Itthipat Peeradechapan (, , surname changed from Kulapongvanich () in 2012), nicknamed Tob (), is a Thai entrepreneur. He is most well known for his product Tao Kae Noi, a fried

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

snack, which is sold around the Asia-Pacific area. He and his family own 73% of the company and Forbes estimated his wealth at $600 million in 2018. As a young man, Itthipat gained success at playing online games and winning tournament prizes. He invested his money into selling fried

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

s, which became popular in Thailand. With this financial backing, he went on to create the product of packaged deep fried flavored seaweed, which quickly became successful in Thailand, and was exported to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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, and the

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. A Thai movie, ''

The Billionaire ''The Billionaire'', also known as ''Top Secret: Wai Roon Pan Lan'' (, ), is a 2011 Thai biographical drama film produced by Nadao Bangkok and released by GTH. It was directed by Songyos Sugmakanan, and stars Pachara Chirathivat, Somboonsuk N ...

'', was loosely based on his life. The title refers to his status as a billionaire in Thai baht.

Early life

Itthipat Kulapongvanich was born on November 24, 1984, in Thailand to a wealthy

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese people, Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a popul ...

family with interests in the construction industry. He attained his education from kindergarten and elementary at Panapun Wittaya School, high school at St. Francis Xavier School and senior from Suankularb Wittayalai Nonthaburi School. He obtained his bachelor's degree in business administration from the

University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) ( Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยหอการค้าไทย) is a private non-profit higher education institution in Bangkok, Thailand. The university's origin dates back to 19 ...

Business career

When he was still 16 years old, he was addicted to online games. Even though he gained success at playing online games and winning tournament prizes because of his hobby playing online games, he was often underestimated by his teachers at school. He decided to drop out from school to become a chestnut peddler when he was 17 years old. He invested his money into selling fried chestnuts, which became popular in Thailand. In 2004, Itthipat founded Tao Kae Noi (Little Tycoon) Food and Marketing Co., Ltd. The brand sold fried seaweed snacks, which became highly popular among teenagers and office workers. In December 2015, the company had its initial public offer (IPO) on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, raising 1.8 billion baht. His success has made him popular among business circles and media. The company reported a net profit of 160 million baht in its third quarter in 2017. Itthipat has said he targets revenue of 1 billion U.S. dollars in 7–8 years.

References

Sources

* ''Biography of Tob.'' Retrieved November 8, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/tobtkn/timeline * ''Personal Information.'' Retrieved November 82, 2015 from อิทธิพัทธ์ กุลพงษ์วณิชย์)https://www.facebook.com/AitthipatKulapongvanich * ประวัติของอิทธิพัทธ์ กุลพงษ์วณิชย์. Retrieved November 8, 2015 from :th:อิทธิพัทธ์ กุลพงษ์วณิชย์, อิทธิพัทธ์ กุลพงษ์วณิชย์ * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peeradechapan, Itthipat Living people

Itthipat Peeradechapan Itthipat Peeradechapan (, , surname changed from Kulapongvanich () in 2012), nicknamed Tob (), is a Thai entrepreneur. He is most well known for his product Tao Kae Noi, a fried seaweed snack, which is sold around the Asia-Pacific area. He and h ...

1984 births