Not all are fortunate in building their multi-billion dollar tech startups with enough funds. Some had to go through hardships, frustration, and personal bankruptcy because they believe that what they know can help solve real-world problems. Names like Apple and HP are popular for having founded by people who had little to no money and had to find investors and start from scratch.
Here are the top five startups that started with little to no funds.
Lynda
During your high school or college years, you probably remember getting insights from Lynda’s helpful how-to videos. Before Lynda established reputation, they had to go through hard work without gaining a single dime from investors. Lynda Weinman’s desire was to create a tool to aide web design students way back in the early 90’s. Now, Lynda works with Ivy League schools and big companies including Sony and Disney.
Shopify
What started as an ecommerce site for snowboards, became one of the top go-to ecommerce site used by startups. Partners Tobias Lütke and Scott Lake worked hard enough, not caring if they appear to be what CEOs are supposed to look like, and even if they had no salary for the first few months from what they’re doing. Through effort and humility, Shopify focused on the framework they already had from the start and improved it without hesitation.
Shutterstock
Each one of us has what some people call a “God-given” talent. Oftentimes, we take our talent for granted and set it aside for insecurities that others’ talents are better than ours. However, when we put these talents to good use and build them, they can turn into something wonderful, like Shutterstock for example. Jon Oringer was a software developer who also does photography on the side. He combined these skills together and put up what is now a million-dollar stock photo service.
SurveyMonkey
After long hours of work and following the typical corporate life which is labeled as “productive,” Dave Goldberg, founder of SurveyMonkey, realized that he should make the startup different. Goldberg debunked conventional corporate beliefs such as going home at exactly 5:30 while still getting millions. One of Goldberg’s beliefs include hiring people not based on experience, but based on how they fit in in a new work culture. SurveyMonkey proves that having a work-life balance can help you succeed.
Atlassian
Every person who dreams to build a startup wants to have it in the Silicon Valley. However, there are some companies that do not have an opportunity to go there especially when they do not have funds. Atlassian is an Australian-based company that reached millions in revenue through IPO. The founders, Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, made their business workflow software product a success by putting effort in their business model that attracted the public.