Jeong Kim, a Korean-born immigrant to the US, was keen to offer advice to budding entrepreneurs this week. But then he was in a strong position to do so. He had just sold his company for $1 billion (£709 million).

Under the deal, $510 million is to go to Kim (37), the rest to the other shareholders of Yurie Systems, a maker of advanced communications equipment.

His share would put him on Fortune magazine's list of the 100 richest high-tech executives in the country, ahead of such magnates as Sun Microsystems' chief executive, Scott McNealy, and Intel's chief, Andrew Grove. "I had always felt I wasn't the smartest," said Kim. So he compensated by working impossibly long hours 120 a week early on, he said. "People can look at someone like me," he said. "They see someone who looks different, who speaks with a funny accent. And maybe they'll say, if I set my goals high, maybe I can succeed like that, too." Easy really!