By Trendsetter Tribune 
When people imagine the CEO of a billion-dollar company, they often picture luxury cars, private jets, and a life fueled by money. But for serial entrepreneur Sami Inkinen, wealth meant something far simpler: being debt-free.
Inkinen, the CEO of $2 billion healthcare company Virta Health, says there was only one moment in his life when he truly felt rich—when he finally paid off $100,000 in student loans. After selling secondary shares from Trulia in 2008, Inkinen used the money to wipe out his debt, buy an expensive bicycle, and furnish his small San Francisco apartment. That was it.
“There’s one moment in my life that I felt rich,” Inkinen says. “After that, I’ve never thought about money.”
The Finland-born entrepreneur has founded three companies over two decades, including Trulia, which Zillow acquired for $3.5 billion in 2015. Despite building massive companies and personal wealth, Inkinen insists money was never the goal. Even when consulting giant McKinsey offered him a high-paying job and signing bonus after Stanford, he walked away and chose the uncertainty of entrepreneurship instead.
Inkinen credits his upbringing in Finland for his mindset. With free education and healthcare, he says he always felt he had enough. He didn’t buy his first car until age 37 and never chased luxury for status.
The feeling of financial freedom after paying off his loans didn’t last long. Within days, the excitement faded. What remained was clarity: money alone doesn’t create happiness.
Inkinen’s view echoes a growing sentiment among ultra-successful founders. From Barbara Corcoran to Warren Buffett, many say happiness plateaus once basic financial security is met. Beyond that point, fulfillment comes from purpose, not paychecks.
For Inkinen, success isn’t about ringing the IPO bell or watching bank balances grow. It’s about building meaningful companies—and knowing that money, while useful, isn’t what makes life rich.