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You don’t need millions, fancy offices, or instant fame to build something big in tech. Several entrepreneurs have started with humble online projects—sometimes just ideas, sweat equity, or basic tools—and turned them into highly successful companies. For anyone wondering whether to take that first step, these stories offer hope, lessons, and inspiration. They show how lean beginnings, smart decisions, and persistence can generate real fortune. Read on to see 5 tech founders whose modest online startups became empires worth paying attention to.
1. Jon Oringer – From One Man, Many Photos (Shutterstock)
Jon Oringer started Shutterstock in 2003, essentially by himself. Using his own savings and photographing many of the early photos himself, he built a library of stock images uploaded online for clients to license. His startup was modest—no large team, no massive capital infusion at first—just his skill, resourcefulness, and willingness to do many roles alone. Over time, Shutterstock grew with thousands of contributors, millions of users, and eventually went public. His journey proves that a modest online startup, with consistent quality and a scalable model, can turn into a fortune.
2. Divyank Turakhia – Ad Tech, Domain Names & Serial Success
Divyank Turakhia began his path with small online ventures in programming, domain registration, and web tools. He co-founded Media.net, which he later sold in one of the biggest ad tech deals (~$900 million) for a Chinese consortium. What’s striking is that many of his startups started with modest resources and largely online operations before scaling. Turakhia maintained tight control on costs but invested heavily in product quality and user growth. His story reminds us that smart niche plays on the internet can generate huge returns even if the initial setup looks small.
3. Binny Bansal – Flipkart from a Small Apartment
Binny Bansal co-founded Flipkart in 2007 with partner Sachin Bansal (not related) from an apartment in India. They pooled a small amount of initial capital—very modest by venture capital norms—and worked to build the infrastructure, supply chains, and customer trust piece by piece. Over time, Flipkart grew into one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms, eventually being acquired by Walmart in a deal worth billions. The early stages required long hours, bootstrap-style grit, and dealing with delivery and payment challenges in an emerging market. Binny’s story shows that even in challenging environments, modest online startups can scale massively if they solve real problems.
4. Melanie Perkins – Canva: From Drag-and-Drop Yearbooks to Global Design Platform
Melanie Perkins started with what appeared to be simple projects: online tools for school yearbooks. She built that modest tool with limited resources, working out of Australia, and slowly expanded to a graphic-design platform with Canva. What started as a niche service grew with a focus on UX, simplicity, and massive scaling. Over time, Canva became one of the biggest and most profitable design platforms today, being valued in the tens of billions. Her journey underscores how user-friendly design and solving a clear pain point can help a startup with modest origins reach global fortune.
5. Lucy Guo – Scale AI and Building Wealth Quietly
Lucy Guo co-founded Scale AI, a company focusing on data labeling, AI infrastructure, and helping power other AI systems. Though she left early in 2018, she retained a stake that has appreciated hugely over time. Guo’s earlier efforts included coding, bots, and smaller online ventures during her youth, which were modest in scale but built her foundation. Her fortune comes from foresight into the AI market, equity in a fast-growing startup, and investing in what she believed would matter long term. For anyone with modest online startup ambitions, her story shows that early equity + trend awareness + patience can create massive rewards.
Key Patterns That Turn Modest Into Monumental
Looking across these stories, certain themes repeat: starting small but smart, focusing on solving real user problems, being lean with resources, investing early in product quality, and staying with it long enough to scale. These entrepreneurs didn’t wait for perfect conditions—they built as they went. They used modest online startups as proofs of concept, iterated rapidly, and reinvested in what worked. While luck and timing help, the foundation lies in clarity of vision and steady execution. If anything, these five make the roadmap clear for anyone wanting to turn a modest online startup into a fortune.
Which of these tech entrepreneurs inspires you the most? Or do you know someone who started small online and made it big? Share your stories in the comments!
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Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media. She frequently writes for a handful of blogs and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.
