Founder
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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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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Black British entrepreneurs find new ways to land funding as diversity efforts are scrapped
Former Goldman Sachs executive Ayesha Ofori was confident that investors would be keen to fund her investment platform startup — then came the wall of rejections. Some of the venture capitalists who gave the cold shoulder to Ofori’s female-focused financial investment platform, Propelle, ultimately rejected her, citing her lack of experience. Ofori notes her background at Morgan […]
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Nominate a company for CNBC’s 2025 Disruptor 50 list
CNBC is now accepting applications for the 2025 Disruptor 50 list — our thirteenth annual look at the most innovative venture-backed companies using breakthrough technology to meet increasing economic and consumer challenges. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 10 at 11:59 pm EST. All independent, privately-owned companies founded after Jan. 1, 2010, are eligible, […]
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82-year-old billionaire CEO shares his advice for the younger generation: ‘Have a go, don’t stand around thinking about it’
Jack Cowin is the founder and chairman of Competitive Foods Australia, the company that operates Hungry Jack’s. Mark Evans | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images At 82, self-made billionaire Jack Cowin has a number of simple truths about life and business to share. “I didn’t come from [money] … I’m kind of self-made. I […]
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‘Many dark times’: How this startup founder overcame self-doubt and started a $100-million-a-year business
Jeffrey Tiong, founder and CEO of PatSnap. Courtesy of Jeffrey Tiong. Many entrepreneurs will say that building a successful startup is costly — both financially and emotionally. Just ask Jeffrey Tiong. The 40-year-old is the founder and CEO of intellectual property and research and development startup Patsnap, a Singapore-based unicorn company that has surpassed an […]
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This Australian quit her job at 24 and started a business out of her parents’ garage—now, it brings in over $100 million a year
Jane Lu, founder and CEO of Showpo. Courtesy of Jane Lu. Growing up, Jane Lu dreamt of waking up every morning and putting on a power suit to go to work at a fancy corporate finance job in one of the tall city buildings. Today, the 38-year-old is the founder and CEO of online fashion […]
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Grab CEO Anthony Tan gives his no. 1 piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Anthony Tan is the co-founder and CEO of Grab. Courtesy of From the outside, it looks like Anthony Tan’s got it all — the family, the wealthy upbringing and the success. Today, he is the head honcho of one of Southeast Asia’s biggest tech companies, Grab — but he’ll be the first to say that […]
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How I built a $2 billion a year super app called Grab: ’20 hour’ work days
Anthony Tan didn’t need to start a business to be rich. He grew up as the youngest of three sons in one of Malaysia’s wealthiest families. His father, Tan Heng Chew, is the president of Tan Chong Motor, a multinational automobile distributor founded by Tan’s grandfather in the 1950s, that’s publicly listed on the Kuala […]
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