. He built one of the biggest companies in the technology industry. However, his influence has not stopped there. He is also, indirectly, a major influence in Hollywood. Lawrence Joseph Ellison was born on the 7th of August, 1944. He is a successful American businessman. He is the co-founder, executive chairman, and chief technology officer (CTO) of Oracle Corporation. The massive investor and business magnate were recently listed as the 9th wealthiest person in the United States. Furthermore, he is the 10th wealthiest person globally, with $93.9 billion as of April 2021.…
Samuel Moore Walton is the brain behind Sam’s Club and the famous Walmart. The American businessman and entrepreneur were born on the 29th of March, 1918. He passed away on the 5th of April,1992, when he was 74. Over the years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world’s largest corporation by revenue. Moreover so, it became the biggest private employer in the world. For a period of time, Sam Walton was the richest man in America. Sam Walton’s Personal Life On the 14th of February 1943, Sam Walton married Helen Robson. They had four children: Samuel Robson (Rob), born…
Jack Ma Yun is a Chinese investor, business magnate, and philanthropist. He co-founded Alibaba Group. Alibaba is a multinational online platform that sells wholesale products to other businesses. He is the former executive chairman of Alibaba group. Moreover, Jack Ma co-founded Yunfeng Capital, a private equity firm. Jack Ma was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Ma was born to a family of limited means. His parents were musicians and sometimes storytellers. He studied in English. In fact, Jack Ma would ride 27 kilometers. That is equivalent to around 17 miles. He rode on his bicycle to give tourists tours of…
Steven Anthony Ballmer, mostly known as Steve Ballmer was born on the 24th of March 1956. His birthplace was Detriot, Michigan, United States. Steve Ballmer is an American businessman and investor. He is the son of Frederic Henry Ballmer (Fritz Hans Ballmer). Frederic was a Swiss immigrant. In fact, Frederic Henry was a manager at the Ford Motor Company. In 1990, Ballmer married Connie Snyder. Ballmer’s education Steve Ballmer attended college prep and engineering classes at Lawrence Technological University in 1973. Furthermore, Steve graduated as valedictorian from Detroit Country Day School. Detroit Country Day School is a private college preparatory…
Orpah Gail Winfrey, famously known as Oprah Winfrey is known for her show ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is a self-made billionaire. The show broadcasted from Chicago. The show was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history. In fact, it ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Born on the 29th of January, 1954 at Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States, Oprah made history. Oprah Winfrey is an entrepreneur, television personality, actress, television producer, author, and philanthropist. She did a daily talk show which was among the most popular television genre. Her journey may have had…
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani was born on the 19th of April 1957. He was born in Aden, Yemen. Back then, the British Crown colony of Aden. He is a giant business mogul in India – chairman, the largest shareholder, and managing director of the India conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). In fact, he is the richest person in Asia with a net worth of US$ 77.5 billion. His father Dhirubhai Ambani worked as a gas station attendant. His mother was called Kokilaben Ambani. He has a younger brother – Anil Ambani. Moreover, he has two sisters: Nina Bhadrashyam Kothari and Dipti…
William Henry Gates III, famously known as Bill Gates, was born in 1955 and raised in Seattle. William Henry Gates II, Bill’s dad, was an attorney in Seatle. Henry was married to Mary Gates, who took teaching as a career. In addition to teaching, Mary was the chairperson of the United Way Internation and University of Washington regent. Gates is famously known for his technological brilliance. He is the brain behind the world’s largest software business, Microsoft. This made him one of the richest people in the world. In addition to that, Gates and his wife Melinda Gates opened the…
Mark Eliot Zuckerberg is the genius who created the Facebook social network. His creativity and innovation made him the youngest billionaire on the planet at the age of 23. Mark Zuckerberg’s full name is Mark Eliot Zuckerberg. He was born on the 14th of May 1984 in Dobbs Ferry, White plain, New York. His father, Edward Zuckerberg, is a dentist, while his mother, Karen Zuckerberg, is a psychiatrist. Edward and Karen have four children, and Mark is the second born. He has three sisters, Arielle, Randi, and Donna. Mark and his sisters grew up in New York. He is now…
Steven Paul Jobs, often called Steve Jobs, was born on the 24th of February 1995, in San Francisco, California, U.S. He was a business magnate, media proprietor, investor, and industrial designer. Steve Jobs was the genius behind Apple Inc’s growth and stability. He co-founded it along with Steve Wozniak. Steve Jobs was the CEO and Chairman of Apple computers. He was a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer era. Steve Jobs died on the 5th of October 2011 because of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell got married on the 18th of March, 1991.…
Elon Reeve Musk is a South African-born American entrepreneur. The business magnate, engineer, and industrialist was born on 28th June 1971. Elon co-founded PayPal, the electronic payment firm. In addition to that, he is the man behind SpaceX, maker of launch spacecraft and vehicles. Elon Musk is also the chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla, the electric car manufacturing company. Furthermore, Elon, 49, is the founder of The Boring Company, co-founder of Neuralink, and co-founder and initial co-chairman of OpenAI. Elon’s personal life Musk married Justine Wilson in 2000. Justine is a Canadian author. They met while attending Queen’s University.…
Born on the 18th of July 1950 in Surrey, England, Richard Charles Nicholas Branson emerged a billionaire 41 years later. Edward James Branson, his father, worked as a barrister while his mother, Eve Branson, was a flight attendant and a ballet dancer. Eve was also an entrepreneur as she sold wooden tissue boxes and waste paper bins. Richard Branson has two younger sisters; Lindy Brandson and Vanessa Branson. In addition to that, Vanessa Branson is also an entrepreneur. Richard’s grandfather was a judge at the High Court of Justice. According to the Finding Your Roots show, Richard has 3.9% of…
Here is a story of a run-away kid who emerged as a millionaire years later. Dropping out of college to pursue his dreams is indeed a quality of a risk-taker. People without formal education are usually looked down upon. However, Ritesh Agarwal proved to be a success. Ritesh Agarwal is a 27-year-old billionaire. The CEO and founder of OYO Rooms were born on 16th November 1993 in Bissam Cuttack, Rayagada; he became the world’s youngest billionaire in 2020. He was brought up in Titilagarh. Ritesh schooled at the Sacred Heart School in Rayagada, Orissa. As a fun fact, Ritesh Agarwal…
Jeffrey Preston Bezos is a successful American entrepreneur born on the 12th of April 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. He is famously known as Jeff Bezos. He has 4 children – three boys and one girl whom he adopted from China. Jeff Bezos is playing a massive role in the rise of e-commerce. He had founded Amazon.com, which is now one of the world’s leading online business platforms. Jeff is the largest retailer on the World Wide Web and a famous model for internet sales because of his interest and strong desire to learn new technologies. Moreover, he…
