14 Famous Startups Founded After Age 35

We have heard a lot about talented young individuals who were not afraid to start a new business and quickly achieved success. This has created a stereotype that success is all about starting early: you must begin entrepreneurial activities right after high school, and obtaining a university education is not necessary. On the other hand, there is an impression that if you haven't made it by 35, there are no chances of launching a successful venture that could become a market giant over time. In reality, it is never too late to try something new, as each age has its own advantages. The following 14 success stories are living proof that a successful business can be launched at 35 or even much later.

Jimmy Wales, Founder of "Wikipedia" and Wikia

He founded the famous Wikipedia at the age of 35. Just 3 years later, he launched the Wikia project. Wales believes that success stories of young startup founders are exceptions, not the rule.

Girish Mathrubootham, Founder of Freshdesk Support Service

At the age of 36, he was a manager in a large company, owned a house, and his children were in school. Everything seemed perfect. But Girish took a risk and founded Freshdesk. He never regretted his decision. Dealing with a creative and hardworking team is something he enjoys. In April 2012, Freshdesk had 700 clients and received a $5 million prize from Tiger Global Management and Accel Partners during the second round of financing.

Reed Hastings, Co-founder of Netflix Video Streaming Service

Reed Hastings launched the Netflix DVD rental when he was 37. Ten years later, the world saw his first streaming service. Currently, the company also produces its own TV series, but they are only available to Netflix customers.

Om Malik, Founder of Online Publication GigaOm

GigaOm was launched when Malik was 39. He is still energetic and enjoying life. Om Malik believes that our ability to think creatively and take risks should not be defined by our age. In 2012, the project's monthly audience reached 5.5 million.

Tim Westergren, Founder of Pandora Internet Radio

Tim Westergren founded Pandora at the age of 35, and now 250 million people use the platform. Despite some challenges in 2009, Pandora continued its operations, and the situation soon improved. According to Tim, the ages of 40-50 are the best times for startups as you have life wisdom, judgment serenity, and still a lot of energy.

Michael Arrington, Founder of TechCrunch

Arrington founded the online publication TechCrunch at the age of 35. The project is dedicated to IT companies. TechCrunch covers companies ranging from startups to the biggest NASDAQ-listed corporations. Among other things, Arrington asserts that a higher education is not necessary.

Reid Hoffman, Founder of LinkedIn

Hoffman launched his project at the age of 36. LinkedIn has over 225 million users from 150 business sectors across 200 countries. When the company went public, its share price more than doubled.

Rashmi Sinha, Co-founder of Slideshare

Rashmi Sinha founded the Slideshare presentation service at 37. The site is like YouTube but for slides. Initially designed for slide sharing among colleagues, it gained popularity for work and entertainment purposes.

Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, Founders of Intel

Intel was founded when Moore was 39 and Noyce was 41. Before starting their own business, they had to leave Fairchild Semiconductors. It was a risk, but the experience gained there helped them establish a successful independent business known worldwide.

Mark Pincus, Co-founder of Game Developer Zynga

When Pincus founded Zynga, he was 41. After Zynga went public, some setbacks occurred, causing its stock to drop by almost 70%. In spring 2013, Pincus decided to pay himself a yearly salary of $1 and declined all bonuses and rewards.

Katie Rae, Co-founder of TechStars Boston Business Incubator

A business incubator is an organization that supports and develops startups. An interesting idea—launching a project that helps other new projects. Katie Rae was 42 when she founded TechStars Boston.

Paul Graham, Founder of Y Combinator Business Incubator

Another successful business incubator, founded by Graham at the age of 43. The project has financed over 500 startups, including Airbnb, Disqus, Dropbox, Heroku, Keychain Logistics, Octopart, One Month, reddit, Scribd, and others.

Linda Avey, Co-founder of 23andMe

23andMe is a company involved in biotechnology. It conducts genetic analysis and provides private customers with information on their predisposition to hereditary diseases. Linda Avey was 46 when the project started.

In September 2009, Avey left 23andMe and founded the Brainstorm Research Foundation, focusing on Alzheimer's disease research.

Irwin Jacobs and Andrew Viterbi, Founders of Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a company engaged in wireless communication development. When Jacobs and Viterbi founded it, Jacobs was 52 and Viterbi was 50. By 2013, the company's total capital exceeded $36 billion.