10 Best successful entrepreneurs 2023 who did not graduate from college.
1. Mark Zuckerberg – Founder of Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, having founded Facebook in 2004. Despite not graduating from college, he has become one of the world’s wealthiest people and has been listed among the world’s most influential people.
He is known for his innovative approach to business and technology and his philanthropic efforts. In addition to Facebook, he has founded several other companies such as Instagram and Oculus VR. He has also invested in many startups and is an active philanthropist.
2. Richard Branson – Founder of the Virgin Group
Sir Richard Branson is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and has built a business empire. He founded the Virgin Group, which now owns more than 400 companies in various industries, including music, communications, health, travel, financial services, and more.
Branson is known for his innovative and daring approach to business and his flamboyant style of leadership. He is also known for his philanthropic endeavors, particularly his work with the Virgin Unite foundation. Despite not having a college degree, Branson has become one of the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs in the world.
3. Steve Jobs – Co-Founder of Apple
Steve Jobs was a successful entrepreneur who co-founded the technology giant Apple. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the computer revolution, and is often referred to as the “Father of the Digital Revolution.” Despite his immense success, Jobs did not have a college degree.
He attended Reed College for a semester before dropping out, claiming that he was not interested in the required classes. However, he did attend classes that interested him, such as calligraphy and art history. Jobs later credited these classes as being instrumental in the development of Apple’s graphical user interface.
4. Jan Koum – Founder of WhatsApp
Jan Koum is a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and computer programmer. He is the co-founder and CEO of the social media app WhatsApp, which he founded with Brian Acton in 2009.
He dropped out of college to pursue a career in tech and became one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world without a college degree.
5. Larry Ellison – Co-founder of Oracle
Larry Ellison is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and is the co-founder of Oracle, one of the world’s leading tech companies. Despite not graduating from college, Ellison has been incredibly successful, amassing a net worth of over $50 billion.
He is considered one of the most influential tech entrepreneurs and has been credited with transforming the software industry.
6. Oprah Winfrey – Founder of Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 seasons and was the highest-rated television program of its kind.
She is also the founder and CEO of Harpo Productions. Despite not graduating college, Oprah has built a multi-billion dollar media empire that has made her one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world.
7. Michael Dell – Founder of Dell Technologies
Michael Dell is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. He is the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, a global leader in consumer, small business, and enterprise technology solutions, and one of the largest companies in the world. Despite not graduating college, he dropped out of the University of Texas at Austin at the age of 19 to focus on his business.
He quickly grew the company to become one of the world’s leading technology companies. Dell has been lauded for his business acumen and innovative approach to technology products and services. He is credited with revolutionizing the computer industry and making technology more accessible to everyday consumers.
8. Henry Ford – Founder of Ford Motor Company
Henry Ford was an American industrialist and business magnate who founded the Ford Motor Company. He was born on July 30, 1863, in Dearborn, Michigan, and did not attend college.
Ford revolutionized the automotive industry, and his company’s Model T is widely regarded as the first affordable automobile. Ford’s introduction of the assembly-line process of mass production revolutionized the industry and changed the landscape of modern manufacturing. He is widely known as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history.
9. Bill Gates – Co-Founder of Microsoft
Bill Gates is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. He co-founded Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen in 1975. Microsoft quickly grew to become the world’s largest software provider and the world’s first trillion-dollar company. Gates also created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on improving global health and reducing extreme poverty.
Gates has been listed as one of the world’s wealthiest people for over two decades and is widely considered one of the most influential and successful entrepreneurs of all time. What is interesting about Gates is that he didn’t actually graduate from college.
He famously dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to pursue his dream of founding and running Microsoft. Despite this, Gates has gone on to achieve great success and is now one of the most respected businessmen in the world.
10. Dave Thomas – Founder of Wendy’s
Dave Thomas was born in 1932 and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and joined the Army, serving two years. After his military service, Dave worked in the restaurant business for several years before founding Wendy’s in 1969.
Dave was an incredibly successful entrepreneur, turning Wendy’s into a massive success and becoming one of the most recognizable faces in the restaurant industry. He was a major philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to charities, and was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1993. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 69.