W illy Michel is a self-made Swiss billionaire who built his fortune in the medical technology industry. In the 1970s, he co-founded a company that developed and manufactured medical injection systems. His first major success came in 2004 when he sold his stake in that company to the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis for over a billion dollars. This deal provided him with the capital for his next and even more successful venture.

He had previously founded a second company, Ypsomed, which focused on the development and manufacturing of self-injection devices, such as insulin pens for diabetics and autoinjectors for other medications. After his first company was sold, he bought back a division of it and merged it into Ypsomed, which he has since built into a global leader in its field. He took the company public on the Swiss stock exchange, and his large controlling stake is the primary source of his wealth. He is also the owner of the historic St. Ursus Cathedral in Solothurn, which he helped to restore.