Author: Gemma Paredes

In 2011, Ted Williams’ smooth, radio-friendly voice propelled him from homelessness to overnight fame. Dubbed “The Man With the Golden Voice,” he went from panhandling on the streets of Ohio to lucrative deals with MSNBC and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But his meteoric rise was followed by a series of setbacks, as he grappled with the challenges of sobriety. Struggles with Addiction and Rehab Williams’ overnight fame began with a viral video posted by The Columbus Dispatch in 2011. However, his struggle with addiction soon overshadowed his success. After admitting to ongoing alcohol use on Dr. Phil, Williams entered rehab twice,…

Andrew Wilkinson is a Canadian entrepreneur and venture capitalist with a net worth of $300 million! Andrew is the founder of Tiny, a holding company that owns over 40 businesses including Dribble, MetaLab and Pixel Union. In recent times, he’s become known for his thought leadership on Twitter and appearing on the My First Million podcast. Born in Vancouver, Andrew studied Journalism at Ryerson University. While working at a coffee shop, he came across customers who were website designers. This inspired him to launch Matlab in 2007. Initially the company designed simple websites and apps for small businesses. Within two…

Roq Innovation aims to create products to make everyone’s life a little easier. The company’s flagship product is Headlightz, perfect for situations where you need an extra hand in the dark. Raquel Graham pitched her stylish hats on Shark Tank and struck a deal with Kevin O’Leary and Peter Jones. Currently, Roq Innovations is worth an estimated $3 million. Raquel’s Journey Raquel Graham is a mother of two from Chicago, Illinois and studied history and economics at Wesleyan University. Graham later got an MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Before getting an MBA, Raquel worked as an operations…

Andre Rebelo is a YouTube gamer and streamer popularly known online as Typical Gamer. He rose to fame playing games such as Grand Theft Auto V and Fortnite. Rebelo’s videos feature gameplay, tips, Easter eggs, guides, and more. Currently, Typical Gamer has an estimated net worth of $23 million. Early Life Andre Rebelo was born on March 23, 1992, in Toronto, Canada into a business-minded family. His father was an entrepreneur who owned a small business and his brother Billy was a big influence. Andre’s had a passion for gaming since he was a child and used to compete against…

BeSomebody was an experiential learning platform that started out as a blog. Founder Kash Shaikh pitched his business on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. Later on, the app shutdown and Kash focused on job placement services. As of 2024, BeSomebody is worth $15 million. The pitch doesn’t go as planned but the company has bounced back! The Founder Kash Shaikh is an entrepreneur from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2002, he got a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin. As a student he worked as the indirect sales team leader for Sprint. After graduating, he became a…

Popularly known as Markiplier, Mark Edward Fischbach is a content creator, podcaster, and voiceover actor. As one of the top 100 most-subscribed YouTube channels, he is also the third highest paid YouTube according to Forbes. This level of success comes with impressive monetary rewards. Markiplier has a net worth of $35 million based on the latest revenue sources analyzed. Early Life Fischbach was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 28, 1989. His father is of German heritage and served in the US military, where he met Mark’s Korean mother. He has an older brother named Jason Thomas, who is now…

Ever since Larry Tesler invented the copy and paste function in 1974, it has made millions of lifes easier. However, Copy Keyboard takes things to another level, the small keyboard with just two keys claims to make copying and pasting even easier. Scotty Trujillo’s product has taken TikTok by storm and featured on Shark Tank in 2023. Sadly, he wasn’t able to get a deal. After Shark Tank, Copy Keyboard is worth an estimated $200,000. About the Founder Scotty Trujillo is from Fresno County, California and holds a mechanical engineering degree from CSU. But after graduating, his career took a…

New Yorkers love their bagels but for others, a full bagel is just too much commitment. Because of this married couple, Nick and Elyse Oleksak created a mini bagel called Bantam Bagels. They pitched their product on Shark and scored a deal with Lori Greiner. Bantam Bagels is only worth an estimated $2 million but had a much higher valuation before it was acquired in 2018. The Founders Nicholas and Elyse Oleksak are a husband and wife duo from New York City. Nick has a bachelor’s degree in economics, and Elyse studied sociology and political science at Columbia University. Both of…

The Original Comfy is a mix of a blanket and an oversized sweater. As the product advertises, it is made for comfort and warmth. It was founded by brothers Michael and Brian Speciale and they got a deal with Barbara Corcoran. After the show, The Original Comfy is worth an estimated $50 million. Michael and Brian Speciale Michael and Brian Speciale are single fathers living in Phoenix, Arizona. Brian has a degree in broadcast management from Arizona State University. In 1993, he worked as a video editor at the KSAZ television station and later became an executive sports producer at…

ChessUp is a smart chess board that can analyze your game and help you make the right moves with its built-in instructional system. Founders Jeff Wigh, Adam Roush, and Justin Farrell pitched their innovative product on season 14 of Shark Tank and got a deal with Lori Greiner. As of 2024, ChessUp is worth an estimated $3 million. The Founders The three entrepreneurs behind the product are from Olathe, Kansas. Jeff Wigh has an MBA from MIT and has worked in the product development teams at Allegro Microsystems, Herzog, and Garmin. Adam Roush has a BA and BFA in industrial…