Surge AI, which helps tech companies get the high-quality data they need to improve their #AI models, brought in $1.2 billion in revenue in 2024, less than five years after its founding, from customers including Google, Meta, Microsoft and AI labs Anthropic and Mistral. (It helped train Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude.) It’s been profitable from nearly day one, accor­ding to founder and CEO Edwin Chen. Based on those numbers, the company is worth an estimated $24 billion. Surge is in talks to raise $1 billion at a $30 billion valuation, though the round hasn’t closed yet. Chen’s decision to fund #Surge himself has paid off handsomely: His approximately 75% stake in it is worth an estimated $18 billion, enough to make him the wealthiest newcomer on this year’s #Forbes400 list of the richest Americans. At age 37, he is also the youngest member. Read more about the AI #billionaire you've never heard of at the link in our bio. (Photo: guerinblask for Forbes)