Entrepreneurs
Ricky Van Veen Net Worth
What is Ricky Van Veen’s net worth?
Net Worth: | $25 Million |
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Age: | 43 |
Born: | December 17, 1980 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Country of Origin: | United States of America |
Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur |
Last Updated: | Nov 22, 2024 |
Introduction
Ricky Van Veen is an entrepreneur.
He is the Head of Global Creative Strategy at Facebook.
Veen co-founded the brand and humor website CollegeHumor and the website Vimeo.
He was also CEO of Notional, a television production company spun out of CollegeHumor.
Ricky Van Veen’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $25 Million.
Early Life
Ricky Van Veen was born on the 17th of December, 1980, in Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland.
He is the son of Helen and Richard Van Veen. He graduated from Wake Forest University.
From the university, he received a degree in Management and Information Systems.
Career
Ricky Van Veen’s entrepreneurial life began while he was studying for a degree in management and information systems at Wake Forest University.
He would go on to become involved in multiple emerging tech platforms and work with one of the richest people in the world on social media platforms.
It was his first concept, the online comedy brand CollegeHumor, that would give him the reputation and revenue to pursue a range of business ideas.
Early Career & Foundation Of College Humor
Like many other successful entrepreneurs, Ricky Van Veen began exploring various business concepts while studying for his degree.
In 2003, he launched CollegeHumor, reaching a new audience eager to discover the latest humorous videos and articles.
Van Veen and his partner Josh Abramson initially posted funny photos of themselves, along with jokes and collated material from other websites.
Over time, the platform expanded, reaching millions of viewers per month and featuring professionally produced skits from a studio.
CollegeHumor would help to launch the careers of many successful actors and comedians, with Rosa Salazar among those who got her break on the platform.
By 2006, CollegeHumor was taking in up to $15 million per month in revenue, and Van Veen opted to sell a controlling stake to InterActiveCorp.
Achievements Through Connected Ventures
Following the massive success of the CollegeHumor concept, Ricky Van Veen branched out into other business ventures in the digital space.
Through the umbrella organization Connected Ventures, Van Veen and his business partners established successful brands still operating today.
While running CollegeHumor, he served as one of the co-founders of the popular video-sharing platform Vimeo, a favorite among filmmakers.
Van Veen also had experience in front of the camera, appearing in various CollegeHumor video series such as Jake and Ami and Hardly Working.
Connected Ventures also included BustedTees in its portfolio of companies, giving Van Veen the experience and financial backing for his next company, Notional.
Work As CEO Of Notional
While the success of CollegeHumor wasn’t sustainable and led to massive layoffs, Ricky Van Veen’s new businesses found greater fortune.
In 2009, Van Veen launched a new production company, Notional, at which he served as the CEO, guiding the production of print and television media.
Van Veen, who at the time was being mentored by the experienced senior executive from InterActiveCorp, Barry Diller, helped the platform reach new highs.
The popular cookery show Chopped, which was produced under Van Veen’s guidance, became one of the big success stories of Van Veen’s tenure with Notional.
He would continue to dominate the media landscape later in his career, establishing another product company, Scroll Commerce, in 2015.
Designed to assist people looking to invent products for sale online, the Scroll Commerce brand was eventually acquired by the outlet BuzzFeed.
Facebook’s Head of Global Creative Strategy
Ricky Van Veen’s long and varied history of working in big tech, together with his proven record of success, eventually led to his move to Facebook.
The enormous social media platform, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, hired Van Veen in 2016 as their Head of Global Creative Strategy in 2016.
Van Veen’s input has helped to shape the direction of Facebook’s marketing and brand vision over the years, on a series of projects and campaigns.
Ricky Van Veen Net Worth
Ricky Van Veen’s net worth is estimated to be $25 Million.
Highlights
Here are some of the best highlights of Ricky Van Veen’s career:
- CollegeHumor
- CEO of Notional
Summary
Ricky Van Veen is an American internet CEO. Veen is best known for being the co-founder and the current CEO of CollegeHumor.com.
