10 Founders That Exited For More Money Than The Squid Games Winnings

It seems that all everyone is talking about since December 26th is the second season of Squid Game.

For those that don’t know, the season, based in South Korea, follows a group of ‘players’ as they compete in life or death games for a prize of 46 billion won (or around £25,00,000). The games are run by a collective of wealthy people, who view the games as a form of entertainment.

With every player that dies in the games, more money is added to the prize pot. The series follows main character Seong Gi-hun as he takes part in these nail biting quests against his corrupt competitors.

The current season was an overwhelming success worldwide, ending on a cliff hanger with season 3 set to release some time this year. As the games progressed and more money was added, viewers globally were no doubt rushing to their currency converters to figure out just how much money was actually up for grabs.

But in the world of startups, you definitely don’t need to compete in life or death games to win 46 billion won (or £25,00,000). All you need is a good business idea, strong execution and of course, a solid exit.

Here, we look at 10 entrepreneurs who exited their companies for more than the 46 billion won prize money.

 

Shaun Pulfrey

 

 

Shaun Pulfrey invented the Tangle Teezer. A hairbrush designed to prevent damage and breakage.

The product first appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2007, where it was rejected by the Dragons for being a bad business idea.

Luckily, inventor Shaun Pulfrey was undeterred, and ended up building the business into a muli million pound enterprise. He finally sold a majority stake in it to Mayfair Equity Partners in 2021, with a valuation of over £70M.

 

Luke Johnson

 

 

Luke Johnson was a serial restauranteur that founded Signature Restaurants, a group that included chains like The Ivy, Le Caprice and Belgo. After selling it in 2005, he went on to found the Strada restaurant group, growing it to 30 units.

These restaurants sold in 2006 with these two sales earning him a huge £90 million combined.

 

Martin Warner

 

 

Martin Warner was the CEO and Co-Founder of botObjects, a 3D printing company that was innovating in the space back in 2015.

Martin and his co-founder sold the business just 17 months after launch for a huge $50 million back in 2015. Since then, the company has operated under 3D systems.

 

Nick Jenkins

 

 

If you’ve ever looked for a greeting card online, you’ve probably heard of Moonpig. The company was one of the first to allow people to buy and send birthday and greeting cards directly to the recipients online.

In 2011, Nick successfully sold Moonpig to Photobox in 2011 for £120 million.

 

 

James Watt

 

 

James Watt, founder of BrewDog is a serial entrepreneur and investor, but that wasn’t always the way. It began in 2007 and went through a series of ups and downs before becoming one of the UK’s most successful startups.

Today, the company is owned by James Watt (9%), Martin Dickie (8%), TSG Consumer Partners (70%), other Board members (4%) and members of the public (9%). Watt has come out recently sharing a story about how he sold a few of his shares for £50 million, though he still retains a decent percentage.

 

Paul Lindley

 

 

Baby Food doesn’t sound like an exciting business, but it was for Paul Lindley. Back in 2013 he built and sold Ella’s Kitchen £66 million.

The company was bought by US food company Hain Celestial, who paid the sum for 100% equity.

 

Rus Yusupov, Dom Hofmann and Colin Krol

 

 

If you grew up in the 2010s, you probably remember Vine. Well, it was founded in June 2012 and quickly became viral.

The company was so successful, that Twitter bought it for a reported $30 million, which it later shut down in 2017.

 

Aaron Patzer

 

 

Aaron Patzer founded Mint.com because he wanted better ways to keep track of his finances. The app was launched at the TechCrunch40 conference in 2017, winning a $50k first prize.

Just a few years later, Intuit bought Mint.com for $170 million. Patzer was just 28 at the time.

 

George Treves and Sean Thomas

 

 

Originally a business selling t-shirts and sweatshirts to skiiers, The White Stuff became a clothing chain well known in the French Alps.

Fast forward to 2024, Co-Founders George and Sean sold their business to TFG London for £40 million.

 

Richard Reed, Adam Balon, and Jon Wright

 

 

If you like juice, you’ve probably heard of Innocent Drinks. A smoothie business that boasts fresh flavours.

Back in 2009, the 3 co-founders of Innocent Drinks sold a stake of between 10% and 20% to The Coca-Cola Company for £30 million. A year later, it paid £65 million for a 58% stake, owning a huge majority of the business.