50 Teenage Millionaires Success Stories In a Year 2023
An anonymous buyer offered her $1.5 million and the car of her choice, but she declined.
1. Ashley Qualls: The founder of WhateverLife.com got her ingenious idea back in 2004 when she was just 14. Meant to showcase her design skills, the site really took off when Qualls started doling out freebie MySpace layouts. An anonymous buyer offered her $1.5 million and the car of her choice, but she declined.
Her Miss O & Friends company is now worth an estimated $15 million
2. Juliath Brindak: She began creating sketched characters at age 10, and then developed a complementary social-media platform at 16. Her Miss O & Friends company is now worth an estimated $15 million, though Brindak gets most of her revenue from ads.
By the time he was 20, he was worth $24 million.
3. Sean Belnik: With just $600, Belnik started an e-tail shop at 16, beginning with small items such as trading cards. He then moved on to furniture, founding BizChair.com and proving a knack for the market. By the time he was 20, he was worth $24 million.
Horowitz challenged himself to make his first million by his 21st birthday.
4. Adam Horowitz: When he was just 15, Horowitz challenged himself to make his first million by his 21st birthday. He’s the developer of Mobile Monopoly, which is a tutorial for learning mobile marketing. He reached his goal and earns an anonymous “six-figure income.”
He’s already worth $40 million and by all estimates will soon be a billionaire.
5. John Koon: Koon was only 16 when he kickstarted New York City’s inaugural auto parts business, Extreme Performance Motorsports. He scored a deal with MTV to provide products for reality shows, and then used his connection to team up with Young Jeezy for a fashion line. He’s already worth $40 million and by all estimates will soon be a billionaire.
When he was a high school senior, he was worth at least one million.
6. Cameron Johnson: By the time he was 11, Johnson’s knack for creating greeting cards had earned him thousands and leverage to start his own business. SurfingPrizes.com was his investment strategy, which is a toolbar service that rakes in about $350,000 per month. When he was a high school senior, he was worth at least one million.
This brother and sister team got rich by creating MyYearbook.com
7. David and Catherine Cook: This brother and sister team got rich by creating MyYearbook.com, which remains a player in the social-media realm. Their older brother invested $250,000 in their digital yearbook idea, and today the site is worth about $100 million.
At 17, this entrepreneur had designed an app worth $30 million
8. Nick D’Aloisio: At 17, this entrepreneur had designed an app worth $30 million according to Yahoo. He started coding at 12, which led to the development of a news app. He credits an eye for spotting market disparities as his catalyst.
repairing computers–making millions and scoring him a spot on Businessweek‘s 25 Under 25 list.
9. Tyler Dikman: By eighth grade, Dikman was charging $15 an hour to fix computers. His skills caught the eye of Merrill Lynch executives, and he was hired by Malcolm Taaffe at age 15. He soon started his own business, Cooltronics, repairing computers–making millions and scoring him a spot on Businessweek‘s 25 Under 25 list.
he took out a $9,000 loan and became a millionaire.
10. Fraser Doherty: Only 14 when this Scottish entrepreneur began making homemade jams via his grandmother’s recipe, his SuperJam business was booming by the time he turned 16. When a major U.K. supermarket asked to stock his products, he took out a $9,000 loan and became a millionaire. His recipe books can be found on Amazon.
One of the highest earning YouTubers today, he’s worth more than $8 million
Captain Sparklez: This pro gamer began his career by posting how-to videos on YouTube, and then he expanded into a channel offering detailed gaming instruction. One of the highest earning YouTubers today, he’s worth more than $8 million.
one of the wealthiest people in the world, at around $20 billion, regardless of age.
12. Mark Zuckerberg: Many people forget that when Facebook’s founder started swimming in wealth, he was a young college student. Almost everyone knows the story of Facebook, and Zuckerberg’s now one of the wealthiest people in the world, at around $20 billion, regardless of age.
He dropped out of high school after his dyslexia had teachers telling him he’d never be successful.
13. Michael Dunlop: He dropped out of high school after his dyslexia had teachers telling him he’d never be successful. He founded IncomeDiary.com, which today boasts a 12,000 rating on Alexa and earns him a hefty six-figure income. While his blogs aren’t flawless grammatically, his business advice is spot on.
Not all teenage millionaire stories have happy endings
14. Andrew Fashion: Not all teenage millionaire stories have happy endings. Fashion designed mini rocket launchers and was worth more than $2 million by the time he was 20. He then blew it all on women and gambling by the time he turned 22.
