Hiroki Takeuchi
When Hiroki Takeuchi finished his maths degree, he initially began a career as a management consultant. But Takeuchi soon quit to pursue his real passion of launching his own startup, teaming up with university friend Tom Blomfield to found payments company GoCardless. The firm was an instant hit with Silicon Valley giants, attracting early funding from the likes of Google and Salesforce.
But as the company began to grow at rapid speed, Tekeuchi’s own life came to an abrupt halt. On a cycle ride around Regent’s Park in 2016, he collided with a car, crushing his spinal cord and leaving him permanently paralysed from the waist down.
After a lengthy stay in hospital, though, the entrepreneur picked up where he left off just three months later and remains CEO of the business, which now processes over £20 billion in payments annually.
View the full rich list here.
View the rich list methodology here.
