It’s no secret that the start-up scene is thriving these days. With so many companies and start-ups popping up all the time, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. That’s where this article comes in. We’ll be focusing on the youngest company founders and how they are doing now.
We’ll also provide a brief overview of where they were when they started their businesses and what they ended up becoming. So if you’re looking for a snapshot of the past and the current scene, look no further!
6 Youngest Company Founders: Their Lives Then and Now
1. Elon Musk
- First Startup: Zip2 in 1995
- Age Then: 23
Elon Musk ventured into the entrepreneurship world when he was 23 years old. The serial entrepreneur’s first start-up was Zip2, an online city guide providing company, which he founded with his brother Kimbal. He sold Zip2 in 1999 for $307 million, earning Musk $22 million against his 7% share. Musk then went on to launch a number of companies, including X.com, that later merged with PayPal and Tesla.
What He’s Doing Today
Musk is now the richest man in the world, with a whopping $273.6 billion net worth at the time of writing this (April 2022). His electric vehicle company, Tesla, is dominating the EV industry. Furthermore, Musk is also the CEO of a space exploration start-up, Space X, and a tunnel-based transportation venture, The Boring Company.
2. Jeff Bezos
- First Startup: Amazon in 1995
- Age Then: 30
Amazon was Jeff Bezos’ first start-up, which initially sold books. He then turned it into a virtual bookstore called Amazon.com and made the first sale in 1995. Bezos’ out-of-the-box idea of an online book store was a huge success, and he later started adding CDs and videos as well. As the competition in the eCommerce space grew, Bezos diversified his offerings and added a range of consumer products leading to the Amazon we see today.
What He’s Doing Today
Jeff is the 2nd richest man in the world, with a net worth of $179.6 billion. He is the founder, CEO, and chairman of the board of the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon.com. Bezos is also the founder of Blue Origin, a rocket company, and has launched or invested in a number of other companies.
3. Bill Gates
- First Startup: Traf-O-Data in 1972
- Age Then: 17
Bill Gates was 17 years old when he founded Traf-O-Data, a computer software company that reported roadway traffic data. The company was then discontinued in 1975. Bill has since then founded other companies, including Cascade Investment, BEN, TerraPowe, bgC3, and Microsoft. Microsoft was his most popular venture, which started in 1975. Later on, he also started a philanthropic organization, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
What He’s Doing Today
Gates recently took retirement from the role of CEO at Microsoft and is now serving as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s co-chairman.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
- First Startup: Facebook in 2004
- Age Then: 19
This list of youngest company founders is incomplete without Mark Zuckerberg. Mark launched Facebook at the age of 19 in 2004. At that time, it wasn’t an online social network but rather a directory for students at Harvard. It wasn’t until the year 2005 that it became a platform for sharing user-created content. In 2012, Facebook went public and was valued at $19 billion.
What He’s Doing Today
Today, Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Facebook. The company now has a whopping $545 billion value and boasts over 2.912 billion monthly active users as of 2022. Furthermore, he also serves as the co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is an organization that works on eradicating disease and improving communities through education. Zuckerberg also runs the social media company Instagram, as well as Snapchat and WhatsApp.
5. Michael Dell
- First Startup: Dell in 1984
- Age Then: 21
The entrepreneur founded Dell INC in his hometown of Austin, Texas, in 1984. At that time, he was a college student at the University of Texas with just $1,000 in hand as the start-up capital. However, he had sold $80,000 worth of PCs when he reached the second half of his freshman year. He never looked back since then. Dell went public in 1988, raising $30 million, and was valued at $85 million. Michael Dell became the youngest CEO to make it to the Fortune 500 at the age of 27 in 1992.
What He’s Doing Today
Dell is the current CEO of the multinational technology parent company Dell Technologies which was launched in 2016 after a merger of Dell with a computer storage company, EMC. Dell Technologies sells computers, software, network servers, and storage solutions.
6. Mark Cuban
- First Startup: Broadcast.com in 1995
- Age Then: 25
The last addition to the list of youngest company founders is no less than a shark when it comes to investing; Mark Cuban. He first started his business in 1995 when he founded Broadcast.com. The entrepreneur had originally gone into the telecommunications industry with the idea to sell phone services over the Internet. The company launched in 1956 and by 1998 it was the fifth-largest Internet company in the U.S. In 1999, Broadcast.com was sold to Yahoo for $ 4.7 billion.
What He’s Doing Today
Cuban currently owns the NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks, and holds stakes in AXS TV, Magnolia Pictures, and several other start-ups. He’s also one of the investors (sharks) on the television show Shark Tank and has made several investments in start-ups appearing on the show.
Parting Words
It’s hard to believe that these entrepreneurs entered the business world at such a young age and have already achieved so much. These are some of the world’s most successful businessmen who started their companies when they were relatively young.
Many of them also share some common traits, such as an unwavering belief in their products and an unrelenting drive to succeed. The one lesson we get from their lives is that it’s never too late to become a successful entrepreneur, no matter your age.