He earned his first million by his 16th birthday
15. John Magennis: Starting a Web design business at 14, Magennis is totally self-taught. Initially he charged just $15 per site, but today he can demand upwards of $30,000 per site. He earned his first million by his 16th birthday.
He started with penny stocks and was worth more than $1.5 million by his 21st birthday.
16. Tim Sykes: The famous and young stock investor used his bar mitzvah cash for his first investment. He started with penny stocks and was worth more than $1.5 million by his 21st birthday. Today he’s also an inspirational speaker and teaches others how to get rich with penny trading.
Featured on Shark Tank, Bradshaw (along with her younger sister and mom)
17. Maddie Bradshaw: Featured on Shark Tank, Bradshaw (along with her younger sister and mom) started by designing locker decorations using soda bottle tops because she couldn’t find anything similar she liked on the market. She earned $1.6 million in her first year, and by the time she was 16 she had lured an astonishing three “sharks” as investors and partners.
she was just 6 years old when she pitched Boo Boo Goo to the sharks.
18. Kiowa Kavovit: The youngest entrepreneur on Shark Tank to date, she was just 6 years old when she pitched Boo Boo Goo to the sharks. Scoring a $100,000 investment, this tiny and newly minted (in 2014) millionaire slings a paint-on bandage designed for kids–of course.
This 18-year-old entrepreneur is working on her third business
19. Diane Keng: This 18-year-old entrepreneur is working on her third business, but she first hit paydirt with MyWEBoo, which helps teens manage their online reputations. She’s also founded a T-shirt company and a business that helps companies market to teens.
At 19, the British techie was making $10 million every single year with no sign of slowing down
20. Chris Phillips: Phillips at 17 was already the founder of Dot5Hosting, making his first million by providing Web hosting and domain name registration. At 19, the British techie was making $10 million every single year with no sign of slowing down.
his worth $1.5 million by the time he turned 14.
21. Farrah Gray: What started as a gig selling body lotion at age 6 became founding a business at the age of 13. Gray is the owner of Farr-Out Food, which raked in orders worth $1.5 million by the time he turned 14.
Already he’s earned $15 million in a capital investment campaign alone for Kiip
22. Brian Wong: In charge of Digg’s business development strategy at just 19 years old, Wong has since headed up Kiip–a leading mobile rewards company. Already he’s earned $15 million in a capital investment campaign alone for Kiip, which is said to be a game changer.
Earning $1 million in sales before she could drive, she epitomizes entrepreneur.
23. Madison Robinson: A 15-year-old Robinson created Fish Flops, originally only selling flip-flops with teen-centric designs. She soon branched out to include other apparel and even a complementary app. Earning $1 million in sales before she could drive, she epitomizes entrepreneur.
Bieber’s success is worth noting because of his humble YouTube beginnings.
24. Justin Bieber: The only celebrity to grace this list, Bieber’s success is worth noting because of his humble YouTube beginnings. Although media coverage suggests otherwise, he’s actually proved himself to be a pretty savvy entrepreneur, branching out into apparel, fragrance, and the like to capitalize on his A-list status.
She earned top spots on lists by Ernst & Young and several other accolades.
25. Elise MacMillan: She had teamed up with her grandmother to make candy ever since she was a toddler. At 11, she worked with her brother in a commercial chocolatier and founded the Chocolate Farm. She earned top spots on lists by Ernst & Young and several other accolades.
Roussel is worth noting because she’s one of the richest, and comes from a particularly well-known lineage
26. Athina Onassis Roussel: While there are many millionaire heirs and heiresses in the world, Roussel is worth noting because she’s one of the richest, and comes from a particularly well-known lineage. She is the only surviving descendant of Aristotle Onassis, who was once famously married to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
He earned $2 million in those two weeks
27. Robert Nay: A self-taught coder, when Nay was just 14 he drummed up 4,000 lines of code to create the Bubble Ball game. He made it free to download on Apple, and in two weeks more than one million people had downloaded it. He earned $2 million in those two weeks.
He started toying with JavaScript in middle school
29. Connor Zwick: He started toying with Javascript in middle school, and by 19 was making some of the most in-demand tutorials in the industry. The builder of the Flashcards+ app, Zwick eventually dropped out of Harvard to study under PayPal’s founder.
A $1 million investment for the cloud-driven social-media platform has already been secured.
