David Marcus, born in Paris, France, in 1973, grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, where he learned BASIC computer coding at age eight. He attended the University of Geneva for one year before dropping out to support his family and pursue an entrepreneurial career. In 1996, at 23, Marcus founded GTN Telecom, a Geneva-based internet access and telephone service provider, serving as its chairman and CEO until its acquisition by World Access in 2000.