Like many entrepreneurs, Ma's success story started with borrowed capital and a dream. In 1999, Ma, a former English teacher, invited 18 people over to his home, pitched the idea of a business-to-business e-commerce site, and snagged $60,000 in funding. Today Alibaba's multitiered empire, which includes e-commerce, consumer retail, and payment platforms and ownership of China Yahoo, now plays a major role in China's booming economy.
就很多企业家一样，马云的成功开始于一个风险投资商和一个梦想。在1999年，当时还在做英语老师的马云把自己的十八个朋友叫到家里告诉他们自己想做B2B的电子商务网站，并且募集了50万人民币。今天马云的多层次商业帝国在中国的迅速发展中扮演者重要的角色，这个商业帝国不仅仅涉及电子商务，还涉及零售业、支付平台和雅虎中国的拥有权。