Dietmar Hopp

Dietmar Hopp left IBM with four colleagues in 1972 to launch German software company SAP (Systems, Applications, Products). He served as co-CEO from 1988, the year SAP went public, to 1998 and then as chairman of the supervisory board until 2003.In 1996, he transferred most of his SAP shares to a foundation. Those shares are included in his net worth calculation, as he still controls them.That entity, Dietmar Hopp Stiftung, supports sports, medicine, education and social programs, and has distributed over $700 million since its start.He is the main financial backer of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, a soccer club that plays in the First Bundesliga, the top division of Germany's league system.