This Boy's Life

By Internet standards, Tom Hadfield is an old-timer. He went online in 1994, put together a start-up in '95, sold it in '97 and launched another in '99. In real world years, he is just 18.

The lanky British lad hasn't even finished high school, but already he has two successsful start-ups under his belt. The first, the football site Soccernet, is now part of Disney's online kingdom. His current project, the education site Schoolsnet, was valued at $60 million in a financing round last year. Who is this kid? A nerd? A spoiled brat? A calculating opportunist?...