Kim Beom-su
Seoul, South Korea
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Seoul National University | Master of Science, Seoul National University
South Korea
Kakao
online services, Self Made
$2,700,000,000
1057
#10 Korea's 50 Richest 2019
#1057 Billionaires 2019
Kim Beom-su is the founder and chairman of Kakao, South Korea's biggest messaging app, which is installed in 90% of the country's smartphones. Kakao's tens of millions of users also use the app for gaming, shopping and chatting. In 2014 Kakao acquired the country's No. 2 search engine Daum in an all stock transaction worth $3.3 billion which resulted in a back door listing. That same year the South Korean government classified Kakao as a large company; it is the first tech startup that made it into the big leagues. He is also a cofounder of NHN Entertainment, the former gaming subsidiary of the country's largest search engine, Naver.
Kim grew up in poverty and paid his way through college by offering private tutoring, sometimes skipping meals to save money. In 2017 he diversified into crypto and bought into Upbit, a top exchange in South Korea through his holding company K Cube Ventures.
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