Susan Wu

How do you make money from things that don't exist? Susan Wu intends to show you. The first venture capitalist to focus on virtual goods -- products that don't exist offline, such as Facebook gifts and everything your avatar needs in Second Life -- Wu is the doyenne of this growing niche. Her past investments include Twitter and Conduit Labs. That has helped earn her startup -- which focuses on massively multiplayer online games and will count on virtual goods for the bulk of its revenue -- respect in a male-dominated industry, not to mention millions of dollars in funding. -- by Anne C. Lee