Michelle Zatlyn

This small-town Canadian dreamed of becoming a doctor… but built a $25B internet empire instead (no less).

Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Michelle Zatlyn spent her childhood playing basketball and dreaming of medical school.

But life took a turn when she discovered her passion for solving big problems.

After earning a chemistry degree from McGill University, she pursued an MBA at Harvard, where a class project led her to co-found Cloudflare with her classmates in 2009.

The idea? Build a platform that made the internet faster, safer, and more accessible for everyone.

“I knew nothing about internet security but I cared about liking what I was doing. If I could help create internet security, that’s something I could work hard for and be proud of.”

And she delivered.

Today, Cloudflare processes 57 million cyber threats daily, protects over 12 million domains, and powers 20% of the internet’s traffic.

Along the way, she’s been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Forbes’ 50 Self-Made Women lists, while serving as a role model for women in tech.

Her secret? Relentless focus on building something meaningful.

“The internet is a part of everyone’s lives,” she says, “and making it safer is something I’m incredibly proud of.”

Michelle’s story proves that the future of tech belongs to everyone, not just the Silicon Valley insiders.