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Born poor, now self-made billionaires


Meet the inspiring people who struggled against all odds to make it big. They turned adversities into advantages. From being without food, to taking up all kinds of odd jobs, they have proved that nothing is impossible! Their success stories reflect passion, hard work and excellence.

"I have had all of the disadvantages required for success."

Larry Ellison

He was adopted by a middle class family in Chicago nine months after he was born to an unwed Jewish lady. Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation was a bright student, showed a good aptitude for maths and science. But he left the University of Illinois at the end of his second year, after his mother died.

He later studied computer designing. He moved to California where he did several odd jobs for about 8 years. Finally, as a programmer at Ampex, he participated in building the first IBM-compatible mainframe system. In 1977, Ellison and two of his Ampex colleagues, Robert Miner and Ed Oates, founded their own company, Software Development Labs with just $1400 from his savings. The company was later renamed Oracle Corporation.

He is currently listed on the Forbes list of billionaires as the fourth richest person in the world. Ellison is the third richest American, with an estimated net worth of $27 billion as of September 2009 . The 65-year old Ellison known for his extravagant lifestyle, races sailboats and flies planes.

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