In 1999, he founded CollegeHumor with Josh Abramson. Over the next years, the site has attracted millions of monthly visitors who enjoyed CollegeHumor’s videos, images, and articles.
Ricky Van Veen’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $25 Million.
What do you think about Ricky Van Veen’s net worth? Leave a comment below.
Entrepreneurs
Carlos Ghosn Net Worth
What is Carlos Ghosn’s net worth?
Net Worth: | $120 Million |
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Age: | 70 |
Born: | March 9, 1954 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Country of Origin: | Brazil |
Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur |
Last Updated: | Nov 22, 2024 |
Introduction
Carlos Ghosn is a Brazilian-born French businessman with an estimated net worth of $120 Million.
Ghosn is best known for being the CEO of Michelin North America, Renault, AvtoVAZ, Nissan, and Mitsubishi Motors.
Career Overview
After graduating from the École des Mines de Paris in 1978, Carlos Ghosn worked for Michelin for 18 years. At first, he trained and worked at several plants throughout France and Germany before becoming a manager in Le Puy-en-Velay, France.
In 1984, Ghosn became the head of research and development and, a year later, was named the COO of the company’s operations in South America.
Ghosen moved to Rio de Janeiro, where the business had become unprofitable due to Brazil’s hyperinflation. Tasked with turning things around, Ghosen rose to the challenge with success and was named the president and COO of Michelin North America in 1989.
Rising Through The Ranks
In 1990, Carlos Ghosn became the CEO of Michelin North America and oversaw the company’s restructuring after purchasing Uniroyal Goodrich Tyre Company.
Six years later, Ghosn was elected Vice President of research, purchasing, development, and manufacturing at Renault, a French auto manufacturer. Under his guidance, Renault became exceptionally profitable, which led to Renault and Nissan forming the Renault-Nissan Alliance in 1999.
While maintaining his previous roles, Ghosn became Nissan’s COO and was named president in 2000 and CEO in 2001. Ghosn turned Nissan’s sinking profits around with his “Nissan Revival Plan,” which reduced the company’s debt by 50% by 2002. To do this, he cut 14% of jobs, shut down five Japanese plants, and auctioned off assets, including the company’s aerospace division.
In 2005, he became Renault’s president and chief executive, making him the first person to run two Fortune 500 companies simultaneously. While not as wealthy as the richest people in America, Ghosn’s business strategies for success were undeniable, even if some people disagreed with his methods.
Ghosn’s Recent Business Deals
Carlos Ghosn became the chairman of GM in 2005, following a merger between the company and Renault and Nissan. Ford offered to allow Ghosn to lead the company the following year, but he refused, stating he’d have to be made both CEO and chairman.
In 2007, Ghosn pushed Renault-Nissan into the electric car market, which helped make it the world leader in electric vehicles by 2017. Soon after, he was named the deputy chairman of the Russian auto manufacturer AvtoVAZ and, in 2013, became the company’s chairman.
After a long tenure, Ghosn stepped down as CEO of Nissan in 2017 while remaining chairman and was succeeded by Saikawa Hiroto. However, the year before, Ghosn had become chairman of Mitsubishi Motors following Nissan’s acquisition of a 34% stake in the company.
At Mitsubishi, Ghosn’s goal was to rehab the automaker, though he was removed from his post in 2018 after his arrest over false accounting allegations. After that, Ghosn’s affairs began to fall apart, and by the end of 2019, he was still imprisoned.
In late 2019, he was able to post bail and quickly left Japan for Lebanon, where he continues his legal battles today.
Carlos Ghosn Net Worth
In 2024, Carlos Ghosn’s net worth is estimated to be $120 Million.
What do you think about Carlos Ghosn’s net worth? Leave a comment below.
Entrepreneurs
Rich Barton Net Worth
What is Rich Barton’s net worth?
