The concept of a one-person company has become very popular in the entrepreneurial world these days. As the term suggests, OPC in business terminology refers to a type of business structure where one person owns and runs the entire business process without any or even no employees.
Thanks to all the technology, the internet, and the gig economy, it has become easier than ever to run a very successful company as a solopreneur. Whether it is a retail business, a consultancy firm, a design agency, a content house or a tech firm, many businesses have been created and grown single-handedly by a single person.
In this blog post, we are going to talk about the top 28 one person company examples in front of all of you; we are going to talk in a lot of details so that you do not face any kind of complexity in understanding one-person company, so let’s start this blog post without any delay.
What is the One Person Company?
A personal company, in fact, is a unique form of business organization designed to serve as an enabling mechanism for the individual entrepreneur who has expressed a desire to run his business on his own. Unlike traditional companies that require a minimum of two members, an OPC allows one person to have both ownership and control.
In other words, this structure blends the benefits of sole proprietorship with limited liability, which means that due to any liability of the business, the personal assets of the owner will not be put at risk.
OPCs are very helpful for small-scale businesses as they can avail of all the legal benefits of a company but with complete control. In case of sudden events, as per the Companies Act 2013, the owner of an OPC is required to appoint a nominee in India.
What are the Top 28 One Person Company Examples?
We have mentioned all the names of the top 28 one person company examples below, along with which we have also provided great information about all those examples:
- Amazon (USA)
- eBay (USA)
- Facebook (USA)
- Google (USA)
- Apple (USA)
- Snapchat (USA)
- Zappos (USA)
- Ola (India)
- Flipkart (India)
- Byju’s (India)
- Airbnb (USA)
- WhatsApp (USA)
- Spotify (Sweden)
- Slack (USA)
- Tesla (USA)
- Shopify (Canada)
- Bumble (USA)
- Happn (France)
- UrbanClap (India)
- Swiggy (India)
- Freshworks (India)
- Cure. fit (India)
- Bigo Live (Singapore)
- Paytm (India)
- OYO Rooms (India)
- Instacart (USA)
- Kiva (USA)
- Mailchimp (USA)
Amazon (USA)
Founder: Jeff Bezos
Amazon is an e-commerce giant that started in the garage of just one person – Jeff Bezos. The company was initially intended by Bezos to be an online bookstore, but in just a few years, it has become a tech giant selling everything from electronics to cloud computing services.
Amazon is the 1st example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
eBay (USA)
Founder: Pierre Omidyar
The first auction website that really became successful was eBay, founded as a one-person project by Pierre Omidyar. Started in 1995, the website was developed in his spare time and eventually became a billion-dollar company.
eBay is the 2nd example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Facebook (USA)
Founder: Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook is currently a social media giant, but at one time, it was a one-person initiative that started in Mark Zuckerberg’s dorm room at Harvard. Initially, Zuckerberg designed the website targeting university students under the name “Facebook” before his version of Facebook grew globally.
Facebook is the 3rd example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Google (USA)
Founders: Larry Page & Sergey Brin
Though technically two co-founders, Google started as a one-person operation in which Larry Page worked on the search engine. Google was to bring about enormous transformations in the internet-searching industry and become one of the world’s most valuable companies.
Google is the 4th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Apple (USA)
Founders: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne
Apple started with an idea from Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak working in a garage, and today, the company has become a very well-known company for its iconic devices: Apple.
Apple is the 5th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Snapchat (USA)
Founders: Evan Spiegel
Snapchat, Created as a project by Evan Spiegel during his third year at Stanford University, is now the multimedia messaging app Snapchat began as his dream of temporary photos and videos.
Snapchat is the 6th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Zappos (USA)
Founder: Nick Swinmurn
Zappos revolutionized online shoe sales; it all started as a one-person show. Nick Swinmurn founded Zappos after seeing a gap in the market for shoe sales over the internet. It grew to become an online retail giant that was later bought by Amazon.
Zappos is the 7th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Ola (India)
Founder: Bhavish Aggarwal
Born from the mind of a guy named Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola is one of the biggest ride-sharing companies in India; it actually turned a concept that was aimed at creating an easy and affordable ride-hailing service for Indian consumers into a competitor for global companies like Uber.
Ola is the 8th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Flipkart (India)
Founders: Sachin Bansal & Binny Bansal
India’s largest e-commerce company, Flipkart, was started by one man. Sachin Bansal, with the help of Binny Bansal, started it as an e-bookstore and turned it into a vast online marketplace. In 2018, Walmart acquired a substantial stake in Flipkart.
Flipkart is the 9th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Byju’s (India)
Founder: Byju Raveendran
BYJU’S, India’s number one edtech firm, started when Byju Raveendran used to provide private tuition. It gradually transformed into a global edtech company that provides fun learning experiences to students around the world.
Byju’s is the 10th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Airbnb (USA)
Founders: Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk
Initially, Airbnb started as an idea from a man named Brian Chesky, who wanted to make some extra money by renting out a room in his apartment. However, he and his co-founders managed to turn it into a worldwide platform that transformed hospitality.
Airbnb is the 11th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
WhatsApp (USA)
Founders: Jan Koum & Brian Acton
WhatsApp messaging application was initially a one-person project by Jan Koum, who inspired a simple, user-friendly messaging app. Koum’s vision became the world’s most popular messaging platform and was bought by Facebook for $19 billion.
WhatsApp is the 12th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Spotify (Sweden)
Founders: Daniel Ek & Martin Lorentzon
Spotify revolutionized the music industry by offering legal streaming alternatives to pirated music. It was co-founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, but it was Ek’s original idea and vision that made the company successful in those early years.
