Bill Gross
BORN
1958 in Tokyo. Grew up in Ft. Lee, N.J., and Encino, Calif.
EDUCATION
B.S., 1981, in Engineering & Applied Science from California Institute of Technology
MOST SUCCESSFUL STARTUP
Knowledge Adventure, sold in 1997 for $100 million to Cendant Corp.
MOST DISAPPOINTING STARTUP
ideaMarket, a much-ballyhooed site for business reports and software that's now closed down
HOW HE GETS HIS IDEAS
From watching how his children learn, through voluminous reading, and ''by juggling a lot in my head''
FAVORITE RECENT BOOK
Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation by James Utterback
HARDEST LESSON
''To learn not to do what I don't like doing and therefore am not good at''
FAVORITE STATISTIC
The low cost of gaining a customer on the Web. His target: less than 10 cents
FAMILY
Divorced. Two sons: David, 11; Andrew, 3
INTERESTS
Reading, painting, listening to music
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