Entrepreneurship
With IPOs on hold even longer, tariffs spell trouble for private tech investors
A VIX volatility index chart on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Federal Reserve officials held their benchmark interest rate steady for a second straight meeting, though they telegraphed expectations for slower economic growth and higher inflation. Photographer: Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | […]
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Startup founders are turning to ‘seed-strapping’ in a difficult funding environment
“I think what most founders are also realizing is what you need is not just money, but time. You need time to explore … You need space. You can’t have someone breathing down your neck for updates [while you’re] trying to figure out your product market fit at the start,” says Jx Lye, founder and […]
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Tony Hawk on turning down $500,000 for Pro Skater: ‘The best financial decision of my life’
Skateboarder Tony Hawk performs a trick as his role as an ambassador for shoe company Vans. Vans STOCKHOLM — Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk once turned down half a million dollars in future royalties from the popular video game Pro Skater — and he says it was the “best financial decision” of his life. Hawk was offered $500,000 […]
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This millennial’s startup raised $120 million. He reveals what helped him succeed — and says it’s ‘more crucial’ than hard work
Desmond Lim, co-founder and CEO of Workstream. Courtesy of Desmond Lim Desmond Lim is no stranger to hard work. At the age of seven, he fell in love with basketball, but when his family couldn’t afford to buy him his own ball, he came up with the money by himself. “Money was always tight,” Lim […]
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30-year-old takes on loneliness crisis with a social networking app that’s already raised $646,000
Nicola Gunby, co-founder of Cliq. Nicola Gunby Nicola Gunby, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, longed for a community of friends when she moved to London after the pandemic, but was shocked to find herself isolated in one of the biggest cities in the world. Gunby, the co-founder of social and community networking app Cliq, hails from Nottingham […]
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‘I lost purpose’: At 27, he sold his company for $100 million — now, he says it’s changed his view on money
Jake Kassan, co-founder of MVMT Watches. Courtesy of Jake Kassan When Jake Kassan sold his company for $100 million at the age of 27, he thought the money would make him happy. Though it did temporarily, it eventually took away his sense of purpose and threw him into cycles of anxiety and depression, he said. […]
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He bought an abandoned tin mine in Phuket in 1984. Now, his hotel chain is worth over $200 million
Ho Kwon Ping is the co-founder and executive chairman of Banyan Group. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Growing up, Ho Kwon Ping didn’t think he’d become a businessman, let alone a hotel tycoon. “I had not always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he told CNBC Make It. “It’s just that the few times where […]
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72-year-old hotel tycoon cautions against a major character flaw in successful people: ‘Never get caught by hubris’
Ho Kwon Ping, 72, is the executive chairman of Banyan Group. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Building a business is not for the faint of heart, and many of those who dare to take the chance share one trait: self-confidence. That’s according to hotel tycoon Ho Kwon Ping, 72, the founder and executive chairman […]
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44-year-old who left the U.S. for Spain: I have ‘shorter work hours’ and ‘more energy’
From the moment I set foot in the Netherlands at 17, I knew I wanted to move abroad. But my dream of living overseas always felt just out of reach. I made several attempts: studying Spanish in Spain at 21, teaching English there at 26, and even returning to pursue a master’s degree at 29. […]
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This 36-year-old sci-fi ‘nerd’ quit his banking job to start a deep space startup that has raised $24 million
Rohit Jha, 36, is the co-founder and CEO of Transcelestial. Courtesy of Rohit Jha Rohit Jha calls himself a “huge nerd.” He developed a deep love for computers, space and ultimately science fiction in his early years. Jha spent much of his childhood and adolescence coding games on a secondhand computer, star-gazing through a telescope […]
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