Net Worth: | $2.1 Billion |
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Age: | 57 |
Born: | June 2, 1967 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | Unknown |
Country of Origin: | United States of America |
Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur |
Last Updated: | Nov 22, 2024 |
Introduction
Rich Barton is an American entrepreneur and CEO of Zillow Group with an estimated net worth of $2.1 Billion.
Barton has founded multiple companies, including online travel company Zillow, job search engine Glassdoor, and photography site Trover. Barton was a venture partner at Benchmark and is on the board of directors for Netflix, Avvo, Nextdoor, and Artsy.
Career Overview
After graduating from Stanford University with an engineering degree, Rich Barton started working for the Alliance Consulting Group in 1989.
In 1991, he left and began working for Microsoft as a project manager for the operating system MS-DOS 5.0. While working for Microsoft, Barton founded the travel site Expedia in 1994 as the company was planning to build a travel guide on CD-ROM. However, Barton pitched the idea of an online service to Bill Gates, who permitted him to pursue the project.
In 1996, Expedia made its debut on the internet, and Rich was the CEO of the site’s IPO until 2003, when it was purchased for $3.6 billion.
Making Billions
After selling Expedia’s IP, Rich Barton took a year-long break from business to relax in Italy and enjoy his success. However, he didn’t rest for too long and made a comeback in 2004 to begin setting his next business plan in motion. Now in Seattle, Barton began working on the site Zillow, which he believed could transform the real estate industry.
In December 2004, Zillow was incorporated in Washington and officially launched in February 2006. Upon launch, the site included a home valuation tool, sales history, and value appreciation information. However, the site crashed on the morning of its launch because the servers weren’t strong enough to handle the immense traffic.
By 2008, Zillow had grown exponentially and, in 2010, had become incredibly profitable for the first time since its launch.
In 2012, Barton purchased Rentjuice and Hotpads, followed by Street Easy in 2013 and Trulia in 2015. All of this helped make Rich Barton one of the richest people in America, and his net worth continues to increase.
Maintaining Zillow
Although Rich Barton stepped down as CEO in 2010, he returned in 2019, replacing Spencer Rascoff. A year prior, the site began buying and selling through the new Zillow Offers, which partnered with local real estate agents. Upon returning to the CEO position, Barton began expanding Zillow Offers into new markets across the United States. However, when the pandemic struck in 2020, Zillow saw its stock hit a four-year low, forcing them to cut expenses to stay profitable.
By July 2020, Zillow became one of the first companies to allow employees to work from home permanently. This allowed them to hire an additional 1,500 employees with the plan to expand their workforce by 40% by the end of 2021.
Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out, and Barton announced in November 2021 that Zillow was shutting down its home-buying business and laying off 25% of employees.
This didn’t stop the Zillow Group from acquiring other businesses throughout the 2020s to expand their reach. These companies include ShowingTime, Follow Up Boss, and VRX Media, all of which have benefited Zillow. At the same time, Forbes named Barton a billionaire in 2020 after his earnings from Zillow continued to grow.
Now one of the richest people in the world, Rich Barton has a $700 million stake in Zillow and plans to turn it into a home-flipping machine. He’s undoubtedly lived up to his first name, earning billions through his business.
Rich Barton Net Worth
In 2024, Rich Barton’s net worth is estimated to be $2.1 Billion.
Highlights
Here are some of the best highlights of Rich Barton’s career:
- Chief executive officer of Zillow Group
- One of the top 10 innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review (2003)
- Presidential Ambassadors for Continental Entrepreneurship (2012)
Summary
Rich Barton is an American entrepreneur and businessman best known for being the CEO of the Zillow Group.
He is also the founder of Expedia and Glassdoor. Barton was born in Connecticut and graduated from Standford University. He has also founded the online travel photography-sharing site Trover.
He was a venture partner at Benchmark and served on the boards of directors for Netflix and Artsy. In 2012, he was named one of Barack Obama‘s Presidential Ambassadors for Continental Entrepreneurship.
What do you think about Rich Barton’s net worth? Leave a comment below.