30. Scott and Stacey Ferreira: The brother-sister duo launched MySocialCloud.com when Scott was in college and Stacey was still in high school. However, their entrepreneurial spirit was sparked as young children watching their father work at IBM and Google. A $1 million investment for the cloud-driven social-media platform has already been secured.
He was a millionaire by the time he turned 15
31. Dominic McVey: When this Londoner was 13, he started importing scooters from the U.S. (which were much cheaper than what was domestically available, given the dollar to pound ratio) and selling them locally. He was a millionaire by the time he turned 15. McVey happened into a partnership with Viza when he was Googling “Visa” and now is worth around $10 million.
This Irish early entrepreneur began running his own nightclub at the tender age of 15
32. Gary Martin: This Irish early entrepreneur began running his own nightclub at the tender age of 15 (the drinking ages in the U.K. are vastly lower than in the U.S.). By the time he was 17, he had moved on to property management. By 18, he was worth $20 million and counting.
Furdyk spends his time growing his business in more than 200 countries
33. Michael Furdyk: He founded TakingITGlobal at 17, and now Furdyk spends his time growing his business in more than 200 countries. He’s also a public speaker, a consultant, and a regular guest on some of the most popular talk shows in the country.
He was a millionaire as a teen and today is worth more than $5 million.
34. Mike McDonald: This Canadian with a knack for gambling started toying with online poker at the age of 15. He was feeling pressured to get a job by his parents, but he didn’t want to do the usual teen gig. He was a millionaire as a teen and today is worth more than $5 million.
Today he’s worth around $10 million, but he made his first at 19
35. Carl Churchill: The British entrepreneur started his first Web design business at age 12. Today he’s worth around $10 million, but he made his first at 19. Dubbed the British Bill Gates, he’s also a philanthropist and venture capitalist.
Now the 46th richest entrepreneur in the U.K. and worth almost $200 million
36. Andrew Gower: Another teen millionaire from across the pond, Gower is a game developer and the founder of Jagex Game Studio. He started developing at age 8. Now the 46th richest entrepreneur in the U.K. and worth almost $200 million, he made his first windfall as a teen.
Collison began winning numerous young scientist prizes at age 14.
37. Patrick Collison: An Irish teen millionaire, Collison began winning numerous young scientist prizes at age 14. He founded Shuppa with his brother, moved to California, and made his first million by the time he was 19–bringing his brother along for the lucrative ride.
he earned $4 million his first year in what he called a “recession-proof business.”
38.James Murray Wells: When the young college student in Britain realized there wasn’t an online e-tailer for eyeglasses, he quickly filled that need. Using his student loans as capital, he earned $4 million his first year in what he called a “recession-proof business.”
Matt Wegrynz: Buying and selling domain names is what made this entrepreneur so wealthy.
39. Matt Wegrynz: Buying and selling domain names is what made this entrepreneur so wealthy. He started at 17, with some of his best deals going for six figures.
It’s hard not to feel a bit competitive after reading about all these young entrepreneurs. However, try to take away at least this one important lesson from the list. It’s never too late–or early–to chase your dreams. Anything can happen with a great idea, hard work, and creativity. These teens are living proof.
which makes him the world’s second-youngest self-made billionaire
40.Ritesh Agrawal: Passionate about travelling, 17-year-old Ritesh realised the need for affordable hotels that offered good services. His unique drive for identifying, understanding and solving the problem helped him create a huge empire that was built on the concept of fulfilling the requirements of the travellers – affordable rooms with standard facilities. His venture, OYO (On Your Own) is valued at more than $10 billion and Ritesh’s net worth is more than $1 billion, which makes him the world’s second-youngest self-made billionaire.
He founded his own tech company Apex Infosys when he was 12 years old
41. Advait Thakur:Advait is a young tech entrepreneur who is changing the world. He founded his own tech company Apex Infosys when he was 12 years old. The company is now a global technology and innovation company that specialises in IoT- related services and products, AI and Health Tech sectors. Advait is also the youngest Google, Bing and Hubspot Certified Professional.
A simple cake baking task to surprise her mother on her birthday led Vinusha to start an enterprise of her own
42. Vinusha MK: A simple cake baking task to surprise her mother on her birthday led Vinusha to start an enterprise of her own – Four Seasons Pastry. She was 9 years old at that time.
