Forbes has come out with a list of the world’s 20 youngest billionaires under 40. Here we carry eight billionaires under 30, who made their fortunes by virtue of inheritance and hard work.
With Goldman Sachs reportedly investing in social networking sensation Facebook at a valuation of $50 billion, the entry of Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz was a reality.
Fahd Hariri of Lebanon, who inherited his fortune from his father real estate and construction biz is the least rich in this category with a net worth of $1.5 billion according to Forbes.
Mark Zuckerberg — thanks to the Goldman deal — is the richest of this under-30 billionaire lot with an estimated net worth of $13.5 billion.
All ages are as of March 28, 2011.
Dustin Moskovitz
Country: United States;
Age: 26;
Net worth: $2.7 billion.
Dustin must be ruing his decision to quit his friend Mark Zuckerberg in 2008. Had he waited for a couple of years more his net worth could have been close to Zuckerberg’s if not more.
Their friendship dates back to college days when the two quit dropped out midway to start their social networking sensation that today has more than 500 million registered users.
Dustin started his own software venture in 2008, Asana that offers a platform to small companies and individuals to collaborate.
Mark Zuckerberg
Country: United States;
Age: 26;
Net worth: $13.5 billion.
Undoubtedly the richest of the lot Mark Zuckerberg Facebook is responsible for the recent uprisings scorching the Arab world from Tunisia to Libya.
While history will forever remember Facebook as harbinger of democracy in the Arab world what will also be remembered is the scorching pace with which Zuckerberg’s wealth multiplied in just one year.
According to Forbes Zuckerberg’s “fortune surged 238 percent to $13.5 billion” in just over a year. And you know who Zuckerberg has to thank to for this huge jump in his net worth.
Albert von Thurn und Taxis
Country: Germany;
Age: 27;
Net worth: $2 billion.
Born on June 24, 1983, 27-year-old Albert von Thurn und Taxis was dislodged as the world’s youngest billionaire by, whom else but, Mark Zuckerberg in 2010.
But Albert has had the privilege of finding his name in the Forbes’ list since he was 8 as a billionaire. Being a minor then, he could actually find his place under the sun in 2001 when he turned 18.
Albert’s “assets include real estate, art and a tech company, plus 30,000 hectares of woodland in Germany, one of the largest forest holdings in Europe,” Forbes says.
Scott Duncan
Country: United States;
Age: 28;
Net worth: $3.1 billion.
Like Albert Scott Duncan too features in this list because of the wealth he inherited from his father.
Scott’s father Dan Duncan owned a $12.4 billion pipeline which the former inherited after his father’s death in March 2010, Forbes says.
Interestingly, Dan’s was the textbook rags-to-riches story as he slowly built his pipeline empire beginning with just two trucks in 1968.
Sean Parker
Country: United States;
Age: 30;
Net worth: $1.6 billion.
Zuckerberg wasn’t the only one, who made money out of Facebook. Sean Parker, who owns a little fewer than 3 percent of the stake in the company, finds a place in this elite list.
Parker was the man, who co-founded Napster —the famous music sharing Web site that ran into legal trouble and finally filed for bankruptcy in 2002.
Currently Parker is a managing partner at a venture capital firm investing in tech companies.
Justin Timberlake played Parker in the recently released movie The Social Network.
Yang Huiyan
Country: China;
Age: 29;
Net worth: $4.1 billion.
When you happen to be the primary shareholder in one of China’s largest property developer, you are most certainly ensured a spot in this list or any other list for that matter!
Yang is the daughter of Yeung Kwok Keung, the chairman of Country Garden Holdings of Guangzhou, one of China’s largest property developers.
With the property boom in China in 2010 and large tracts of land that it owns, the graph of Yang’s wealth is heading north.
Yang is a gradate from the Ohio State University, where she earned a degree in marketing and logistics.
Fahd Hariri
Country: Lebanon;
Age: 30;
Net worth: $1.5 billion.
In comparison to Parker, the youngest son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, had it easy.
Fahd inherited stake in his father’s conglomerate that spans telecom, real estate and the construction business.
Besides being on the board of Beirut’s Future Television Network that his father started back in the 1990s Nazek, who essentially lives in Paris, is also said to have residences in France, Russia and Europe.
Eduardo Saverin
Country: United States;
Age: 29;
Net worth: $1.6 billion.
Facebook’s Web site has a bio of him as being one of the site’s cofounders. Eduardo Saverin used to be Zuckerberg’s best friend at Harvard and had a 30 percent stake in the company till relationship between the two soured.
It began with Facebook suing Saverin for interfering with business and for allegedly insisting on keeping the 30 percent stake.
While Saverin countersued, an out-of-court settlement was reached, where he reportedly settled for about 5 percent of the stake in the company.