Spotify is the 13th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Slack (USA)
Founder: Stewart Butterfield
Slack started as a secondary project of a gaming company by Stewart Butterfield. The internal messaging system he initially created became a full-fledged business communication platform; it quickly changed the way teams collaborated.
Slack is the 14th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Tesla (USA)
Founder: Elon Musk (though later joined by others)
Tesla started with Elon Musk’s grand vision for electric vehicles – indeed, reducing carbon emissions and changing the face of the automotive world. His work made Tesla a household name.
Tesla is the 15th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Shopify (Canada)
Founder: Tobias Lütke
Shopify was started by Tobias Lutke, who initially created the platform to sell snowboarding equipment. Today, the company has become one of the most popular platforms for online e-commerce for entrepreneurs and businesses around the world.
Shopify is the 16th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Bumble (USA)
Founder: Whitney Wolfe Herd
Bumble is an app that allows women to make the first move, and it was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd. After leaving Tinder, Wolfe Herd started a person-based business that became one of the world’s most extensive dating applications, revolutionizing online dating.
Bumble is the 17th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Happn (France)
Founder: Antoine Matas
Happn is an app that connects people whose paths have crossed. It started as a person-based company developed by Antoni Matas and spread all over the world.
Happn is the 18th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
UrbanClap (India)
Founders: Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan, Raghav Chandra
UrbanClap started as a person-based idea of a home service solution by Abhiraj Bhal, which turned into an extensive range of services from beauty to plumbing services.
UrbanClap is the 19th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Swiggy (India)
Founders: Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, Rahul Jaimini
Swiggy is one of the best food delivery platforms in India. This business was started by Sriharsha Majety with the idea of creating an easy food delivery service, and Swiggy soon became one of the most popular delivery services in India.
Swiggy is the 20th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Freshworks (India)
Founder: Girish Mathrubootham
Freshworks was a one-person company started by Girish Mathrubootham, who worked towards building better customer service software. He turned his idea into a multimillion-dollar SaaS company serving businesses worldwide.
Freshworks is the 21st example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Cure. fit (India)
Founders: Mukesh Bansal & Ankit Nagori
Cure. Fit is another viral fitness and health platform, co-founded by Mukesh Bansal, which started from just an idea to become an extremely successful healthcare platform.
Cure. fit is the 22nd example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Bigo Live (Singapore)
Founder: David Li
Bigo Live is a live-streaming app. Founded by David Lee, Bigo Live started as a single-man company that became very popular in Southeast Asia at an incredible speed. Now, it is one of the most prominent players in live streaming.
Bigo Live is the 23rd example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Paytm (India)
Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Paytm, founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, was initially just a recharge platform. Gradually, it transformed into a digital wallet and even an e-commerce platform, contributing massively to India’s fintech space.
Paytm is the 24th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
OYO Rooms (India)
Founder: Ritesh Agarwal
OYO Rooms started with the idea of Ritesh Agarwal, who wanted to standardize budget hotels. It is now operating in several countries and has changed the very idea of the hotel industry.
OYO Rooms is the 25th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Instacart (USA)
Founder: Apoorva Mehta
Instacart started as a one-person idea by Apoorva Mehta, who wanted to make grocery shopping easier. It was the first platform where people could order groceries online from various retailers.
Instacart is the 26th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Kiva (USA)
Founder: Matt Flannery
Kiva was a micro-lending platform launched by Matt Flannery that offered loans to small-scale entrepreneurs working in developing countries. Today, it is one of the largest micro-lending platforms in the world.
Kiva is the 27th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Mailchimp (USA)
Founders: Ben Chestnut & Dan Kurzius
MailChimp started as a one-person operation but later grew into a world-renowned email marketing service that offers services to help small businesses run effective email campaigns.
Mailchimp is the 28th example among the Top 28 one person company examples And also a very important one.
Also Read: One Person Company Registration
In Conclusion
Ambitious one-person companies and their success stories genuinely reflect the potential of an individual’s vision and determination to make life incredibly rewarding.
This is true of global giants like Amazon or eBay and transformative Indian startups like Flipkart and Paytm, which combine brilliant ideas and relentless efforts to transform industries and redefine consumer experiences.
Although many of these companies started out single-handedly, it shows the power of taking the first step towards innovation, whether it is technology solving everyday problems or meeting unmet needs – the journey of a one-person company speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit.
FAQs
Q1. What are the famous one-person companies?
Some of the most popular one-person companies include Amazon (conceptualized by Jeff Bezos), eBay (started by Pierre Omidyar), Flipkart (by Sachin Bansal) and Byju’s (by Byju Raveendran). All of these were small one-person ventures that later became giant firms.
Q2. Which is better, OPC or Pvt. Ltd.?
OPC is suitable for a sole proprietor who seeks complete control and liability limits, while Pvt. Ltd is the best option for companies that are likely to expand in the long run, raise external capital or have multiple shareholders. It largely depends on the size and objectives of the business concerned.
Q3. What do you call a one-person company?
OPC is a type of business entity where a person can be both the owner and shareholder. It has limited liability, and it comes under the Companies Act as a recognized legal entity.
Q4. Can OPC hire employees?
Yes, an OPC can hire employees to run the business. The corporate structure limits ownership to one person, but there is no limit on hiring employees for day-to-day operations.
Q5. Who can start a one-person company?
An OPC can be formed by any Indian citizen and resident who is above 18 years of age. Non-residents and foreigners cannot form an OPC as per the laws of India.
Q6. Which are the OPC companies in India?
Some notable OPC company examples in India include startups in e-commerce, consulting and education. These include MyOnlineCA, which provides legal and tax services, and sole proprietors who switch to OPC for better legal recognition.
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