Sometimes, it takes just one really good idea. From food to toy moguls, the world's wealthiest inventors not only had that one genius idea but the ability to market it – and marketing it extremely effectively. Then, they maintained their earnings through smart investments or creating a product that truly lasts. Here are the top 5 wealthiest inventors worldwide, with brief descriptions of their inventions and other interesting factoids.
1. Michele Ferrero: At a net value of $11 billion, Michele Ferrero of Monaco is considered the world's richest inventor, and one of the world's wealthiest women. Her company, Ferrero, is one of the world's largest chocolate makers, and includes such notable brands as Nutella and Tic Tacs. Her genius moment came in making a chocolate hazelnut spread for toast, one that is now known and enjoyed worldwide. Her products sell for mere dollars, but are staples in households across Europe, North America, and she hopes Asia – Ferrero recently built a $35 million Tic Tac plant in India.
2. Jeff Bezos: Lots of entrepreneurs had great ideas during the 90s dot-com boom. Very few of those ideas lasted beyond the great dot-com crash. Jeff Bezos had an ingenious idea that has made him worth over $8 billion: sell books online. Amazon.com quickly became the world's #1 bookseller, and has since morphed into an all-purpose one-stop marketplace for electronics, music, and even clothing and furniture. Never underestimating the power of shopping conveniently from home, Bezos and Amazon have conquered the Internet. Now for new territory: Bezos' next project involves commercial space travel.
3. Pierre Omidyar: Also realizing the power of the Internet in its infant years, the French Omidyar started eBay after seeing the potential to create a digital auction block of an unimaginable scale. Today, people sell just about anything on the site to the highest bidder, including pieces worth tens of thousands of dollars. Over a million people now use his platform as a primary or secondary source of income. Omidyar is also a renowned philanthropist, having donated significantly to Tufts University, his alma mater, as well as financing small businesses in developing economies.
4. Ralph Lauren: Sometimes, only a logo is necessary. The eponymous jockey of Ralph Lauren clothing is known the world over, and has made its creator a billionaire. Overseeing a $4 billion empire, Ralph Lauren started at Brooks Brothers before moving on to his own clothing line. The brand's still-popular polos (sporting the logo prominently, of course) retail for $75 at the very cheapest. The line specializes in preppy wear and has become synonymous with American East Coast royalty. Now traded publicly, Ralph Lauren has moved into luggage, fragrances, and just about anything they can put their logo on.
5. Ty Warner: There is a lot of money to be made in fads, if you can create one. Ty Warner did just that with Beanie Babies, sold by his Ty stuffed animal company, and started a national frenzy unseen before or since. The cute beanbag animals made Warner worth around $4 billion due to their popularity and partnerships with big corporations like McDonald's. Like any fad, the bottom fell out of the collecting craze and Beanie Babies soon died out, but Warner has continued to make good moves since then. He has invested in real estate and owns resorts in key vacation destinations, including his own Four Seasons in New York.
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