5 Founders Who Started with $0 and Built a Brand

Jan Koum – WhatsApp 

Jan Koum and Brian Acton built WhatsApp in 2009 without funding. With no ads or marketing, it grew through user referrals. Facebook later bought it for $19 billion. 

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Sophia Amoruso – Nasty Gal  

Sophia Amoruso launched Nasty Gal on eBay with $0. She scaled it into a $100M+ fashion brand through reinvestment and social media.. 

2

Daymond John – FUBU  

Daymond John began FUBU from home, funding it with restaurant shifts. It became a $6B streetwear brand embraced by hip-hop culture. 

3

Melanie Perkins – Canva 

Melanie Perkins built Canva after repeated rejections. Starting with no capital, she turned it into a $25B+ design platform. 

4

Steve Jobs – Apple

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in a garage, funding it by selling his van. That first computer launched a $3T tech empire.

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