( CNN ) -- Until 1995 , Jack Ma had never touched a computer . Today he is China 's best known Internet entrepreneur and the force behind e-commerce company Alibaba . Under Jack Ma 's leadership , the Alibaba Group now operates five companies . In 1995 he founded China Pages , the first Internet-based company in China . He then accepted an invitation from China 's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation ( MOFTEC ) to head the information department of the China International Electronic Commerce Center ( CIECC . ) In March 1999 , Jack and his team of 18 founders launched Alibaba.com from his Hangzhou apartment , with a dream of making business easier for small- and medium-sized enterprises . Under Jack 's leadership , the Alibaba Group has expanded from its roots as a global B2B Web site and now operates five companies with leading positions in e-marketplaces ( Alibaba.com and Taobao ) , search ( Yahoo ! China ) , online payment ( Alipay ) and business software ( Alisoft . ) Jack steered Alibaba 's acquisition of Yahoo ! China in October 2005 , one of the most high profile M & A deals in China in recent years , and was the principal driver behind the creation of Taobao , Alipay and Alisoft . Today , the e-marketplace he helped found is the world 's largest B2B e-commerce Web site , and the Alibaba Group employs more than 5,000 people , serving millions of businesses and consumers around the world . In 2001 , he was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a `` Young Global Leader '' and in 2004 he was selected by China Central Television ( CCTV ) and its viewers as one of the `` Top 10 Business Leaders of the Year . '' He has been named as one of the `` 25 Most Powerful Businesspeople in Asia '' by FORTUNE in 2005 , ranked 15th among `` 50 Who Matter Now '' by Business 2.0 in 2006 , and listed as one of the `` 50 Most Important People on the Web '' by PC World in 2007 . E-mail to a friend .
Ma founded Hangzhou 's 15th Internet-based company in 1999 . He was also head of the information department of the CIECC . Since 1995 he has been at the head of CIECC . He is considered one of the most important figures on the Web .