The tech industry has been on the rise with the constant progression of technology and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. The following entrepreneurs have found ways to capitalize on this technology in order to make people’s lives easier. The following 20 entrepreneurs have managed to become wealthy and successful before even hitting the age of 40.
20.Entrepreneurs – KEVIN SYSTROM AND MIKE KRIEGER.
Kevin Systrom, 27, and Mike Krieger, 25, are the creators of Instagram. Many of us know and love Instagram as an app on our cellphones that we can share photos with other users around the globe. Click here to view their website. It currently has 9 million users and the company is valued at $100 million.
19.Entrepreneur – ALEXA VON TOBEL.
Alexa von Tobel is the founder of LearnVest, a company that provides financial tools and services for women. You can view her up and coming venture here. The company is currently valued at $100 million.
18.Entrepreneurs – JENNIFER HYMAN AND JENNY FLEISS.
Jennifer Hyman, 31, and Jenny Fleiss, 28, are the founders of, Rent The Runway. Their company gives users the ability to rent dresses for much cheaper than it would cost to buy the dress. It is currently valued at $105 million. You can view the company here.
17. BRYAN GOLDBERG, DAVID FINOCCHIO, AND DAVID NEMETZ.
Bryan Goldberg, 28, David Finocchio, 28, and David Nemetz, 27, are all the creators of the Bleacher Report. Zander Freund, 28, who is also pictured above in a green shirt, was a founder but is no longer with the company. It is a sports blog, you can view here, that is made up of paid professional editors who oversee thousands of contributing writers that are unpaid. The company was founded in 2008 and has 20 million monthly unique visitors. The company is currently valued at $120 million dollars.
16. DAVE GILBOA.
Dave Gilboa, 30, is one of the founders of Warby Parker, a prescription glasses online discount retailer. You can view their website here. The company is currently valued at $120 million.
15. BEN LERER.
Ben Lerer, 29, is a founder of Thrillist, a digital lifestyle publication targeted towards men. The online publication, you can view here, also focuses on providing daily deals. It currently has over 2 million subscribers in 17 different markets. The company is valued at $150 million.
14. KIM KARDASHIAN.
Kim Kardashian, 30, is one of the cofounders of Shoedazzle. What the company does is allow users to subscribe to have stylists pick and send them shoes, handbags, and jewelry every month at a cost of $39.95 a month. You can view Shoedazzle here. The company is valued at $280 million.
13. DANIEL KAFIE AND JOSH KUSHNER.
Daniel Kafie, chief executive officer of Vostu, left, and Chief Strategy Officer Joshua Kushner, listen during a Bloomberg via Getty Images Television interview in New York, U.S., on Monday, May 9, 2011. Kafie and Kushner discussed the outlook for their social gaming company in Brazil. Photographer: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Daniel Kafie, 28, and Josh Kushner, 26, are the founders of Vostu. Their company focuses on online gaming and can be viewed here. The company is currently valued at $300 million.
12. AARON LEVIE.
Aaron Levie, 26, is the founder of Box.net. It’s a company that specializes in online file sharing, a type of business that is on the rise with the increase of digital information. You can view the website here. The company is currently valued at $550 million.
11. NAVEEN SELVADURAI.
Naveen Selvadurai, 29, is the cofounder of Foursquare, an app that most of you have probably heard of by now. You can view the website here. It focuses on giving your friends your location and showing businesses that you’ve checked into. Once you’ve checked into places you can win rewards at the businesses. The company is currently valued at $600 million.
10. LAUREL TOUBY.
Laurel Touby is the founder of Mediabistro.com. You can view the website here. This website is used by reporters, editors, producers, and PR people since it was launched in 2006. She sold the site in 2007 for $23 million and still advises young entrepreneurs and invests in tech startups.
9. PAUL BERRY.
Paul Berry founded Rebelmouse in 2012. His company focuses on allowing customers to get content from multiple social media accounts and creates a dynamic page for their desktop or mobile device. You can view the website here. He has many high-profile investors who have invested about $13 million into the company.
8. ROB KALIN, CHRIS MAGUIRE, JARED TARBELL AND HAIM SCHOPPIK.
Rob Kalin, Chris Maguire, Jared Tarbell and Haim Schoppik are all founders of Etsy. Featured above is a picture of Rob Kalin, the most prominent of the four founders. His company, which you can view here, allows users to peruse a craft market that is set up online. Etsy has raised almost $100 million and has been profitable since 2009.
7. RACHEL HAOT.
Rachel Haot is the founder of Ground Report. This company can be viewed here. Her company is one of the first citizen journalism sites. She also founded Upward, a digital consultant agency. This is all before Mayor Bloomberg appointed her as New York’s Chief Digital Officer. She has now moved into the state’s government where she’s working with Governor Cuomo.
6. DAVID KARP.
David Karp, 25, is the founder of Tumblr. You can see the site here. His company allows users to manage and update an online blog for free through his website’s services. His company is currently valued at $800 million.
5. DANIEL EK.
Daniel Ek, 28, is the founder of Spotify, a service a lot of people use now to play music. His company is a digital music service that gives users access to millions of songs for free through advertisements. You can view it here. The company is currently valued at $1.1 billion.
4. BRIAN CHESKY, JOE GEBBIA, AND NATHAN BLECHARCZYK.
Brian Chesky, 30, Joe Gebbia, 30, and Nathan Blecharczyk, 28, are all founders of Airbnb. What their company does is allow users to set up their homes or apartments as short-term rental properties. You can view their website here. Their company is currently valued at $1.3 billion.
3. TIM O’SHAUGHNESSY AND EDDIE FREDERICK.
Tim O’Shaughnessy, 29, and Eddie Frederick, 30, are both founders of LivingSocial. Their website focuses on daily deals that help users to get more for their money. You can view the company here. It is currently valued at $3 billion.
2. ARASH FERDOWSI AND DREW HOUSTON.
Arash Ferdowski, 25, and Drew Houston, 28, are the founders of Dropbox. Their company is a file sharing and storing platform that allows users to store their work online so they never lose their files and can access them remotely. You can view the site here. The company is currently valued at $4 billion.
1. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerburg, 27, a man known all over the globe for the creation of Facebook. If you don’t know what Facebook does well, you’re probably living under a rock. It’s a social network that’s been connecting long lost and local friends since its creation. The company is worth $80 billion.
Who are some of your favorite young tech entrepreneurs? Let us know in the comments below.