Uber is a massive company that's now valued at $18 billion, likely making its CEO Travis Kalanick a billionaire.
But that wasn't always the case.
Uber was the third in a series of startups Kalanick had helped get off the ground and the first that has been truly successful.
It took Kalanick years to get where he is now. At one point before Uber even existed, Kalanick was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sleeping in his parents' house.
This is the story of how Travis Kalanick built Uber's empire.
Kalanick grew up in Northridge, California, a suburb outside Los Angeles. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a spy.
Source: Business Insider
However, Kalanick would eventually follow in the entrepreneurial footsteps of his mom, a retail advertiser. He went door-to-door, selling knives for Cutco as a youngster. He started his first business at age 18, an SAT-prep course called New Way Academy.
Source: Business Insider
He went to UCLA to study computer engineering. He'd drop out in 1998 but with good reason.
Source: Business Insider
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