The evolution of the internet has changed the way business is done worldwide, in tandem with advances in mobile and computing technology, this has paved the way for a new type of entrepreneur. In the same way Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made their fortunes through computing and software, new entrepreneurs are becoming richer, younger than before.
In the 21st century, the aesthetic of the CEO has changed, gone are the days of corporate, pin-striped attire, nowadays its not unusual for CEO’s to sport hooded sweatshirts and sportswear. The profile of a CEO is changing in terms of age, ethnicity and approach.
Many people have the vision of becoming a CEO of a global company, very few make it. Here’s a look at of the world’s top 5 youngest CEOs and how they are earning their fortune.
Advait Thakur – Born Feb 17th 2003
Advait is one of the most prominent tech entrepreneurs heralding from India and is founder of Apex Infosys India, where he currently presides as CEO.
The 15 year old prodigy, whose computing life started at 6 years old launched his first website at 9 years of age and is a Google Certified AdWords, Analytics, Digital Sales and Mobile Sites professional.
Apex Infosys India provides digital solutions and domain name registering services as well as investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and the Internet of Things (IOT).
Suhas Gopinath – Born 4th November 1986
Suhas is an Indian entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Globals Inc. an IT multinational company. Taking the reigns as CEO from the tender age of 17, he was at one time, the world’s youngest CEO. Suhas’ interest in the internet began in his early teens where he taught himself web development with the help of books, before launching his first website at the age of 14.
David Karp - Born July 6th 1986
David is an American web developer and entrepreneur and is the founder, and former CEO of micro-blogging platform Tumblr.
Tumblr, now valued at $800m (USD), was launched when Karp was a mere 20 years old and no possesses a personal net worth of over $200m (USD).
Karp’s example of becoming a CEO was made achievable, not by developing new technology, but by identifying a need for something online and making it successful. Tumblr today remains one of the most viewed websites on the web.
Ritesh Agrawal – Born 16th November 1993
Ritesh is founder of OYO and is India’s largest hospitality company and has developed into the likes of the UK, China, Malaysia, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In 2012 – an 18 year old Ritesh launched Oravel Stays, a website designed to enable booking of budget accommodation across India. Within 3 months the site offered over 100 locations before growing exponentially, thanks to raising funding through a series of rounds. More recently, in September 2018, OYO raised $1billion (USD), showing the continued demand for hospitality across India and the wider region.