Many university students attempt entrepreneurship, even if it is selling candles or a few candles. You might be surprised at how many successful businesses were created in university dorm rooms. And we are speaking not only about sites where you can order coursework online or local stores. This is about big world-known businesses.
Universities are where many of the top-ranking businessmans in the world met and began the businesses that would become famous. This is not a comprehensive list. Other highly profitable companies such as Microsoft, Dropbox, Yahoo, and Yahoo also make a significant impact on the business world.
1. Google
Google, the world’s most popular search engine, was created in 1996 by two Stanford University PhD students: Sergey Brin and Larry Page. They met while Page was looking at Stanford for graduate school. Brin was asked to show Page around.
They created the popular search engine BackRub together from their dorm room. The site can check backlinks to determine the website’s importance.
Google was the new name for the invention. It is a twist on “googol”, which is a large number (10 to 100). Silicon Valley investors became aware of the invention and gave $100,000 to the two students to help start the company.
Google’s first office was located in a garage in California. It featured a ping-pong table and bright blue carpet. This tradition has remained with Google until today. Google’s current value is more than US$280 Billion.
2. Facebook
Facebook was founded in 2004 in a Harvard University dorm. A group of friends set out to create an online community for Harvard students.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, was one of these friends. He created Facemash, an online game that allowed users to compare photos and choose who they thought was ‘hotter’. Harvard Administration quickly stopped the hacking and discovered that Zuckerberg had stolen the ID images by hacking into university security networks.
Facebook, as we know it today, was originally called TheFacebook in 2004. It was based on printed face books that students were given to identify each other.
Initially, Harvard University students were the only ones eligible for membership. However, it soon expanded to include all Ivy League colleges, and eventually all universities in the US. Now it can be used by any person.
3. Time Magazine
Briton Hadden, Henry Luce, and Henry Luce were the first to publish American Weekly News Magazine in New York City. They had previously worked together as managing editor and chairman of Yale Daily News.
Time Magazine was founded in the United States as the first weekly news magazine. It has since grown to be one of the most widely read weekly news magazines worldwide, with 26 million readers.
4. Snapchat
In 2011, three Stanford University students, Reggie Brown, Bobby Murphy, and Evan Spiegel created Snapchat, a popular photo messaging app. It was originally created by Spiegel as part of his product design class.
The app allowed them to quickly delete embarrassing photos and share funny ones with their friends. Spiegel wrote in 2012 that Snapchat was not about capturing traditional Kodak moments. It’s about communicating with all emotions, not just the perfect or pretty. Snapchat has 229 million daily active Snapchatters and sends more than 4 billion Snaps per day.
5. Reddit
Steve Huffman, a University of Virginia student, and Alexis Ohanian, a University of Virginia student, started the popular news, social networking, and discussion website. They wanted to make a sandwich ordering app. Graham suggested that they create the ‘frontpage of the internet’ when they presented the idea to Y Combinator’s Paul Graham.
Reddit was created. Reddit was created to help users create an online bulletin board. They sold the site to Conde Nast after 16 months. The two friends were multi-millionaires at the age of 23. Reddit now ranks 5th in US traffic with more than 430 million monthly users.
6. FedEx
Frederick W. Smith, a Yale University student aged 28, founded FedEx in 1971. Smith was an economics student who first proposed the idea of overnight shipping.He believed that an airline that specialized in airfreight would be a better business model than adding it to passenger service. FedEx Express is the largest express shipping company in the world.
Smith used $91 million of venture capital and his US$4million inheritance from his father to fund the company. Smith persevered despite the fact that the company lost a lot of money in its initial 26 months, losing $29million. The company had more than 31,000 customers by 1977 and its profits were $8 million better.
7. WordPress
The University of Houston was the first to launch WordPress in 2003. Popular blogging software, b2/cafelog was discontinued. Students Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg decided to create a new platform by using the original software.
Over time, the company has grown and is now supported by scientists, developers, bloggers, and scientists around the globe. WordPress was used more than 60 percent of all websites online by June 2019.
