The allure of making it big in the business world, disrupting industries, and making millions is what drives entrepreneurs to take risks and set up new firms. Setting up a new company is perhaps among the most difficult tasks in the world, as it requires a multi-year commitment and solving new challenges almost every day. However, the returns of this struggle are exponential in many cases. A key challenge when setting up a new firm is finding capital.
There are a couple of ways in which founders can secure funding, and these include seeking the aid of outside professional investors or relying on their own capital or that of close friends and family. The latter is called bootstrapping, and it has its caveats and benefits since while raising capital from outside sources requires ceding control, using your own money to finance a startup carries the risk of a complete loss of savings and other funds.
Here are the top 10 most valuable bootstrapped companies in the world.
| Rank | Company | Market cap |
| 1. | Apple | $2.35 trillion |
| 2. | Microsoft | $1.90 trillion |
| 3. | Amazon | $984.87 billion |
| 4. | Meta Platforms | $313.15 billion |
| 5. | Coca-Cola | $275.08 billion |
| 6. | Oracle Corporation | $226.77 billion |
| 7.. | Cisco Systems | $205.28 billion |
| 8. | SAP SE | $129.06 billion |
| 9. | SpaceX | $125 billion |
| 10. | Yum! Brands | $36.39 billion |
