Man Who Dropped Out Of School Aged 17 Sold Business For £2.3m

A high school dropout went on to become a millionaire gaming genius who has been awarded a Guinness World Record.

Luke Millanta, from Sydney in Australia, dropped out of school when he was just 17 but he didn't let that hold him back and recently sold his second business for a whopping AU $4.2million (£2.3m).

Instagram/@luke.rm

Luke, 30, is currently the chief technology officer of Aussie gaming brand Hive Gaming and was awarded the Guinness World Record for 'most followed content creator on Steam' earlier this year.

But things haven't been plain-sailing for Luke - talking to the Daily Mail, he said: "I dropped out of school when I was 17, I was signed to play for a now defunct North American video gaming team. But that didn't go anywhere.

"About a month after I decided to drop out of school, the financial crash happened."

Luke did a short IT traineeship and got a job with the Australian Intelligence agency, but aged 24, he decided to pack that in and create his own business.

Luke set up a digital education company called Acadeemit, which 'grew quite rapidly over two years' before it was bought by software company Learnosity in 2016.

Hard-working Luke didn't rest on his laurels after successfully flogging his business, though; after taking a month off he set up his software development business Brackenwood Systems.

Hive Gaming acquired Brackenwood Systems for AU $4.2 million this year and gave Luke a job as chief technology officer. Not bad, eh?

Luke also offered a bit of advice for anyone hoping to set up their own business.

Instagram/@luke.rm

"I always say to try not to be the smartest person in the room," he told the Daily Mail.

"When I walk into a room, I try to recognise people that have skills that are complimentary to mine.

"What I do, is become a sponge. If you have a skill set that I don't have, I will learn that from you."

He also recommended that people work 'smarter not harder'.

However, despite his success, Luke wouldn't recommend dropping out of school and going it alone.

He said: "I left school with a plan that failed completely. To be honest, I've been incredibly fortunate where people have given me opportunities.

"The average high school dropout, it's not all roses for them.

"Don't just drop out and think you'll become a millionaire overnight, it's a slog."

Topics: Inspirational, Australia

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19