How Wildberries founder Tatyana Bakalchuk became the richest woman in Russia
The e-commerce entrepreneur – who is proudly of Korean heritage – built a US$1.4 billion fortune from the online start-up she launched as an English teacher on maternity leave with just US$700 in the bank
Meet Tatyana Bakalchuk, the richest woman in Russia today with a net worth of US$1.4 billion, thanks to her online retail business. Here are four things you need to know about the 44-year-old entrepreneur, proudly of Korean heritage.
She was educated in Russia
Bakalchuk graduated specialising in English and German from Moscow State Regional Social and Humanitarian Institute. That’s how she went on to become an English teacher. But she was hardly able to make ends meet. That’s when she came up with the interesting idea of an online retail business to turn things around for the sake of her family.
Her e-commerce start-up
In 2004, while taking a rest at home on maternity leave, she established the online retailer Wildberries with just US$700 left in her savings account.
At the time, she was only 28, but this didn’t deter Bakalchuk from taking risks. It was just a matter of time before her husband, Vladislav, became part of her company. In the early days of the business, she mostly traded and resold Quelle products from the German retailer Otto Group. Since then, her online business has come a long way, boasting 15,000 brands today.
