A teetotal 26-year-old has become Britain’s youngest self-made billionaire after launching an online events firm at the start of lockdown.
Johnny Boufarhat developed the video-conferencing app Hopin while he was struck down in bed with an auto-immune disease.
In just one year, the unassuming Manchester University graduate has transformed into one of the hottest tech entrepreneurs in Europe.
The app allows conferences to be live-streamed and is valued at £4.1billion with its founder’s stake now worth nearly £1.5billion.
Mr Boufarhat’s new-found fortune has gained him 113th place in the Sunday Times Rich List of the most wealthy individuals and families in the country.
The annual review found the combined fortune of Britain’s billionaires has increased by a fifth to £597billion despite the pandemic.
While millions were furloughed or laid off, the wealth of each of the UK’s 250 richest people grew at an average of more than £1million a day over the past year. This has led to calls for an overhaul of the way the super-rich are taxed.
Mr Boufarhat was born in Sydney after his parents – a mechanical engineer and an accountant – moved to Australia from Lebanon during the 1975-1990 civil war.