Vinusha bakes and sells cupcakes inspired by the four seasons. She is scaling up her business and has already launched a baking kit that comes complete with ingredients and recipes, homemade chocolates, sandwiches and more. Needless to say, every order here is baked with passion.
a TEDx speaker and a Youngest Entrepreneur awardee in Logistics Sector
43. Tilak Mehta: Inspiration for a startup can come from anywhere. Nothing illustrates this better than Tilak Mehta and his success story Paper N Parcels. The story goes something like this – 13 year old Tilak needed some books urgently from the other part of Mumbai city. But despite waiting all day for his father to return from work so he could go and get them, young Tilak was left disappointed – his father was just too tired. Instead of sulking or throwing a tantrum, Tilak struck gold from the situation. He conceptualised a startup that could deliver small parcels within the city on the same day. His venture, Paper N Parcels immediately found traction and took off. It now employs over 200 workers and 300 dabbawallas and handles over 1200 deliveries in a day. Tilak is among the youngest Forbes panelists, a TEDx speaker and a Youngest Entrepreneur awardee in Logistics Sector.
Apart from her startup eDesign, Sreelakshmi also owns another company TinyLogo.
44. Sreelakshmi Suresh: Sreelakshmi began using computers at the age of 3, started designing at 4, designed her first website at the age of 6 and owned a startup at 11! Life has certainly been on the fast lane for her! She has often been regarded as one of the Youngest CEOs and Youngest Web Designers. Apart from her startup eDesign, Sreelakshmi also owns another company TinyLogo.
Akhilendra started at the age of 16 by doing freelancing work to gain experience.
45. Akhilendra Sahu:‘World’s Youngest Serial Entrepreneur’. Not a bad title to have, right? Akhilendra started at the age of 16 by doing freelancing work to gain experience. By sheer hard work and persistence, he achieved great success. He owns and runs ASTNT Technologies, ASTNT Hosting, ASTNT Media, Technical Next, ASTNT Newswire, StartUp199, and a slew of other companies. He is also the co-founder of Scoop Beats Private Limited.
at the young age of 14, he founded Maytree School of Entrepreneurship
46.Rohit Kashyap:As a young boy from a small town in Bihar, Rohit did not have access to a lot of resources. Yet, he was winning Olympiads! He also ranked in the top 1000 in the ICAI Commerce Wizard. Not one to hog the limelight all by himself, Rohit offered to tutor others to achieve success. But the response he received overwhelmed him. This gave him the idea to start a school that will help young achievers and thus, at the young age of 14, he founded Maytree School of Entrepreneurship.
His innovation helped people who had no internet access data without having to go online.
47. Deepak Ravindran: Deepak started his entrepreneurial journey when he was 17. Swades Solutions and just4sale.com were his early forays into the world of entrepreneurship. But it was his venture Innoz Technologies Pvt. Ltd. that really put him in the big league. The idea was inspired by a vegetable purchase interaction between his mother and a vendor. His innovation helped people who had no internet access data without having to go online.
Through determination and hard work, Innoz today counts some of the biggest names like Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel, Idea, Wikipedia, Vuclip, Rotten Tomatoes, Zomato, Snapdeal, Bing, Worldweatheronline, etc., as clients.
When he was 17 he was interviewed by CNN
48. Farrhad Acidwalla:Farrhad’s entrepreneurial calibre was evident from the age of 13 when he created an online community about aero-modelling and aviation. When he was 17 he was interviewed by CNN and it was soon after that he started his successful venture Rockstah Media. Rockstah Media is a one-stop style destination for web development, marketing and beyond.
Nithin Kamath began trading stocks when he was just 17
49. Nithin Kamath: Nithin Kamath began trading stocks when he was just 17. His passion led him to establish Zerodha in 2007. Zerodha has over 7 million users and Nithin Kamath’s net assets have swelled to $1.9 billion, making him the third-biggest stockbroker in the country, just after ICICI and HDFC.
an Ivy Early Entrepreneur, founded SCOPE at the age of 17
50. Appalla Saikiran:A prosperous professional career before even crossing the teenage years – just what Appalla achieved with his pathbreaking idea and the right mentorship. Appalla, an Ivy Early Entrepreneur, founded SCOPE at the age of 17. The idea was inspired from his own struggle to find the right mentors, investors and connect with other entrepreneurs in his early days of entrepreneurship. SCOPE is a new-age holistic platform that brings together aspiring entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors and industry experts. Awards and accolades have followed Appalla since – Global Kids Achievers Award, a spot at the Junior CEO program certified by Brown University and an invitation by Google to visit their office, a few among the many.