A story in this morning’s WSJ reminded me of the risk-taking entrepreneurs I wrote about in All the Money in the World. How long before William Wang makes it onto the Forbes 400 list?

Vizio chief executive William Wang was prescient. A native of Taiwan and a former marketer of computer monitors, he was struck by a 2002 ad for a $10,000 Philips flat-panel TV. He sensed an opportunity. Rather than sell the sleek sets as luxury items, he figured he could make flat-panel TVs that were affordable to average consumers.

Back then, the computer-monitor business had largely transitioned from clunky cathode-ray tubes to flat panels. Mr. Wang knew many of the parts in flat computer screens were used in flat-panel TVs. Tapping his computer contacts in Taiwan, he calculated he could get enough parts to qualify for a bulk discount and use them to make inexpensive TVs.

To fund the effort, Mr. Wang borrowed money from friends and family. He also mortgaged his home in Newport Beach, Calif., eventually raising $600,000. While he wanted to name the new company “W” after himself, he settled for “V” after learning that a hotel chain had claimed the letter. V launched in October of 2002.

And where is Vizio today?:

Vizio is a fraction the size of Sony and Samsung Electronics Co., both leading brands in the U.S. flat-panel market. Yet Vizio shipped 12.4% of North America’s liquid-crystal display, or LCD, TVs in the last quarter of 2007. That’s just behind Sony’s 12.5% share and Samsung’s 14.2%, according to research firm iSuppli Corp. Overall, Vizio’s sales have multiplied to just under $2 billion last year, up from $700 million in 2006 and $142 million in 2005, according to the closely held company.

Related:
US Upstart Takes on TV Giants in Price War (WSJ)