While most recent graduates are frantically looking for a job – any job – during these tough times, these ten individuals used their formidable college years not to party and study, but to start multi-million (and sometimes billion) dollar companies. Yeesh. If you feel the need to be inspired, just take a look at these students who completely redefined what it means to be a success during college.
1. Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook, the most popular social networking site on the planet, emerged from this kid’s Harvard dorm room in 2004. 500 million dollars, 300 million users, and a full-time, self-created job later, I’d say he’s doing okay for himself.
2. Bill Gates: Also a Harvard student, Gates never returned to his studies after his leave of absence in 1976. During his hiatus from higher education he worked with Paul Allen at MITS in New Mexico, which is where the first Microsoft office called home. Gates is known to be amongst the world’s wealthiest people, reaching his highest rankings between the years 1995-2009. In 2008, his wallet weighed in as the third-thickest and he now donates much of his time and billions to helping others.
3. Michael Dell: At the age of 19, Dell began selling computers from his UTAustin dorm room. The company, PC Limited, developed into the world-wide recognized Dell Computers. As a company, Dell reported approximately $52.9 billion in raw revenue.
4. Fred Smith: The idea for the global shipping company now known as FedEx was outlined in an economics paper Smith wrote while attending Yale University. In his paper, Smith addressed his personal need for an overnight shipping service. At the time, no such service existed without paying arm-and-a-leg prices. With his detailed business idea drawn up, Smith prevailed: FedEx raked in around $35.5 billion in 2009 (as of May 31).
5. Ally Perry: Co-founder of Inogen, Inc, Perry and two of her close friends at the University of California at Santa Barbara took inspiration from Ally’s personal life to develop an oxygen concentrator that has revolutionized the field of home-medical devices. Perry credits her grandmother with the idea for the product, but Perry and her colleagues won the UCSB business plan contest, setting the trio’s careers in motion. At the time, they were all just 19. In 2005, Perry, her co-founders, and Inogen received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Today the company reports over $55 million raised in venture capital.
6. Taylor Mingos: For those of you who have tons of receipts hidden away in shoeboxes awaiting organization, send them to Mingos’ company, Shoeboxed. Mail in your receipts and Shoeboxed will scan and organize them for you. Mingos started the company while attending Duke University and it officially launched in 2007 to great success.
7. Sean Belnick: A freshman in college at age 20, Belnick started Bizchairs while enrolled at Emory University. The company provides quality discount chairs and furniture for offices, homes, schools, businesses and more. Using a well-put together Internet site, Bizchairs saw over $25 million in 2009.
8. Andrea Marron: This optical engineer/fashionista launched Studio 28 Couture while at Rochester University. Her website put the design in the consumer’s hands while keeping all dresses at an affordable price of $200 or under. Local seamstresses processed the dress orders, and buyers had their custom design in 3 weeks. Marron has taken on other projects, and as a result, Studio 28 no longer distributes, but the site’s design tool is still available for use.
9. Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman: These two “college hunks” started hauling junk with a borrowed cargo van to make extra cash during school. College Hunks Hauling Junk has turned into a national chain, with over 20 locations in the US.
10. Seth Berkowitz: Catering to his buddies stricken with a bad case of the munchies, Berkowitz developed his late-night baking sessions at University of Pennsylvania into a lucrative cookie business known as Insomnia Cookies.
These successful college entrepreneurs made their millions before the age of 25. Colleges and universities have taken notice, with many adopting entrepreneurial programs to help urge young people to continue taking initiative.
