Sergey Brin
Google • United States • 1998-present
Co-founding Google after using research on web links to improve search.
Focus: Software • Internet
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Search#Data#Research#Technology
3 takeaways • 2 moments
Read story
Decisions, Money & Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur Stories
Short stories about real founders, written for young innovators. Each story highlights the problem, early product, first customers, key moments, and what to learn from it. Want to go deeper? Explore the Decisions, Money & Entrepreneurship curriculum.
- Stories
- 124
- Themes
- 194
- Archetypes
- 7
- Regions
- 42
- Sectors
- 129
- Eras
- 44
Spotlight stories
Start with stories that already have strong learning signals: takeaways, key moments, and links back into the curriculum.
Chosen from the richest story profiles in the library.
Spotlight 014 min
Daymond John
Turning a small streetwear start into FUBU, then using the same cash discipline as an investor.
Focus: Fashion • Retail
Archetype blend: Hustler + Builder
3 takeaways • 3 key moments • 3 skill links
Start here
Spotlight 026 min
Walt Disney
Turning cartoons into a bigger world of stories, characters, and experiences.
Focus: Entertainment • Animation
Archetype blend: Visionary + Builder
3 takeaways • 4 key moments • 3 skill links
Start here
Spotlight 035 min
Yvon Bock
Designing a smarter feeding system to support breastfeeding mothers around the world.
Focus: Consumer Products • Health
Archetype blend: Specialist + Builder
3 takeaways • 3 key moments • 3 skill links
Start here
Spot the problem
What did they notice? Who was struggling, and why did it matter?
Build the first version
MVP thinking: start small, test fast, learn what customers actually want.
Iterate with evidence
The best founders run experiments and turn failures into a better product.
Turn stories into skills
Use each story as a jumping-off point into our curriculum: modules, lesson previews, projects, and simulations that teach the same real-world skills founders use.
Opportunity And Creator Mindset
Turn agency into opportunity spotting, creator thinking, and small validation steps.
Open module
Personal Finance & Money Decisions
Understand money flow, saving, banking, borrowing, and compounding through real decisions.
Open module
Product And Customer Discovery
Move from assumptions to user insight, concept formation, and iteration choices.
Open module
Business Models, Execution & Growth
Connect business ideas to operating reality, money logic, and sustainable growth decisions.
Open module
Markets, Investing And Strategic Choice
Build disciplined judgment about investing, diversification, business quality, and uncertainty.
Open module
Leadership, Negotiation And Applied Influence
Lead, negotiate, repair tension, and make stronger decisions when others are affected.
Open module
Find stories
Search by founder, company, theme, archetype, region, or sector.
Showing 12 of 124 matches
Larry Page
Google • United States • 1998-present
Co-founding Google after researching a clearer way to rank web pages.
Focus: Software • Internet
Archetype blend: Builder
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Search#Research#Technology
3 takeaways • 2 moments
Read story
Ian Ang
Secretlab • Singapore • 2014-present
Co-founding Secretlab after noticing that long computer sessions needed a better chair.
Focus: Furniture • Ecommerce
Archetype blend: Builder
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Gaming#Furniture#Product Design
3 takeaways • 2 moments
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Anthony Tan
Grab • Southeast Asia • 2012-present
Co-founding Grab around a safety and reliability problem in everyday transport.
Focus: Transport • Technology
Archetype blend: Builder + Visionary
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Transport#Safety#Technology
3 takeaways • 2 moments
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Alaric Choo
Secretlab • Singapore • 2014-present
Co-founding Secretlab by turning a shared gaming-community problem into a product idea.
Focus: Furniture • Ecommerce
Archetype blend: Builder
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Gaming#Partnerships#Product Design
3 takeaways • 2 moments
Read story
Troy Hunt
Have I Been Pwned • Australia • 2013-present
Building a free public tool that lets anyone check whether their account data has been exposed in a known breach.
Focus: Cybersecurity • Developer Tools
Archetype blend: Specialist
Medium5 minAges 13-16
#Online Safety#Security Research#Education#Data Breaches
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 2 skill links • 4 facts
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Sal Khan
Khan Academy • United States • 2004-present
Turning evening phone tutoring for one cousin into a free non-profit education tool used in almost every country.
Focus: Education • Nonprofit
Archetype blend: Builder + Social Impact
Easy5 minAges 13-16
#Education#Free Access#Creating From Noticing#Nonprofit
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 2 skill links • 4 facts
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Tristan Harris
Center for Humane Technology • United States • 2013-present
Naming the persuasion-design techniques behind modern apps so users can recognise them in real time.
Focus: Technology • Media
Archetype blend: Social Impact + Specialist
Medium5 minAges 13-16
#Attention Economy#Design Ethics#Technology Policy#Misinformation
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 2 skill links • 4 facts
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John Paul DeJoria
Paul Mitchell • United States • 1980-present
Showing the difference between borrowing that traps you and borrowing that helps you build something.
Focus: Haircare • Consumer Products
Archetype blend: Builder
Medium5 minAges 13-16
#Borrowing#Bootstrapping#Resilience#Consumer Products
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 2 skill links • 3 facts
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Daymond John
FUBU / The Shark Group • United States • 1992-present
Turning a small streetwear start into FUBU, then using the same cash discipline as an investor.
Focus: Fashion • Retail
Archetype blend: Hustler + Builder
Easy4 minAges 11-14
#Cash Flow#Fashion#Branding#Sales
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 3 skill links • 4 facts
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James Dyson
Dyson • United Kingdom • 1978-present
Using engineering persistence to turn one household frustration into a global product company.
Focus: Appliances • Engineering
Archetype blend: Specialist + Builder
Easy5 minAges 11-14
#Design Engineering#Iteration#Persistence#Manufacturing
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 3 skill links • 3 facts
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Jeff Bezos
Amazon • United States • 1994-present
Building a company around customer obsession, long-term thinking, and scale.
Focus: E Commerce • Cloud Computing
Archetype blend: Visionary + Builder
Easy5 minAges 11-14
#Customer Obsession#Operations#Marketplaces#Long Term Thinking
3 takeaways • 3 moments • 3 skill links • 3 facts
Read story
112 more stories available