How King Kong founder, Australian young rich lister Sabri Suby turned $50 into $74m

The 37-year-old watched his single mum struggle to feed him and his sister growing up in northern NSW but he has managed to turn the tables.

The 37-year-old watched his single mum struggle to feed him and his sister growing up in regional NSW but he has managed to turn the tables.

An Australian dad has managed to turn a $50 investment into an eye-watering $74 million after his business idea took off.

Sabri Suby, 37, watched his single mum struggle to feed him and his sister growing up in Byron Bay in northern NSW but he has managed to turn the tables.

Nearly a decade ago, he came up with the idea of King Kong, a digital marketing agency for companies to outsource their advertising with his business running their online ad campaigns.

His then-girlfriend, now-wife Shalini, bought him a computer as a gift in 2014 to help get his business off the ground. He then spent an additional $50 loading up credit on a prepaid phone to make cold calls from his rented bedroom.

This decision has ultimately turned Mr Suby into a multi-millionaire with a net worth of $74 million and has landed him a spot on Australia’s coveted young rich list.

Now based in Melbourne, the entrepreneur told news.com.au that despite the softening economic conditions, it hasn’t taken a toll on his company and that he is looking to triple the number of staff at his firm in the next two years.

Since King Kong launched in the US in 2021, his net worth jumped from $55 million to its current $74 million.

Mr Suby is currently filming the latest season of Shark Tank, after he was selected as one of the judges to give other budding entrepreneurs advice on their businesses.

Sabri Suby turned has a net worth of $74 million.

Mr Suby and his wife Shalini.

Mr Suby took King Kong global in May 2021, launching offices in the US, Britain, Canada, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand due to popular demand.

And even though the following year’s tough market conditions hit businesses all around the world, things are just going better for his ad agency.

“I feel very confident about the digital landscape and what’s happening,” Mr Suby told news.com.au.

“People aren’t pulling back on their spending. The numbers are looking positive.

“We haven’t let go of anybody, we didn’t let go of anybody during Covid. The demand for our services outstrip the supply.

“We’re hiring for all positions in all regions, we’re looking to triple the size of our headcount in the next 24 months. It’s never been busier. HR are doing back-to-back interviews in different time zones.”

Currently, there are more than 30 positions available. He has about 100 staff working under him, with the largest amount in King Kong’s Melbourne head office.

King Kong has more than 200,000 customers in 136 different countries, and has generated over $7.8 billion in sales since its inception.

It made more than $30 million in revenue in the past financial year.

The dad has had to juggle work commitments after having three kids.

How King Kong founder, Australian young rich lister Sabri Suby turned $50 into $74m

Mr Suby credits his mother for instilling in him a work ethic that would go on to make him millions.

“I watched my mum hold down three jobs and still come home and cook a healthy meal for me and my sister. I coined it ‘single mother work ethic’,” he explained.

He usually wakes up at 4 or 5am but when speaking to news.com.au, he had been awake since 2am because he was in another time zone.

The entrepreneur now has to learn to juggle his work life with his family life, with three young children he now has to care for.

He and his wife have three daughters aged six, three and one.

“While I’m not with my girls when they wake up in the morning, I’m with them when they go to bed,” Mr Suby explained.

This ad campaign that launched last month has raised eyebrows.

Mr Suby thinks digital advertising is the way of the future.

Although he travels the world for work, he says rather than “escaping” from his family commitments, he brings them with him.

“Raising a family is a team effort,” Mr Suby said.

“My wife does the bulk of raising the children if we’re going to be honest. Right now I’m in Dubai doing business, I take them wherever I go.”

As the boss, he can call the shots, which is “one of the perks of the business”.

“I want to have them (my family) by my side. We have a big company meeting (every day). My wife and my three kids are there, I want them to know what I’m doing,” he added.

Mr Suby is also not afraid to make waves.

Last month, he ran an ad campaign to show that digital advertising was the way of the future.

The billboards received complaints for making Mark Zuckerberg appear like Jesus.

But the campaign has tripled his sales in just four weeks.

Originally published as How King Kong founder, Australian young rich lister Sabri Suby turned $50 into $74m