Entrepreneurs
Russell Simmons Net Worth
What is Russell Simmons’ net worth?
Net Worth: | $340 Million |
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Age: | 67 |
Born: | October 4, 1957 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Country of Origin: | United States of America |
Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur |
Last Updated: | Nov 22, 2024 |
Russell Simmons is an American record producer and entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $340 Million.
Simmons is the co-founder of the record label Def Jam and has been among the top 25 most influential people in the industry over the past 25 years, playing a pivotal role in bringing hip-hop music to the forefront.
Early Life
Russell Simmons was born in Queens, New York, on October 4, 1957.
He is the son of Daniel Simmons Sr. and Evelyn Simmons. His father was a public school administrator, and his mother worked as a park administrator. Simmons attended the City College of New York for some time, after which he dropped out and went on to promote local musicians.
Career
During college, Simmons met industry mentor Robert Ford Jr., and a few years later, he co-founded Def Jam Recordings with Rick Rubin. In 1985, he co-produced and appeared alongside Daryl McDaniels in the film “Krush Groove” and launched the Def Comedy Jam television program.
From Rap To Riches
The Def Comedy Jam program featured notable figures such as Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Martin Lawrence, who were prominent comedians then. At the same time, Russell’s services to the music industry and hip-hop culture were honored at the 2004 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. A few years later, he produced hit films “The Nutty Professor” featuring Eddie Murphy and “How to Be a Player.”
In 2003, Russell established RushCard, a prepaid debit card provider, and launched Phat Fashions LLC, featuring Phat Farm and Baby Phat labels. The apparel line has a traditional appearance and feel thanks to the influence of designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. Not long after establishing the business, he sold Phat Farm and Baby Phat to Kellwood Company in 2004 for $140 million.
That same year, he formed the Russell Simmons Music Group as a joint venture with Universal Music’s Island Def Jam Music Group.
Simmons’ Vegan Advocacy
Additionally, he co-founded the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from Claremont Lincoln University in 2014. He also coordinated the anti-Rockefeller Drug Law demonstrations promoting more equitable drug laws and was designated as the UN Slavery Memorial’s Goodwill Ambassador.
Russell is a huge PETA supporter and won the PETA Humanitarian Award in 2001 and the Person of the Year Award. The group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) fights against animal abuse in entertainment and industry, advances vegetarianism, and defends animal rights. Many celebrities, such as Pamela Anderson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Woody Harrelson, are just a few of the figures supporting PETA.
His involvement with the NGO has influenced him to live a healthier lifestyle. He has become vegan himself and promotes the routine.
Signing Lil Skies And Jack Harlow
Simmons, a vegan since 1999, supports the David Lynch Foundation, which encourages activism, mindfulness, and vegetarianism; he also practices Jivamukti Yoga and Transcendental Meditation. He supports the Somaly Mam Foundation, which combats human trafficking and sexual slavery and endorses the second Muslim Jewish Conference promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
In 2012, Simmons’ book “Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All” took home the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction.
To top it all off, Richtopia listed him as one of the 200 most influential social entrepreneurs and philanthropists worldwide in 2017.
Russell released the “Masterminds of Hip Hop” NFT collection alongside Snoop Dogg and Ice-T and became a senior advisor for the vegan brand Everything Legendary.
Recently, Russell has been more involved in Def Jam Records, signing up-and-coming artists such as Lil Skies, Jack Harlow, and Dreezy.
Estimated Net Worth
Highlights
Here are some of the best highlights of Russell Simmons’ career:
- Co-founded Def Jam (1983)
- Krush Groove (Movie, 1985)
- Launched Clothing Line (1992)
- Sold Phat Farm (2004)
Summary
Russell Simmons was one of the first producers in the industry to co-found one of the most significant record labels ‘Def Jam’. Simmons has collaborated with some of the best artists, such as Jay Z and LL Cool J.
What do you think about Russell Simmons’ net worth? Leave a comment below.
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