Chris Larsen, Prosper

When Chris Larsen co-founded Prosper, the peer-to-peer lending marketplace, he went out hunting for office space rendered available by the recent failure of some other venture. When he found a space, signed a lease, and moved in, Larsen spared his landlord the cost of clearing it out. "You never need to pay for furniture these days," he jokes.

Prosper inherited everything else in the office, too: filing cabinets, pens, pads of paper, and even leftover coffee in the kitchen. One result--aside from considerable cost savings--is an "eclectic" design scheme, says Larsen, now Prosper's chief executive officer. "Your conference room looks funky because you have six different types of chairs," he says.